Bigby, Lincolnshire
Encyclopedia
Bigby is a village and civil parish
in the West Lindsey
district of Lincolnshire
, England. It lies about ten miles south of the Humber Bridge
, and four miles east of the town of Brigg
. The village lies in the Lincolnshire Wolds
, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
and lies close to the administrative border with North Lincolnshire
. The hamlet
s of Kettleby and Kettleby Thorpe lie within the parish. The hamlet of Somerby
is situated nearby.
According to the 2001 census Bigby had a population of 234, though this has increased because of the new Bigby Green housing development.
The name Bigby comes from an Old Norse personal name Bekki + Old Norse býr, meaning "settlement" or "farmstead".
Bigby is recorded in Domesday Book
as Bechebi, and the Lord of the manor was William son of Nigel.
The local Anglican parish church is a Grade I listed building dedicated to All Saints
. It dates from the 12th century, with later additions and restorations in 1779 and 1878. On the north side of the chancel
is a large alabaster
tomb to Sir Robert Tyrwhit of Kettleby hamlet, who died in 1581, and his wife. To the east is a monument to Sir Robert Tyrwhit of Kettleby, who died in 1617, and Lady Bridget Manners his wife who died in 1604.
Bigby is one of four Thankful Villages
in Lincolnshire, because it lost no men in World War I
. There is a war memorial in the parish churchyard in remembrance of two local men who died during World War II
.
Pingley Farm, or Camp 81, was the site of a second world war Prisoner-of-war camp
. Purpose-built to house 750 low-risk prisoners, by May 1946 Pingley camp actually held 984. It still exists today but is derelict.
The deserted medieval village
(DMV) of Kettleby was first recorded in a will of 1066. In Domesday Book of 1086 there were two manors, Kettleby, whose Lord of the Manor was Ralph, nephew of Geoffrey Alselin, and Kettleby Thorpe, whose Lord was listed only as Gilbert. Thereafter Kettleby merged with Kettleby Thorpe, also a deserted settlement. Kettleby is mentioned in 1334. Today the area is occupied by the earthworks of Kettleby Hall.
Kettleby Hall was reputedly a moated hunting lodge built in the reign of James I
and later the chief seat of the Tyrwhitt family. The last male heir sold up due to debts in1648, and the building was demolished 1696/1697. The present farmhouse on the site dates from the 19th century.
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 West Lindsey
West Lindsey
West Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, from the urban districts of Gainsborough, Market Rasen, along with Caistor Rural District, Gainsborough Rural District and Welton Rural District...
district of 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. It lies about ten miles south of the Humber Bridge
Humber Bridge
The Humber Bridge, near Kingston upon Hull, England, is a 2,220 m single-span suspension bridge, which opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. It is the fifth-largest of its type in the world...
, and four miles east of the town of Brigg
Brigg
Brigg is a small market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in 2,213 households . The town lies at the junction of the River Ancholme and east-west transport routes across northern Lincolnshire...
. The village lies in the Lincolnshire Wolds
Lincolnshire Wolds
The Lincolnshire Wolds is a range of hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , and the highest area of land in eastern England between Yorkshire and Kent...
, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
and lies close to the administrative border with North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
. The hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
s of Kettleby and Kettleby Thorpe lie within the parish. The hamlet of Somerby
Somerby (Juxta Bigby), Lincolnshire
Somerby is a hamlet in the civil parish of Searby cum Owmby, about east of the town of Brigg, Lincolnshire, England. It lies in the Lincolnshire Wolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, nestled between the villages of Bigby and Searby....
is situated nearby.
According to the 2001 census Bigby had a population of 234, though this has increased because of the new Bigby Green housing development.
The name Bigby comes from an Old Norse personal name Bekki + Old Norse býr, meaning "settlement" or "farmstead".
Bigby is recorded in Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Bechebi, and the Lord of the manor was William son of Nigel.
The local Anglican parish church is a Grade I listed building dedicated to All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
. It dates from the 12th century, with later additions and restorations in 1779 and 1878. On the north side of the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
is a large alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
tomb to Sir Robert Tyrwhit of Kettleby hamlet, who died in 1581, and his wife. To the east is a monument to Sir Robert Tyrwhit of Kettleby, who died in 1617, and Lady Bridget Manners his wife who died in 1604.
Bigby is one of four Thankful Villages
Thankful Villages
Thankful Villages are settlements in both England and Wales from which all their then members of the armed forces survived World War I. The term Thankful Village was popularised by the writer Arthur Mee in the 1930s...
in Lincolnshire, because it lost no men in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. There is a war memorial in the parish churchyard in remembrance of two local men who died during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Pingley Farm, or Camp 81, was the site of a second world war Prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
. Purpose-built to house 750 low-risk prisoners, by May 1946 Pingley camp actually held 984. It still exists today but is derelict.
Kettleby
The hamlet of Kettleby lies about 1+1/2 mi west of Bigby village.The deserted medieval village
Deserted medieval village
In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convention is to regard the site as deserted; if there are more...
(DMV) of Kettleby was first recorded in a will of 1066. In Domesday Book of 1086 there were two manors, Kettleby, whose Lord of the Manor was Ralph, nephew of Geoffrey Alselin, and Kettleby Thorpe, whose Lord was listed only as Gilbert. Thereafter Kettleby merged with Kettleby Thorpe, also a deserted settlement. Kettleby is mentioned in 1334. Today the area is occupied by the earthworks of Kettleby Hall.
Kettleby Hall was reputedly a moated hunting lodge built in the reign of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
and later the chief seat of the Tyrwhitt family. The last male heir sold up due to debts in1648, and the building was demolished 1696/1697. The present farmhouse on the site dates from the 19th century.