Lincolnshire county page

Contents

Lincolnshire Towns & Parishes

Nearby Places

Castle Bytham

Census

• The parish was in the Corby sub-district of the Bourne Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
  
  

Return to top of page

Church History

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. James. The church sits on a rise in the centre of the village.
  
  
• The church was restored in 1857 and again in 1900.
  
  
• The church seats 280.
  
  
• Here is a photo of St. James' Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

Return to top of page

Church Records

• The Anglican parish registers exist from 1567.
  
  
• Parish marriages are in Boyd's Marriage Index, covering 1567 - 1751.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several indexes (marriage and burial) for the Beltisloe Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• The parish had a Wesleyan Methodist chapel erected in 1836. This chapel was enlarged in 1866 and restored in 1899. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

Return to top of page

Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Corby sub-district of the Bourne Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

Return to top of page

Description and Travel

Castle Bytham is both a village and parish which lies just east of the A1 trunk road, 9 miles north of Stamford, and 5 miles southwest of Corby, near the border with Rutland County. The parish includes the hamlet of Counthorpe. Swayfield parish lies to the north and Creeton parish to the northwest. The parish covers about 4,100 acres, but was once considerably larger.

If you are planning a visit:

• There is a caravan park just east of the village.
  
  
• Check out our touring page for resources.
  
  

Return to top of page

History

• The ancient name of the village was West Bytham, changed to Castle Bytham after the castle was built.
  
  
• Castle Bytham may have been where the first Norman castle was built. By 1086, it was held by Drew de BEURERE, the Lord of Holderness.
  
  
• There is a book entitled 'The History of Castle Bytham (update 2000)' by Richard Foers MBE JP. It is published by the Castle Bytham Parish Council and runs to some 200 pages. Cost £12.50 when published in 1999. No ISBN, therefore I assume it's a limited publication. To see if copies are still available, write to: Castle Bytham Parish Clerk, Mrs J Gascoyne, 2 St Martins, Castle Bytham, Grantham, NG33 4RH, United Kingdom.
  
  

Return to top of page

Maps

• The national grid reference is SK 9818.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

Return to top of page

Names, Geographical

• Bytham is from the Old English bythme or "valley bottom," and the name first appears in 1067 as Bytham and in the 1086 Domesday Book as Bitham.
  A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991.
  
  
• Castle Bytham is often listed as "Bytham Castle".
  
  
• Locals pronounce the name as "Bye-Tham".
  
  

Return to top of page

Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Beltisloe Wapentake in the South Kesteven district in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• For today's local governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
  
  

Return to top of page

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• The Common Lands here, about 2,151 acres, were enclosed in 1801.
  
  
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Bourne Poor Law Union.
  
  

Return to top of page

Population

Return to top of page

Schools

• A Public Elementary School (mixed) was built here in 1860. A new classroom was added in 1890.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

Return to top of page

Find help, report problems, or contribute information.