Skirbeck

The Library at Boston will prove useful in your research.

• The parish was part of the Boston sub-district of the Boston Registration District.
   
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:

• A small priory once existed here, dedicated to Saint Mary.
   
• The Anglican parish church here was dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
   

St. Nicholas:

• The old church of St. Nicholas stands on the east side of the River Witham, fringed by the old Roman Bank, about a mile south from Boston.
   
• St. Nicholas Church was of Norman origin.
   
• Parts of the church are from the 13th century. The tower was a 15th century addition.
   
• St. Nicholas Church was thoroughly restored in 1874.
   
• The church was restored again in 1908.
   
• St. Nicholas Church seats 300.
   
• There is a photograph of St. Nicholas Church on the Wendy Parkinson Church Photos web site
   .
• Timothy HEATON has a photograph of Church of St Nicholas on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2016.
   
• David HITCHBORNE also has a photograph of the Church of St. Nicholas on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2013.
   
• Here is a photo of St. Nicholas church, taken by (and copyright of) Norma CLARE.
   

• Here is a photo of St. Nicholas church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright).

Holy Trinity:

• Holy Trinity Church stands on the Spilsby Road, and was designed in the 14th century, but not built until 1848. It was designed to be a Chapel of Ease to St. Nicholas, so check that church for registry entries.
   
• The church seats 400.
   
• Skirbeck Quarter, often listed as a separate parish (which it became in 1912), has a more modern church building. It includes St. Thomas and Holy Trinity churches within its boundaries.
   
• John BLAKESTON has a photograph of Holy Trinity Church on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2011.

St. Thomas:

• St. Thomas was built in 1911 in an Arts and Crafts style. It is just off the B1397 at Linley Drive.
   
• There is a photograph of St. Thomas Church on the Wendy Parkinson Church Photos web site.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Church of St. Thomas on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2014.
   
• J. THOMAS has a photograph of the Church of St. Thomas on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2013.
   
• William HENDERSON has a photograph of St. Thomas (with the white War Memorial alongside) on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2011.

• The Anglican parish register for St. Nicholas Church dates from 1661.
   
• The parish register for Holy Trinity Church dates from 1848.
   
• We have the beginning of a Parish Register Extract in a pop-up text file for your review. Your additions and corrections are welcomed.
   
• The Family History Library has the parish register on film 1542045, Item 2. This film covers; baptisms and burials, 1661-1812; baptisms, 1813-1938; marriages, 1661-1767. There are gaps in the coverage.
   
• The LFHS has published several indexes for the Holland East Deanery to make your search easier.
   
• A new church on Woodthorpe Avenue on the east side of the parish is the Church of Jesus Christ, a Latter Day Saints establishment. Richard CROFT has a photograph of the Church of Jesus Christ on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2007.
   
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
   

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

Skirbeck was both a village and parish on the east coast of Lincolnshire. The parish has a long, V-shaped orientation that wraps around the south and east side of Boston parish. The village has been incorporated into the Borough of Boston since 1932. Fishtoft parish lies to the east, and Wyberton parish to the south and west.

Skirbeck is virtually a suburb of Boston today. If you are planning a visit:

• Skirbeck lies between the Boston Docks and Fishtoft.
   
• See our Touring page for additional resources.

• Geograph
• Flickr

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

The author Francis YEATS-BROWN tells us that his INGALL? ancestors came down from York and spent a few centuries in Skirbeck. Some of them moved to America in the 1700s where they changed the spelling of the surname slightly: to INGALLS.  Edmund and Francis INGALL are believed to have founded the town of LYNN, Massachusetts.  The Family History Library tells us that there were three people named INGALLS here in the 1600s, so the name may have changed before moving to North America.

• About 1.5 miles east of the church is Rochford Tower. It was unoccupied in 1913. It is the remains of a 15th century brick-built tower-house.
   
• Terry BUCHER has a photograph of the Rochford Tower on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2006.
   
• On the north-east edge of the parish, The Queen of Spades public house has served as a gathering place for the locals. J. Thomas has a photograph of the Queen of Spades on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2014.
   
• Make sure that you visit, on the West side of the parish, the Replica of HM Bark Endeavour"; photograph on Geo-graph, taken by Jo TURNER in October 1997.
   
• If the HMS Endeavor doesn't interest you, stop and plan you next stop at the Spirit of Endeavor Pub off Marsh Lane. Mr. M. EVISON has a photograph of this Pub on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2010.
   
• David HITCHBORNE has a photograph of the Black Sluice Riverside Café on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2013.

• Skirbeck Manor is termed "The Soke of Skirbeck". It has been held by the HUSSEY family and the GILBERT and PRESTON families.

• See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TF338432 (Lat/Lon: 52.969371, -0.009441), Skirbeck 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.

• The Boston Port Sanitary Authority's Cholera, Yellow Fever and Plague Hospital was built here at South End in 1908. It contained two wards. This was renamed the "Boston Fever Hospital" by 1930.
   
• Saint Leonard's Hospital was built on Maud Foster Drain and was rebuilt in 1874 for 10 poor men and their wives.
   
• The author does not know what records have been retained. Hospitals were not required to archive their records. The Archives typically hold only photographs and old financial records.

• J. THOMAS has a photograph of War Memorial next to St. Thomas Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2013.
   
• Richard Croft has a closer photograph of the War Memorial in St. Thomas' churchyard at Geo-graph, taken in September, 2008. The memorial was dedicated in 1921. Technically, the monument is in "Skirbeck Quarter", but that administrative unit had merged back into Skirbeck by then.

The names on the Skirbeck Quarter War Memorial for World War One are:

1. Arthur Adcock.
2. Frank Bedford.
3. Arthur Bourne.
4. Fred Braime.
5. Walter Braime.
6. Arthur Cousins.
7. Fred Dawson.
8. Samuel Dolby.
9. Joseph G East.
10. Herbert Hiley.
11. Robert Iary.
12. Fred Jackson.
13. Walter Jackson.
14. John E Ransome.
15. Leslie Reed.
16. George H Smedley.
17. Basil Wood.
18. Sinclair Wood.
19. Robert S Woods.

• The parish was in the ancient Skirbeck Wapentake in the parts of Holland.
   
• Skirbeck is on the east side of the River Witham, and Skirbeck Quarter on the west side of the River Witham. Skirbeck Quarter was split off as a separate civil parish in 1912.
   
• Skirbeck joined the Boston Borough Council in 1932.
   
• Also in 1932, this Civil Parish was abolished and was split and merged into Boston and Fishtoft Civil Parishes.
   
• For today's district governance, visit the local Boston Borough Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Kirton and Skirbeck petty session hearings.
   
• Skirbeck's St. Leonard's Hospital consisted of ten small tenements in 1872. It was near the Maud Foster Drain and housed ten bedesmen. The hospital was founded before 1200 and was held for a time by the Knights Hospitalliers of St. John. At that time, it was known as St. John's Hospital.
   
• In Skirbeck Quarter, ten tenements for the residence of poor people were built on the site of Spital House, which was founded in 1625 by Sir Thomas MIDDLECOOTT.
   
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became part of the Boston Poor Law Union.
   

Year	Inhabitants
1801	539
1831	1,578
1841	1,931
1871	2,330
1881	2,660
1891	3,023
1901	3,644
1911	4,036
1921	4,174

• A National School was built here, adjacent to Holy Trinity Church. The school was first finished in 1848.
   
• See our Schools page for more information on researching school records.