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Swallow

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Swallow, par. and vil., Lincolnshire - par., 2,790 ac., pop. 238; vil., 4 miles E. of Caistor; P.O.

From: John BARTHOLOMEW's "Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)"

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Archives & Libraries

The Caistor Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Caistor sub-district of the Caistor Registration District.
     
  • 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 / 645
1851H.O. 107 / 2114
1861R.G. 9 / 2392
1871R.G. 10 / 3420
1891R.G. 12 / 2621
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. When originally dedicated to St. Salvatoris, but this was changed between 1564 to 1612 to "Holy Trinity".
     
  • It is not known when a church was first constructed here, but it is considered Norman.
     
  • The church was partially rebuilt in 1868 and then thoroughly restored in 1883.
     
  • The church yard was extended in 1905.
     
  • The church seats 90.
     
  • There is an old rhyme told about the church: "You must pity poor Swallow People, Who sold the bells to mend the steeple". This refers to the collapse of the steeple some time before 1663.
     
  • A photograph of Holy Trinity church is at the Wendy PARKINSON English Church Photographs site.
     
  • J. HANNAH-BRIGGS fas a photograph of Holy Trinity Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2011.
     
  • Here is a photo of Holy Trinity Church taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
     
image
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from the year 1672.
     
  • The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage indexes and a burial index for the Westwold Deanery to make your search easier.
     
  • A Primitive Methodist chapel was built here in 1844 in Cuxwold Road donated by Lord Yarborough. In 1855 it was enlarged, but thereafter congregations declined and it closed in 1916. The building was eventually demolished in 1994.
     
  • A large Wesleyan chapel was built on the north side of Back Lane (subsequently Chapel Lane) in 1863. The chapel closed in 1967 and was demolished shortly afterwards.
     
  • For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
     
  • Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
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Civil Registration

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

The village and parish of Swallow lies about 8 miles south-west of Great Grimsby and 4 miles east of Caistor. The parish covers just over 2,700 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

  • John Firth provides a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2010.
     
  • See our touring page for visitor services.
You can see pictures of Swallow which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

  • Stone Age flint tools have been found in the parish as well as Roman-era pottery and coins.
     
  • David WRIGHT has a photograph of the Swallow Inn on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2005.
     
  • In 1949 piped water came to the village, pumped from Barnoldby and then fed to Swallow by gravity from Beelsby Top. Electricity followed in 1950. Mains sewerage did not arrive until 1970, and mains gas later still.
     
  • The White Hart Inn closed in 1953.
     
  • In early 2008, a housing development project was completed in the village on the meadow by the beck.
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Manors

By the 13th century Count Alan's manor had passed into the hands of the LASSCELLES family, who may have been resident landlords and were closely involved with the parish church. Their successors, the CONYERS family, were certainly non-resident. From around 1200 the manor of Swallow was held by the Augustinian abbey of Wellow in Grimsby.

In 1530 George St. POL bought the former Lascelles Manor, and in 1543 he acquired the former abbey lands from John BELLOWE and Robert BROCKLESBY, to whom they had been granted following the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TA177031 (Lat/Lon: 53.510969, -0.226593), Swallow which are provided by:

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Military History

  • The War Memorial stands on the edge of the churchyard. John Firth provides a photograph of the War Memorial at Geo-graph, taken in July, 2005.
     
  • See the War Memorial stone column and the names listed at Holy Trinity Church.
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Military Records

There are only three names on the War Memorial from World War I. See them at the Roll of Honour site.

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Names, Geographical

  • The name appears as Sualan in the 1086 Domesday Book.
    [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991].
     
  • Sources differ as to the derivation and meaning of the name.
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Politics & Government

  • This place ws an ancient parish in Lincoln county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • The parish was in the ancient Bradley Haverstoe Wapentake in the West Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
     
  • Kelly's 1913 Directory of Lincolnshire lists the parish, perhaps erroneously, as being in the North Lindsey district.
     
  • On 1 April, 1936, the parish was enlarged when Cuxwold Civil Parish was abolished and 1,590 acres were amalgamated with Swallow Civil Parish.
     
  • The Swallow Parish Council no longer has a web presence.
     
  • Today's district governance is provided by the West Lindsey District Council.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Caistor petty session hearings.
     
  • The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1805 by Act of Parliament.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, this parish became part of the Caistor Poor Law Union.
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Population

YearInhabitants
180198
1811108
1831168
1841221
1851215
1871243
1881238
1891205
1901180
1911203
1921186
1931207
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Schools

  • The parish school was built in 1856 to hold up to 60 children.
     
  • The school was closed in May 1968 and the children transferred to Caistor Primary School.
     
  • See our Schools page for more information on researching school records.