Bratoft
Encyclopedia
Bratoft is a small hamlet in the East Lindsey
East Lindsey
East Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The council is based in Manby near Louth, and other major settlements in the district include Alford, Spilsby, Mablethorpe, Skegness, Horncastle and Chapel St Leonards....

 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 6 miles east of Spilsby
Spilsby
Spilsby is a market town and civil parish in Lincolnshire. England. The town is situated adjacent to the main A16 Trunk Road at the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds north of the Fenlands, east of the county town of Lincoln, north east of Boston and north west from Skegness.The town has...

 and 2 miles west of Burgh Le Marsh
Burgh Le Marsh
Burgh-le-Marsh is a town to the west of Skegness in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The A158 used to run through from west to east but this was rerouted when a new bypass opened in late 2007. The village has a population of 2,016....

, and south of the A158
A158 road
The A158 road is a major tourist route that heads from Lincoln in the west to Skegness on the east coast. The road is located entirely in the county of Lincolnshire and is single carriageway for almost its entirety. The road is approximately long...

.

Bratoft Grade II listed Anglican church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul. The church was completely restored in 1890. The octagonal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...

 dates from the early 15th century, and 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...

 screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...

 and parclose screens date from about 1460. On the north wall of the tower interior hangs a picture of the Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...

, signed "Robert Stephenson". Between pictorial elements for England, Scotland, Ireland and France is depicted the Armada as a red dragon. The text beneath states:
Spaine's proud Armado with great strength and power
Great Britain's state came gapeing to devour,
This Dragon's guts, like Pharaos scattered hoast,
Lay splitt and drowned upon the Irish coast.
For of eight score save two ships sent from Spaine
But twenty-five scarce sound return'd again.

Non nobis Domine

In 1747 the translator of the bible John Scott was born in Bratoft.

Near Bratoft is Gunby Hall
Gunby Hall
Gunby Hall is a country house in Gunby, near Spilsby, in Lincolnshire, England, reached by a half mile long private drive. The Estate comprises the 42 room Gunby Hall, listed Grade I, a fine Clocktower, listed Grade II* and a Carriage House and Stable Block which are listed Grade II...

, a National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

 property open to the public, a red-brick house, dating from 1700, with Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...

 walled garden
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...

s, which Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....

 described as a 'haunt of ancient peace', It is alleged that Sir William Massingberd's daughter tried to elope with one of his postilion riders but her father shot the man dead. Sir William was sentenced to appear in London annually at which time the family coat of arms was smeared with blood. It proved too much so Sir William demolished the family seat at Bratoft Castle and built Gunby Hall in 1700. It's said the ghosts of his daughter and the man walk on the path near the hall. Also within the village is Whitegates Cottage, a small thatched cottage dating from c.1770.

Bratoft Meadow is an area of semi-natural species rich grassland. In 1970 a fertilizer experiment was set up to examine the effect of different forms and rates of fertilizer application on the conservation value of this type of old meadow. The particular species of interest in this study was the Green-winged Orchid
Green-winged Orchid
The Green-winged Orchid or Green-veined Orchid is a flowering plant of the orchid family, Orchidaceae....

Orchis morio.

External links

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