Bilsby
Encyclopedia
Bilsby is a village and civil parish
in the East Lindsey
district of Lincolnshire
, England, just east of the town of Alford
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 415. It was mentioned in Domesday Book
of 1086 when it consisted of eighteen households. Asserby and Thurlby are hamlet
s located within the parish of Bilsby. The English surname Billing derives from Bilsby, and the village name may be derived from the Norse
goddess Bil
.
Indicated by earthworks, the hamlet of Asserby is smaller today than the village it was in Medieval times. Unlike Thurlby, it is not mentioned in Domesday Book and did not have its own church.
The church is covered with stucco
, and has an 18th century stone tower with brick battlements. The pulpit
stem is the bole
of a tree, with its steps cut from another.
There is a memorial slab in the chancel
to Sir John Byllesby, 1640, a prominent figure in his day, whose descendant, Major H.M. Byllesby (U. S. Air Service) largely aided a restoration of the church in 1918.
in the Georgian style occupying the site of an older moated and castellated house, reputedly the residence of the Bilsby, sometimes spelt Billesby, family. This family appear to have left the original mansion in 1616.
was later extended, and wind continued to work it until 1932. Although disused and missing its cap, it still exists and is a Grade II Listed Building.
used to be situated here.
In 1897, Thurlby would have been an important junction between the Sutton and Willoughby Railway (part of the East Lincolnshire Railway
) and a proposed line from a new port at Sutton on Sea to another in Warrington
to be built by the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
.
way ran through Bilsby, between 1884 and 1889. The Alford and Sutton Tramway
ran from Alford
town to Sutton-on-Sea
on rails set into the road; it opened in 1884 and closed only 5 years later.
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 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, just east of the town of Alford
Alford, Lincolnshire
- Notable residents :* Captain John Smith who lived in nearby Willoughby* Anne Hutchinson, pioneer settler and religious reformer in the United States* Thomas Paine, who was an excise officer in the town....
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 415. It was mentioned 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...
of 1086 when it consisted of eighteen households. Asserby and Thurlby are 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 located within the parish of Bilsby. The English surname Billing derives from Bilsby, and the village name may be derived from the Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
goddess Bil
Hjúki and Bil
In Norse mythology, Hjúki and Bil are a brother and sister pair of children who follow the personified moon, Máni, across the heavens. Both Hjúki and Bil are solely attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
.
Thurlby and Asserby
Thurlby was mentioned in Domesday Book, when it consisted of eighteen households. Thurlby today is a hamlet in the parish of Bilsby, but in Medieval times it was a parish in its own right, and had its own church, dedicated to Saint Mary. However, there is no trace of it today.Indicated by earthworks, the hamlet of Asserby is smaller today than the village it was in Medieval times. Unlike Thurlby, it is not mentioned in Domesday Book and did not have its own church.
Holy Trinity Church
Bilsby church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and is a Grade II Listed Building dating from the 15th century. It was extensively repaired in 1841.The church is covered with stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
, and has an 18th century stone tower with brick battlements. The 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...
stem is the bole
Bole
-Geographical locations:* Bole District, Ghana* Bole, Ghana, town* Bole, Nottinghamshire, England* Bole International Airport * Bole, Xinjiang, China-Other:* Bole2Harlem, an Ethiopian hip hop fusion band* Bole , a unit of momentum...
of a tree, with its steps cut from another.
There is a memorial slab in 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...
to Sir John Byllesby, 1640, a prominent figure in his day, whose descendant, Major H.M. Byllesby (U. S. Air Service) largely aided a restoration of the church in 1918.
Bilsby House
Built about 1740 Bilsby House is a mansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
in the Georgian style occupying the site of an older moated and castellated house, reputedly the residence of the Bilsby, sometimes spelt Billesby, family. This family appear to have left the original mansion in 1616.
Windmill
Built in 1861, Bilsby windmillWindmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
was later extended, and wind continued to work it until 1932. Although disused and missing its cap, it still exists and is a Grade II Listed Building.
Railway
Mumby Road railway stationMumby Road railway station
Mumby Road railway station was a station on the Great Northern Railway between Willoughby and Mablethorpe. It served the village of Bilsby. It opened in 1888 and closed in 1970. The station was immortalised in 1964 in the song "Slow Train" by Flanders and Swann. -External links:*...
used to be situated here.
In 1897, Thurlby would have been an important junction between the Sutton and Willoughby Railway (part of the East Lincolnshire Railway
East Lincolnshire Railway
The East Lincolnshire Railway was a main line railway linking the towns of Boston, Louth and Grimsby in Lincolnshire, England. It opened in 1848 and was closed to passengers in 1970.-History:...
) and a proposed line from a new port at Sutton on Sea to another in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
to be built by the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway
The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway was a British railway company built toward the end of the era of British railway construction. It opened its line from Chesterfield to Lincoln in 1897....
.
Tramway
A steam tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way ran through Bilsby, between 1884 and 1889. The Alford and Sutton Tramway
Alford and Sutton Tramway
The Alford and Sutton Tramway was a steam narrow gauge street tramway between the seaside town of Sutton-on-Sea and the nearby Great Northern Railway line at Alford in Lincolnshire...
ran from Alford
Alford
-Places:Australia*Alford, South AustraliaCanada*Alford, SaskatchewanEngland*Alford, Lincolnshire**Alford Manor House**Alford Windmill**Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford*Alford, Somerset*Alford CrosswaysScotland*Alford, Scotland...
town to Sutton-on-Sea
Mablethorpe and Sutton
Mablethorpe and Sutton is a civil parish and town in East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England. It is on the North Sea coast and includes Mablethorpe, Trusthorpe, Sutton-on-Sea and Sandilands along with the inland village of Thorpe...
on rails set into the road; it opened in 1884 and closed only 5 years later.
Population
| Population of Bilsby 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 | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1951 | 1961 | 2001 |
| Population | 337 | 373 | 416 | 453 | 584 | 611 | 510 | 450 | 387 | 377 | 313 | 318 | 293 | 251 | 415 |