Lincolnshire county page

Contents

Lincolnshire Towns & Parishes

Nearby Places

Silk Willoughby

Caution: There are a great many parishes in northern England with the name Willoughby. Make sure that you are researching the correct one.

Census

• The parish was in the Sleaford sub-district of the Sleaford 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. Denis and dates from Norman times.
  
  
• The church was built between 1315 and 1360.
  
  
• The church chancel was rebuilt in 1878.
  
  
• The church was restored in 1907-8.
  
  
• The church seats around 200.
  
  
• There was a small chapel, probably Anglican, in the hamlet of Silkby, still in use in 1810. But it had disappeared by 1900.
  
  
• There is a photograph of St. Denis Church on the Wendy Parkinson English Church Photo web site.
  
  
• Here is a photo of St. Denis Church, taken by Ron Cole (who retains the copyright):
  
  

Return to top of page

Church Records

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1559.
  
  
• We have a small number of parish register entries in a text file. Your additions are welcome.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire FHS has a Loan Library service which has the parish registers on microfiche for Baptisms from 1652 to 1812 and Marriages from 1652 to 1812.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several indexes for the Lafford Deanery to make your search easier.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

Return to top of page

Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Sleaford sub-district of the Sleaford 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

Silk Willoughby is both a village and parish about 2 miles south of Sleaford and about 12 miles northeast of Grantham. Aswarby parish lies to the south and Quarrington parish to the north. In 1841, the parish covered 2,450 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

• By automobile, the village is just east of the A15 between Bourne and Sleaford.
  
  
• See our touring page for more sources.
  
  

Return to top of page

Manors

• Anciently, this parish contained two manors, named after their families, which gave the parish their names: Silkebi and Wilgebi.
  
  
• A large ancient farmhouse in the parish was reputed to be the manor house of the ARMYN family.
  
  

Return to top of page

Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 0542.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #248 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

• "Silk Willougby" also appears as "Silkby-cum-Willoughby" in many records.
  
  

Return to top of page

Politics and Governance

• Silkby was a separate hamlet until 1337, but its exact boundaries are unknown.
  
  
• The parish was in the ancient Aswardhurn Wapentake in the North Kesteven division of the county, in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• For today's governance, see the North Kesteven District Council.
  
  

Return to top of page

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• In 1718, Dame Margaret THOROLD of Syston, near Grantham, left land providing £10, generally given to the poor as coal at Christmas.
  
  
• After the Poor Law reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Sleaford Poor Law Union.
  
  

Return to top of page

Population

Return to top of page

Schools

• In 1841, the rector of the parish was paying for the education of 12 poor children.
  
  
• The parish had a Public Elementary School by 1900, built to hold 40 children.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

Return to top of page

Find help, report problems, or contribute information.