Stainfield
Encyclopedia
Stainfield is a village and civil parish
about 10 miles (16.1 km) east of the city of Lincoln
, in the West Lindsey
district of Lincolnshire
, England.
parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew
and dates from 1711, mostly rebuilt in the 19th century by James Fowler
. The pew
s and pulpit
are 18th century. Inside are a helmet, gauntlets and sword said to have belonged to the Wild Man of Stainfield.
A variation of this story, set in the 12th century, identifies the wild man as a Stainfield nobleman who had been away fighting in the Crusades
for so long that when he returned he found he had been dispossessed. He went on to live in the woods, where he became so dangerous that Drake-Tyrwhitt was forced to kill him.
It has been suggested that the story was put about to explain the relics in St Andrews belonging to the Tyrwhitt family, which included tattered cloth hanging from the wall reputed to be the wild man's clothing, and the dagger, gloves, and helmet said to belong to the man who killed him.
In fact, the rags were the tattered remnants of the three banners embroidered by the ladies of the Tyrwhitt family, now in the care of the Archives Office in Lincoln.
According to another variation on the legend the wildman was killed by a band of farmers incensed that their livestock was being taken and their families terrorised. The farmers, who went on to be known as "The Hardy Gang", trapped and killed the wildman in a wood between Langton and Stainfield.
was a benedictine
nunnery founded about 1154. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
the site of Stainfield Priory was given to Sir Robert Tyrwhitt, who built Stainfield Hall on the site. It was rebuilt in 1611 with later additions in the early 18th century and had formal gardens associated with it. After 1760 the house fell into disrepair and was mostly pulled down in 1773. The remaining south front was destroyed by fire in 1855. The present building dates from 1856.
in 1817 It became a junior and
infant school in 1946, and closed 1971.
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...
about 10 miles (16.1 km) east 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....
, 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.
St Andrews Church
The grade II* listed red brick and limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
and dates from 1711, mostly rebuilt in the 19th century by James Fowler
James Fowler (architect)
James Fowler JP, FRIBA, known as “Fowler of Louth”, was an English ecclesiastical architect of the Victorian Age chiefly associated with the restoration and renovation of churches....
. The pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s and pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
are 18th century. Inside are a helmet, gauntlets and sword said to have belonged to the Wild Man of Stainfield.
The Wild Man of Stainfield
One of Lincolnshire's legends tells of a wild man who lived in the woods near Stainfield. The story appears in Folklore around Horncastle (1915) by Revd James Alpas Penny, who writes that in Stainfield church is the helmet of one of the Twyrwhitts of Stainfield, with the family crest of a wild man with a dagger. He recounts the legend that one Francis Tyrwhitt-Drake was promised all the land in Stainfield if he could kill the wild man who had terrorised the district. As he lay asleep, Drake ran the wild man through with his sword.A variation of this story, set in the 12th century, identifies the wild man as a Stainfield nobleman who had been away fighting in the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
for so long that when he returned he found he had been dispossessed. He went on to live in the woods, where he became so dangerous that Drake-Tyrwhitt was forced to kill him.
It has been suggested that the story was put about to explain the relics in St Andrews belonging to the Tyrwhitt family, which included tattered cloth hanging from the wall reputed to be the wild man's clothing, and the dagger, gloves, and helmet said to belong to the man who killed him.
In fact, the rags were the tattered remnants of the three banners embroidered by the ladies of the Tyrwhitt family, now in the care of the Archives Office in Lincoln.
According to another variation on the legend the wildman was killed by a band of farmers incensed that their livestock was being taken and their families terrorised. The farmers, who went on to be known as "The Hardy Gang", trapped and killed the wildman in a wood between Langton and Stainfield.
Priory and Hall
Stainfield PrioryStainfield Priory
Stainfield Priory was a Benedictine nunnery in the North of Lincolnshire, England, between Wragby and Fiskerton.The priory of St Mary at Stainfield was the only nunnery of the Benedictine order in Lincolnshire...
was a benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
nunnery founded about 1154. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
the site of Stainfield Priory was given to Sir Robert Tyrwhitt, who built Stainfield Hall on the site. It was rebuilt in 1611 with later additions in the early 18th century and had formal gardens associated with it. After 1760 the house fell into disrepair and was mostly pulled down in 1773. The remaining south front was destroyed by fire in 1855. The present building dates from 1856.
School
Stainfield CE School opened as a National schoolNational school (England and Wales)
A national school was a school founded in 19th century England and Wales by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education.These schools provided elementary education, in accordance with the teaching of the Church of England, to the children of the poor.Together with the less numerous...
in 1817 It became a junior and
infant school in 1946, and closed 1971.