Baston

The Library at Bourne should prove useful in your research.

• An Anglo-Saxon cemetery of funery urns was found in the parish. It is suspected that the urns held the remains of plague victims.
   
• Baston Cemetery is at the foot of Thetford Avenue. Burials are recorded by the vicar of Thurlby parish. The cemetery opened after 1900, but I've found no report of when.

Alex McGREGOR has a photograph of the church graveyard on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2019.

• The parish was in the Deeping 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:

Here is a sampling of families found in the 1851 census (HO 107/ 2095/ folio 614 p 23-24):

• Jane SMITH 53, Jane Ann 15, Elizth 11, Jane KENDAL 69
• William DENT 68, Eleanor 56, William 23, Betsy 20, Robt 15, Sarah 13, Shadrach 11, James 9, Sam 7
• John MEASURES 75
• Mary POPE 81
• John HOLGATE 62, Anne 62
• William HOWETT 75, Mary 69
• Charles WOOD 50, Maria 43, Martha 10, John 8, James 5, Joseph 3 weeks
• William WANN 42, Emily 41, Matthew 8, Mary 4
• Robert MEASURES 69, Mary 73, Robt 12, William BLINKHORN 30, Jane BLINKHORN 30
• Mary HILE 69, Mary Ann LENTON 17, Edward SMITH 48
• Thos STANGER 48, Susan 20, Edward 16

Here is a sampling of families found in the 1861 census (RG 9/2319, folio 127, page 16):

• Mary MITCHELL 76
• Robert MEASURES 82, Mary 84
• Edward SHARP 65, Harriette 34 (dau)
• Charles WOOD 60, Maria 55, James 15, Joseph 10
• William WHYMAN 43, Ann 42, Frederic 18
• George ALL??N 28, Mary 23, John 4, George 2, Glover 4 mths
• Mary HILL 79, Frances 17
• John WATSON 59, Elizabeth Watson 63, Margaret RUFFEL 26, Mary A THORNTON 20, William COOK 15
• Thomas FRANCIS 29

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.
   
• The churchyard was closed for new burials with certain exception in February, 1909. New burials would then be in Baston Cemetery.
   
• The church was rebuilt in 1860 although the Early English arch was retained.
   
• The church seats 340.
   
• There is a photograph of St. John's Church on the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photos web site.
   
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. John's Church on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2008.
   
• Here are two photographs of St. John the Baptist, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
   

• The Anglican parish registers date from 1558.
   
• We have the beginnings of a Parish Register extract in a Pop-up text file for your use. Your additions and corrections would be welcome.
   
• The LFHS has published several indexes for the Aveland and Ness Deanery to make your search easier.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel here, erected in 1847.
   
• For information and assistance in researching this chapel, see our non-conformist religions page.
   
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.

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

Baston is both a village and parish just over three miles northwest of Market Deeping. Much of the parish is reclaimed Fen and part of the land is on an ancient gravel and sand fan left over from the ancient Fen Lake from about 18,000 years ago. The West Glen River forms the parish's north boundary. Across the river to the north lies Thurlby parish and to the west is Greatford. To the south is Langtoft parish. Remnants of the Roman Car Dyke run through the parish. The area is about 3,200 acres of flat fenland, drained by many small canals.

If you are planning a visit:

• The A15 trunk road from Bourne to Market Deeping runs through the west end of the village.
   
• You'll know you are there when you see Rodney BURTON's photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2007.
   
• See our touring page for more sources.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Baston to another place.

• "Historia Brittonum" tells us that King Arthur fought his first battle in the area to stop the spread of the Angles and Saxons. A large Anglo-Saxon burial plot has been found near King Street and was in use up to about the year 500, which corresponds with the start of Arthur's exploits.
   
• Gravel extraction has historically been an active occupation here.
   
• Ancient Saxon pottery has been found in a field near the village.
   
• Baston suffered heavily from the Plague that devistated much of Europe in the early 1600s.
   
• The booklet "Baston Through The Ages" was published in 1999, delivered to 500 houses for free, and published in 2000 in colour by the Baston Environmental group. It is 90 pages and covers 6000 years. Thank you, Peter RAYNER, 2010.
   
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of The Spinning Wheel Pub. in Church Street on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2008.
   
• The Spinning Wheel, opened in the 18th century, closed a few years back, but is now (2013) operating as the White Horse. The name was changed to White Horse prior to 1840.
   
• The Spinning Wheel was a popular conversation spot. These are the names associated with the place in various directories:

• Tim HEATON has a photograph of the Black Horse on geo-graph, taken in August, 2020.
   
• Marathon has another photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2011. He also notes that a time capsule is buried beneath the sign. Wonder what's in there?

• See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TF114139 (Lat/Lon: 52.711306, -0.352452), Baston which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

• Richard CROFT has a photograph of the War Memorial window in St. John's Church on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2008.

For a photograph of the War Memorial plaques in the church and the names on them, see the Roll of Honour site.

There are two Commonwealth War Graves in St. John's churchyard from World War II.

1. George Albert FAULKNER, captain, Royal Engineers, age 49, died 8 Mar. 1945. Husband of Emma FAULKNER, Baston.
2. Fowler PELL, marine, Royal marines, age 18, died 27 Mar. 1946. Sone of John Thomas PELL, Baston.

• The name Baston is from the Old Scandinavian Bak+tun, or "farmstead of a man called Bak". It appeared as Bacstune in the 1086 Domesday Book.
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]

• This place was an ancient parish in the county of Lincoln and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
   
• The parish was in the ancient Ness Wapentake in the South Kesteven district in the parts of Kesteven.
   
• On 1 April, 1931, the parish was enlarged by 91 acres when Barholm CIvil Parish was abolished. This parish also lost 11 acres to Langtoft Civil Parish, but gained 233 acres from Tallington C.P. and another 583 acres from Uffington C.P.
   
• To contact local governance, visit the Baston Parish Council. Be aware that they will not assist with family history research.
   
• For today's district governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.

• Bastardy cases were heard in the Bourne petty session hearings.
   
• Care of the poor dates back to at least 1717 when W. IRELAND left 26 shillings per year to feed the poor.
   
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Bourne Poor Law Union in 1837.

Year	Inhabitants
1801	457
1821	682
1831	709
1871	763
1881	774
1891	656
1901	558
1911	589
1921	560
1931	620

• A school was erected here after 1863 when land was donated by Lord WILLOUGHBY. It held 60 children.
   
• The school has an active website, but no history at Baston Church of England Primary School.
   
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.