Algarkirk
Encyclopedia
Algarkirk is a village and civil parish
in the Borough of Boston
in Lincolnshire
, England, 6 miles (9.7 km) south-south-west of Boston
near the A16. Some people spell the village Algakirk. It has a population of 406.
the area was home to the Coritani
; after Roman departure it became part of the Anglo Saxon kingdom of Mercia. Algarkirk is called after Algar Earl of Mercia
, who fell at Stow Green near Threekingham
in 870 while resisting the Danes, and is reputedly buried in the graveyard of the parish church
of St Peter and St Paul.
The "kirk" element of the name comes from the Old English "circe" meaning church, which was later replaced by the Old Norse
"kirk".
The 9th century church itself is Early English and Norman
with a double aisle transept
and a font of Purbeck marble
. Under the tower are kneeling brass effigies of Nicholas Robertson (d. 1498), Merchant of the Staple
of Calais
, and his two wives Alice and Isabella. In 1492, he and Isabella glazed the church clerestorey. The church was heavily restored
in 1851.
Hitherto, the parish had formed part of Boston Rural District
, in the Parts of Holland
. Holland was one of the three divisions (formally known as parts) of the traditional county of Lincolnshire. Since the Local Government Act
of 1888, Holland had been, in most respects, a county in itself.
on the now-closed line connecting Boston
and Spalding
. The A16 road has been rebuilt on the former railway so Algarkirk village lies between this and the old road, now the B1397. The Boston - Algarkirk Diversion opened in October 1991. The village primary school, the Fourfields school, is shared with Sutterton.
The village lies hard against the parish boundary with Sutterton
, so that the two parish churches are six or seven hundred metres apart. While most of the parishes in Holland are more or less long and narrow so as to include both saltmarsh
and fen
, this was originally achieved in Algarkirk by having a detached fen about 12 kilometres away, in Holland Fen. This is now part of Amber Hill
parish and ward.
It constitutes part of Five Villages electoral ward, one of eighteen rural wards in the borough, each comprising one or more parishes.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Borough of Boston
Boston (borough)
Boston is a local government district with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Boston. It lies around N53°0'0" W0°0'0"....
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England, 6 miles (9.7 km) south-south-west of Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
near the A16. Some people spell the village Algakirk. It has a population of 406.
History
Before the Roman conquestRoman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning effectively in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, whose general Aulus Plautius served as first governor of Britannia. Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and...
the area was home to the Coritani
Coritani
The Corieltauvi were a tribe of people living in Britain prior to the Roman conquest, and thereafter a civitas of Roman Britain...
; after Roman departure it became part of the Anglo Saxon kingdom of Mercia. Algarkirk is called after Algar Earl of Mercia
Earl of Mercia
Earl of Mercia was a title in the late Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Danish, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. During this period the earldom covered the lands of the old Kingdom of Mercia in the English Midlands....
, who fell at Stow Green near Threekingham
Threekingham
Threekingham is a village in mid-Lincolnshire, on the A52 Grantham to Boston road, near Sleaford, close to the A15 Threekingham Bar roundabout. Mareham Lane, the Roman Road aligned with King Street, crosses the A15 at Threekingham....
in 870 while resisting the Danes, and is reputedly buried in the graveyard of the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St Peter and St Paul.
The "kirk" element of the name comes from the Old English "circe" meaning church, which was later replaced by the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
"kirk".
The 9th century church itself is Early English and Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
with a double aisle transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
and a font of Purbeck marble
Purbeck Marble
Purbeck Marble is a fossiliferous limestone quarried in the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula in south-east Dorset, England.It is one of many kinds of Purbeck Limestone, deposited in the late Jurassic or early Cretaceous periods....
. Under the tower are kneeling brass effigies of Nicholas Robertson (d. 1498), Merchant of the Staple
Merchants of the Staple
The Merchants of the Staple, also known as the Merchant Staplers, was an English company which controlled the export of wool to the continent during the late medieval period....
of Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, and his two wives Alice and Isabella. In 1492, he and Isabella glazed the church clerestorey. The church was heavily restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1851.
Hitherto, the parish had formed part of Boston Rural District
Boston Rural District
Boston was a rural district in Holland, Lincolnshire from 1894 to 1974.It was formed from the Boston rural sanitary district by the Local Government Act 1894. It did not include the municipal borough of Boston...
, in the Parts of Holland
Holland, Lincolnshire
Holland is an area of south-east Lincolnshire, England. The name is still recognised locally and survives in the district of South Holland.-Administration:...
. Holland was one of the three divisions (formally known as parts) of the traditional county of Lincolnshire. Since the Local Government Act
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of 1888, Holland had been, in most respects, a county in itself.
| Population of Algarkirk Civil Parish Civil parish In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties... |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1951 | 1961 | 2001 |
| Population | 520 | 469 | 423 | 485 | 590 | 593 | 560 | 534 | 406 |
Geography
The village was once served by Algarkirk and Sutterton railway stationAlgarkirk and Sutterton railway station
Algarkirk and Sutterton railway station was a station which served the villages of Algarkirk and Sutterton in the English county of Lincolnshire...
on the now-closed line connecting Boston
Boston railway station
Boston railway station serves the town of Boston in Lincolnshire, England. Services are operated by East Midlands Trains.-History:The station has declined in importance since the 1960s. In its heyday the station employed over 50 staff and had two through tracks and cover over the platform tracks...
and Spalding
Spalding railway station
Spalding railway station serves the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire, England.Spalding is on the branch line to Lincoln operated by a roughly hourly service in both directions usually by Class 153 single car units...
. The A16 road has been rebuilt on the former railway so Algarkirk village lies between this and the old road, now the B1397. The Boston - Algarkirk Diversion opened in October 1991. The village primary school, the Fourfields school, is shared with Sutterton.
The village lies hard against the parish boundary with Sutterton
Sutterton
Sutterton is a village and rural parish in Lincolnshire. It won a Best Kept Village award in 2005.Sutterton lies approximately seven miles south-south-west of Boston, near the junction of the A16 and A17, and on the B1397 . To the north is Kirton...
, so that the two parish churches are six or seven hundred metres apart. While most of the parishes in Holland are more or less long and narrow so as to include both saltmarsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
and fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
, this was originally achieved in Algarkirk by having a detached fen about 12 kilometres away, in Holland Fen. This is now part of Amber Hill
Amber Hill
Amber Hill is a village and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England, west-north-west of Boston. In 2001, the census measured its population at 268...
parish and ward.
It constitutes part of Five Villages electoral ward, one of eighteen rural wards in the borough, each comprising one or more parishes.
External links
- "Peculiarities of a Vicar - A Remarkable Interview" paperspast.natlib.govt.nz - Hawera & Normanby Star p. 3; 16 February 1907; retrieved 25 April 2011