Cowbit
Local Library: (JB)
- Spalding Library
- Victoria Street
- Spalding, Lincs, PE11 1EA
- Tele: 01775 769915, Fax: 01775 768931
- Opening Hours 9.00 - 17.30 Mon - Fri
- Early Closing Thurs 12.30 Sat 9.00 - 13.00
- Late opening Wed to 19.30
- The parish was in the Spalding sub-district of the Spalding Registration District.
- Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year |
Piece No. |
| 1851 |
H.O. 107 / 2096 |
| 1861 |
R.G. 9 / 2323 |
- The Anglican parish church is dedicated to St. Mary and was consecrated in 1486.
- There is a photograph of St. Mary's Church on the Wendy Parkinson Church Photos web site.
- Here are two photographs of the church, supplied by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
- Anglican parish registers exist from 1561.
- We have a partial parish register extract, with only a few entries in it. Your additions to this are welcome.
- We also have an extract from Phillimore's Marriages for Cowbit, 1769 - 1800, provided by Carol J. Markillie.
- Cowbit is in the West Elloe Deanery.
- Parish burials exist in the National Burial Index (NBI) where 965 burials are reported from 1813-1900.
- There was also a Wesleyan Methodist chapel in the parish. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
- Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
- The parish was in the Spalding sub-district of the Spalding Registration District.
- Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
Cowbit is both a village and parish about three miles south of Spalding. The River Welland forms part of the western border, with the area called Deeping Fen across the river. Crowland parish lies to the south and Weston parish to the east. The area is about 4,500 acres of flat fenland, drained by many small canals. By 1913, the parish had been reduced in size to about 1,950 acres.
In 1842, Cowbit was a small village. The South Holland Drain runs through the village on its way to the River Nene to the east. If you are planning a visit:
- Take the A1073 north from Crowland or south from Spalding. Where it intersects the B1357, you are in Cowbit.
- Contact Fowlers of Spalding for information on bus service, Holbeach Drove, PE12 0SD, tele: 01406 330232.
- See our touring page for visitor services.
- Swans were bred here in ancient times. The village had a court of "Swan Mark".
- In 1842, the chief landowners were Maurice JOHNSON and J. R. CARTER, but the GEDNEY, DYSON, CHILDERS and GUY and other families held property here.
- The national grid reference is TF 2618.
- You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #235 map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
- See our Maps page for resources.
- The name Cowbit is from the Old English Cu+bit, or "Cow enclosure".
[A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991].
- The locals pronounce the village name as "Cubbit" or "Cub-it".
- In 1616, Francis STANWELL left a house and land to generate yearly doles for the parish poor.
- An unknown donor gave Town House to be occupied by paupers, with small gardens for each occupant. Half of it was destroyed by fire around 1816.
- In 1801, the commons here were enclosed and a few acres set aside to generate rent charges for distribution to the poor.
- As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Spalding Poor Law Union.
| Year |
Inhabitants |
| 1801 |
366 |
| 1831 |
556 |
| 1871 |
648 |
| 1891 |
473 |
| 1911 |
507 |
- In 1712, Thomas ANDREW endowed the Free School with land, but the school house was given by William GUY in 1800. The school land was augmented by allotments at the enclosure, in 1819, of 28 acres let out for rental income to fund the school. In 1842 it had 30 free scholars and in 1913, as a Public Elementary School, it had 104.
- You can read more about St. Mary's School on their School web site.
- For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
- South Holland Family & Local History Group
- Mr G.A. Lewis
- 'Taeping'
- 54 Wygate Road
- Spalding, Lincs, PE11
Find help, report problems, or contribute information.
[Last updated: 19-October-2008 - Louis R. Mills]
