Hide

Killingholme

hide
Hide
Hide
topup

Archives & Libraries

The Barton-on-Humber Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

Alternatively, you can use the Immingham Library as a resource, also.

topup

Census

  • Both townships were in the Barton sub-district of the Glanford Brigg Registration District.
     
  • The North Lincolnshire Library holds copies of the census returns for 1841, 1851, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901.
     
  • Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 638
1861R.G. 9 / 2402
1871R.G. 10 / 3435
1891R.G. 12 / 2629
  • Below is a partial list of surnames found in the North Killingholme 1901 census returns, provided by [Alistair Chafer]:
  • BAXTER
  • BEEDHAM
  • GOOD
  • JACOBY
  • JOHNSON
  • ?USSEY
topup

Church History

  • This section has been moved to a separate page due to the inclusion of several photographs. Please click on Church History to view them.
topup

Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1564.
  • Bishop's transcripts go back to 1562.
  • The North Lincolnshire Library holds copies of the parish register for baptisms 1564 - 1870, burials 1564 - 1897 and marriages 1564 - 1837.
  • The ecclesiastical parish lies in the Haverstoe Deanery. You may wish to purchase some of the Haverstoe Deanery marriage indexes. The parish was also in the North Yarborough Deanery just after 1900.
  • South Killingholme was a Methodist haven. There were chapels built here for Baptist, Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists. Find out more at our non-conformist religions page..
  • We have a handful of register entries from the Baptist Church in South Killingholme.
  • Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
topup

Civil Registration

  • Both townships were in the Barton sub-district of the Glanford Brigg Registration District.
  • Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
topup

Description & Travel

This parish was comprised of the two townships of North Killingholme and South Killingholme. It was on the south side of the Humber River, almost due south from Kingston Upon Hull. Eight and a half miles to the north-west is Barton upon Humber and down the coast is Grimsby. The parish to the northwest is East Halton. To the south lies Habrough parish. The parish covered about 9,300 acres.

Killingholme ecclesiastical parish is comprised of two civil parishes of North Killingholme and South Killingholme. In addition to the two townships already mentioned, the hamlet of Rye Hill, near Ulceby parish, was also within this parish.

North Killingholme township lies about two miles inland of the Humber. South Killingholme township is a mile south of that. Both townships extend to the bank of the Humber and are best reached by taking the A160 trunk road off of the A180 (M180) trunk road between Brigg and Grimsby. If you are planning a visit:

  • Bird Watching is still popular in the area. Check the Recent Sightings for news of what to look for.
  • Railway tours, offered in the area, are an interesting way to see some of the landscape and learn its history. See our Transport page.
  • The Cross Keys public house in South Killingholme displays a little local history and privides a place for travelers to eat and drink.
  • David WRIGHT has a photograph of The Cross Keys on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2009.
  • Steve FAREHAM has a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2013.
  • Visit our touring page for more sources.
You can see pictures of Killingholme which are provided by:

topup

Gazetteers

topup

History

  • Lincoln Cathedral holds charters from the 13th century (1245) which refer to a Walter de Kylingholm buying up land rights throughout the village.
  • North Killingholme was a train station on the New Holland and Immingham Dock branch of the Great Central Railway.
  • South Killingholme was the site of three lighthouses. Two of these were erected in 1836 and the third in January, 1852.
  • Both townships were largely crop-growing farms in the 18th and 19th centuries. Wheat, barley, turnips, oats and beans were the primary crops. Bricks and tiles were also manufactured from the native clay near the banks of the Humber. The Killingholme Haven (Clay) pits at TA 1619 are now a Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
  • Both townships saw large population growths in the 20th century with the industrialisation of the Grimsby port area, the building of oil refineries and the installation of the Oil Terminal built on the Humber banks.
  • The PS Killingholme was a double-ended paddle steamer built in 1912 by the Earle's Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. for the Great Central Railway Co. and London North Eastern Railway Co. Immediately after delivery she was used for the official opening of the King George V Dock at Immingham by the King and Queen Mary. She was primarily a Humber ferry. She did excursion work, too. In 1935 she carried 44,000 passengers on excursions from Hull to Grimsby.
  • South Killingholme holds a family gala each July with children's rides, side shows and barbecues. The South Killinghole Horticultural Society also holds an annual horticultural show with displays of plants, knitting and embroidery, as well as culinary classes.
  • Steve FAREHAM has a photograph of The Ashbourne hotel on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2013.
topup

Manors

  • The Manor House was reportedly built in the reign of Henry VII and was occupied in 1871 by Charles BYRON, Esq. It was once a moated Manor, and was surrounded by some of the most ancient Yew trees in the kingdom, over seven centuries old. In 1911, the Manor was occupied as a farmhouse by George MILSON. Going back to the 15th century, the Lord of the Manor of Killingholme and other notable citizens, are described as being of 'the Middle Soyle of Killingholme'. 'Middle Soyle' in this case translates as 'Muddy Soil', which describes the low, tidal areas of the parish.
  • Killingholme Manor was the seat of Richard WIGFALL in 1900.
topup

Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TA173183 (Lat/Lon: 53.647843, -0.226507), Killingholme which are provided by:

topup

Military History

  • NAS Killingholme aerodrome was established in July, 1914, on the Humber Estuary. It was the first aerodrome in Lincolnshire.
  • The Naval Air Service (NAS) passed control of Killingholme station to the US Navy in July, 1918. The US NAvy left in January, 1919.
  • During WWI, aircraft were used for maritime patrols and Zeppelin intervention. Most of the aircraft were "float" planes, so a paddle steamer was converted to a seaplane carrier and renamed "HMS Killingholme." At times, NAS Killingholme had as many as 100 aircraft and 900 servicemen assigned. Strong tides in the area made seaplane operation difficult here and post-war operations were moved to other facilities.
  • The airfield was closed in October, 1919.
  • A new airfield for the RAF was opened as "RAF North Killingholme" in November 1943 and assigned to Bomber Command.
  • In January, 1944, the 550 RAF Squadron started flying missions from the new North Killingholme airfield.
  • The airfield was closed in October, 1945.
  • Much of the airfield is now used for commercial purposes. David WRIGHT has a photograph of the Volvo Storage Compound on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2007.
  • Nigel THOMPSON has a photograph of the old airfield on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2013.
topup

Names, Geographical

  • The name Killingholme is a combination of two Old English words and an Old Scandinavian ending, Ceolwulf+inga+holme meaning "island homestead of Ceolwulf". In the 1086 Domesday Book, the name appears as Chelvingeholm.
    [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
topup

Politics & Government

  • The parish was in the East division of the ancient Yarborough Wapentake in the Glandford Brigg subdistrict in the parts of Lindsey.
     
  • Kelly's 1900 Directory of Lincolnshire places this parish, perhaps erroneously, in the North Lindsey division of the county.
     
  • You may contact the North Kilingholme Paish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to help with family history questons.
     
  • The same goes for the South Killingholme Parish Council.
     
  • District governance is currently provided by the North Lincolnshire Council.
topup

Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Barton-on-Humber petty session hearings every other Monday.
     
  • Care of the poor dates back to 1665 when Cornelius CLARK left £2 and 5 shillings a year in his will. That was supplemented by grants from Samuel LAWRENCE in 1696 and Francis BRADY in 1774.
     
  • After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Glanford Brigg Poor Law Union.
     
topup

Population

YearNorthSouth
1801118215
1831142338
1871196574
1891206544
1901~540
19112111,021
20012241,047
topup

Schools

  • The first school was built in North Killingholme in 1857. In 1903, the two civil parishes formed a united school district. At that time, North Killingholme had a public elementary school attended by about 120 students.
     
  • See our Schools page for more information on researching school records.