Skegness
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Bibliography
- KIME, Winston, "Skegness in Old Photographs," Sutton, 1992, 160 pages, ISBN 0-750-9012-17.
Census
- The parish was in the Burgh sub-district of the Spilsby Registration District.
- Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
- The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
| Census Year |
Piece No. |
|---|---|
| 1841 | H.O. 107 / 644 |
| 1851 | H.O. 107 / 2110 |
| 1861 | R.G. 9 / 2376 |
| 1871 | R.G. 10 / 3394 |
| 1881 | R.G. 11 / 3257 |
| 1891 | R.G. 12 / 2604 |
Churches
You can also perform a more selective search for churches in the Skegness area or see them printed on a map.
Church History
- The "new" church of Saint Matthew opened in September, 1880.
- The "old" church of Saint Matthew was then used for summer services only.
- This church could seat 750.
- There is a photograph of the Anglican parish church on the Wendy PARKINSON web site.
- Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Matthew's Church on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2006.
Church Records
- The Anglican parish church registers date from 1653, although Bishop's transcripts go back to 1562.
- The parish lies in the Calcewaith & Candleshoe Deanery.
- We have an Obituary Extract text file. Your additions are welcome.
- The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel on High Street in 1876.
- The Primitive Methodists built a chapel on on the Roman Bank in 18376.
- Dr. Neil CLIFTON has a photograph of St. Paul's Baptist Church on Geo-graph, taken in Sept., 2009.
- Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
Civil Registration
- The parish was in the Burgh sub-district of the Spilsby Registration District.
- Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
Description and Travel
Skegness is both a village and a parish that lie on the North Sea at the end of the A52 trunk road, about 12 miles north-east of Boston. Croft parish lies to the south and Winthorpe parish to the north. The parish covers about 2,150 acres. The town is noted for its six-mile-long beach. It boasts organised beach games during the summer, bars and cafes, amusements, gardens, illuminations and a thriving night life led by the Embassy Centre.
If you are planning a visit:
- There are frequent train and bus services to Skegness. See our transport page for these services.
- You'll know that you are THERE when you see this Sign as photographed by J. THOMAS on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2013.
- See our touring page for visitor services.
You can see pictures of Skegness which are provided by:
Gazetteers
Ask for a calculation of the distance from Skegness to another place.
Click here for a list of nearby places.
Historical Geography
You can see the administrative areas in which Skegness has been placed at times in the past. Select one to see a link to a map of that particular area.
History
- In 1526, a disastrous flood wiped out the entire settlement at Skegness.
- In 1873, the first rail line was built to Skegness, prompting a population explosion.
- There is a local History of Skegness online.
The Skegness Lifeboat has been a popular topic of recent history, and Trevor HEWSON tells us that the original address of the Lifeboat Service (RNLI, The Lifeboat house, South Parade, Skegness) is now a souvenir shop. The new lifeboat house is on Tower Esplanade - a lot nearer to the sea. The lifeboat is still launched off a trailer, towed into the sea by a submersible tractor. The lifeboat house is normally open to the public and its walls are covered with photos of crews past and present and details of the various rescue missions that have been undertaken. The staff at the lifeboat house are happy to respond to family history enquiries (being a charity though, please at least enclose an SAE and a small donation would be welcomed).
Maps
- See our Maps page for additional resources.
You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TF566634 (Lat/Lon: 53.144299, 0.33989), Skegness which are provided by:
- This place shown on an OpenStreetMap map.
- Google Streetview
- StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
- OpenStreetMap
- Bing (was Multimap)
- OldMaps (Old Ordnance Survey maps.)
- Old Maps Online (Other old maps.)
- National Library of Scotland (Best site for old 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)
- Elgin Road Works
- 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.
Military History
- For a few weeks in 1914, Naval Air Station Skegness was in operation flying patrols from the Humber River to Cromer. It was replaced by NAS Killingholme.
- The civilain airfield at Skegness Ingoldmells is not related to the above airstation.
- David HITCHBORNE has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2008.
Names, Geographical
The name Skegness is from the Old Scandinavian Skeggi, a personal name. Not mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book, the village is given as Sceggenesse in the 12th century.
[A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991]
Newspapers
Skegness had two newspapers, now only one is in publication. The Skegness News, in publication since 1985, published by the Welland Valley Newspapers Company. An older newspaper, dating back to the mid-1950's, the "Skegness Standard", has merged with the "Skegness News".
Politics and Government
- This place was an ancient parish in Lincoln county and became a modern Civil parish when those were established.
- The parish was in the Marsh division of the ancient Candleshoe Wapentake in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
- In April, 1926, this Civil Parish was enlarged by 1,940 acres when Winthorpe Civil Parish was abolished.
- For today's district governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.
Poor Houses, Poor Law etc.
- The poor widows of the parish had the rent from three acres of land to divide between themselves. In 1881 this amounted to about £10 a year.
- Bastardy cases would be heard in the Spilsby petty session hearings.
- As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Spilsby Poor Law Union.
Population
The village has grown to a sizable town over the years.
Year Inhabitants 1801 134 1831 185 1851 366 1871 349 1881 1,338 1891 1,488 1911 3,775 1931 9,122
Schools
- A National School was built on the Roman Bank in 1880 to replace an older school. The new building could hold up to 250 children.
- Skegness Grammar School has a website with a short history.
- For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.