Digby, Lincolnshire
Encyclopedia
Digby is a small village and civil parish
in the district of North Kesteven
, Lincolnshire
, England. The village lies in the vale of the Digby Beck watercourse, 6 miles (9.7 km) north of the town of Sleaford
and 12 miles (19.3 km) miles south of the city of Lincoln
. The village has a population of about 574, and a Parish Council.
's National Route 1. Ruskington
railway station is 3 miles (4.8 km) miles to the south, on the Sleaford to Lincoln line. About 16 miles (25.7 km) miles from Digby is Grantham
, which has a regular East Coast Main Line
express train to London
, taking about 70 minutes.
stone axes, about 4,000 years old, were found in Digby, one now in private possession, the other at Lincoln Museum. Also found were two Bronze Age arrowheads
, again one in private possession, the other at Lincoln Museum
with a Neolithic
partly polished axe also found here.
The church is dedicated to Thomas Becket
and has a porch with strong Saxon elements and carvings. Built in the Gothic
style, it has a tall spire. It is a Grade I listed building. There is also a circular Village lock-up
which is Grade II listed, and a medieval stone buttercross
in the centre of the village which is Grade II listed, and a scheduled monument although the top section of the pillar and cross appear to have been renewed, probably during the Victorian period. In the 1930s the churchyard was said to be haunted The church spire was struck by lightning in August 1907 leading to repairs costing £80.
Near the village is the Royal Air Force
base of RAF Digby
(formerly RAF Scopwick). During the Second World War the base was home to Hurricane
and Spitfire
squadrons and to Douglas Bader
, Guy Gibson
, and poet John Gillespie Magee
. The base was Canadian later in the war, as RCAF
Digby Fighter Station, with the Operations Room and billets at nearby Blankney Hall.
The village has a school, the Digby C of E
School for children aged 4 to 11, a Post Office
, the Red Lion public house, allotments, an active winery which uses local produce and Digby's War Memorial Hall in Church Street.
Beck House on Beck Street is a grade II listed stone farmhouse dating back several hundred years. There are also examples of 18th and 19th century buildings, now private dwellings, including Digby Manor House, a listed building situated on North Street almost opposite a new housing development, Chestnut Close.
During 2009 the Village Hall frontage underwent extensive re-development and now provides seating and new gardens.
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
manage Digby Corner as a wildlife sanctuary. In June 2007 Digby Fen was home to a breeding pair of Montagu's Harrier
s, the rarest breeding birds of prey in the British Isles.
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 district of North Kesteven
North Kesteven
North Kesteven is a local government district in the East Midlands. Just over north of London, it is east of Nottingham and south of Lincoln. North Kesteven is one of seven districts in Lincolnshire, England and is in the centre of the County...
, 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. The village lies in the vale of the Digby Beck watercourse, 6 miles (9.7 km) north of the town of Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
and 12 miles (19.3 km) miles south of the city of Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
. The village has a population of about 574, and a Parish Council.
Travel and transport
The village is on the north-south B1188 about 6 miles (9.7 km) miles west of the National Cycle NetworkNational Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
's National Route 1. Ruskington
Ruskington
Ruskington is a large village in the English county of Lincolnshire, on the north-south B1188 road, just north of the A153. The village has approximately 2,200 dwellings, and from east to west is two kilometres long.-History:...
railway station is 3 miles (4.8 km) miles to the south, on the Sleaford to Lincoln line. About 16 miles (25.7 km) miles from Digby is Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
, which has a regular East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
express train to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, taking about 70 minutes.
History and notable features
Two Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
stone axes, about 4,000 years old, were found in Digby, one now in private possession, the other at Lincoln Museum. Also found were two Bronze Age arrowheads
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
, again one in private possession, the other at Lincoln Museum
with a Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
partly polished axe also found here.
The church is dedicated to Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
and has a porch with strong Saxon elements and carvings. Built in the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style, it has a tall spire. It is a Grade I listed building. There is also a circular Village lock-up
Village lock-up
Village lock-ups are historic buildings that were used for the temporary detention of people in rural parts of England and Wales. They were often used for the confinement of drunks who were usually released the next day or to hold people being brought before the local magistrate. A typical village...
which is Grade II listed, and a medieval stone buttercross
Buttercross
A buttercross, also known as butter cross, is a type of market cross associated with English market towns and dating from medieval times. Its name originates from the fact that they were located at the market place, where people from neighbouring villages would gather to buy locally produced...
in the centre of the village which is Grade II listed, and a scheduled monument although the top section of the pillar and cross appear to have been renewed, probably during the Victorian period. In the 1930s the churchyard was said to be haunted The church spire was struck by lightning in August 1907 leading to repairs costing £80.
Near the village is the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base of RAF Digby
RAF Digby
RAF Digby is a Royal Air Force station which, since March 2005, has been operated by the Ministry of Defence's Joint Service Signals Organisation, part of the Intelligence Collection Group. Formerly a training and fighter airfield, it is currently a tri-service military signals installation located...
(formerly RAF Scopwick). During the Second World War the base was home to Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
and Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
squadrons and to Douglas Bader
Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.Bader joined the...
, Guy Gibson
Guy Gibson
Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, RAF , was the first CO of the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area...
, and poet John Gillespie Magee
John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
John Gillespie Magee, Jr. was an American aviator and poet who died as a result of a mid-air collision over Lincolnshire during World War II. He was serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force, which he joined before the United States officially entered the war. He is most famous for his poem "High...
. The base was Canadian later in the war, as RCAF
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
Digby Fighter Station, with the Operations Room and billets at nearby Blankney Hall.
The village has a school, the Digby C of E
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
School for children aged 4 to 11, a Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, the Red Lion public house, allotments, an active winery which uses local produce and Digby's War Memorial Hall in Church Street.
Beck House on Beck Street is a grade II listed stone farmhouse dating back several hundred years. There are also examples of 18th and 19th century buildings, now private dwellings, including Digby Manor House, a listed building situated on North Street almost opposite a new housing development, Chestnut Close.
During 2009 the Village Hall frontage underwent extensive re-development and now provides seating and new gardens.
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the whole ceremonial county of Lincolnshire England...
manage Digby Corner as a wildlife sanctuary. In June 2007 Digby Fen was home to a breeding pair of Montagu's Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
The Montagu's Harrier is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu.-Plumage:...
s, the rarest breeding birds of prey in the British Isles.