Blankney
Encyclopedia
Blankney is a village
and civil parish
in the North Kesteven
district of Lincolnshire
, England
, with a population of 239 according to the 2001 census. The village is about 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Lincoln
and 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Sleaford
. It is a small stone-built "estate
" village, built around the great estate of Blankney Hall, which has existed since the time of William the Conqueror when it belonged to the Deincourt family.
in 1487, all the estates of the Lovels were confiscated by Henry VII
for the crown and Blankney Estate was then bought by the Thorold
family. It was the Thorolds who did much to embellish the house with the fine carved panelling of the period.
During the reign of Charles I
, again through marriage it passed into the hands of Sir William Widdrington who was created Baron Widdrington
of Blankney in 1643. Lord Widdrington's great grandson, William Widdrington, 4th Baron Widdrington
had the indiscretion to take part in the Jacobite rising
of 1715. He was captured at Preston, convicted of high treason
and his lands were confiscated in the following year.
In 1719 Thomas Chaplin, a prominent Lincolnshire landowner, purchased the land from the Crown Commissioners for Confiscated Land, and it was to remain in the family for over two centuries. The estate owes its appearance largely to the influence of the Chaplins and their care of the land. The last Chaplin, Henry
, led an extravagant lifestyle and had political ambitions; this lifestyle coupled to the falling revenues from farms led him ever into debt until finally in 1892, the estate passed to the principal mortgagee Charles Denison, 1st Earl of Londesborough (n.b. Wikipedia says that the 1st Earl of Londesborough was named William Denison
).
At the start of the Second World War the Hall was requisitioned for use as billets for servicemen from nearby RAF
stations. During 1945 it was badly damaged by fire and was then left as an empty shell before being demolished in the 1960s. All that remains today are the dilapidated remnants of the former stable block.
. The course was first laid out over 9 holes in 1902 by the 2nd Earl of Londesborough, in all probability at this stage for the use of himself and his guests, but in 1904 Blankney Golf Club was formed to manage the course which it continues to do today. In 1938 it was decided to extend the course to 18 holes and this extended course came into play at the start of the 1940 season.
Club was re-formed on the same site, the ground was developed, and a new clubhouse was built, opening in 1991.
(then called Blankney and Metheringham station) 1.2 miles (2 km) away, around the beginning of the 20th century by Lord Londesborough. It was run through woodland both existing and newly planted and where it crossed the Blankney to Martin
road, a bridge
with high parapet
s was built to take the road over the coach-road. It was probably constructed to allow the Earl’s visitors, in particular the Prince of Wales
(the future King Edward VII) who used the Hall as a discreet retreat for his amorous adventures, to arrive and depart without being seen by the local populace. This coach-road still exists and although private can be used for a pleasant walk by a concession from the landowner.
dedicated to St. Oswald. The church, which was restored twice during the 19th century, has a curious tomb-slab to John de Glori with a bearded head looking out of a cusped opening and a beautiful sculpture
by Joseph Boehm
of Lady Florence Chaplin.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and 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...
in the 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...
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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with a population of 239 according to the 2001 census. The village is about 10 miles (16.1 km) south 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....
and 10 miles (16.1 km) north 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...
. It is a small stone-built "estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
" village, built around the great estate of Blankney Hall, which has existed since the time of William the Conqueror when it belonged to the Deincourt family.
History
In the 15th century the estate passed through marriage to the Lovels of Titchmarsh. After the Battle of Stoke FieldBattle of Stoke Field
The Battle of Stoke Field may be considered the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, since it was to be the last engagement in which a Lancastrian king faced an army of Yorkist supporters, under the pretender Lambert Simnel...
in 1487, all the estates of the Lovels were confiscated by Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
for the crown and Blankney Estate was then bought by the Thorold
Thorold Baronets
There have been four Baronetcies created for members of the Thorold family of Lincolnshire, two in the Baronetage of England and two in the Baronetage of Great Britain. One creation is extant as of 2008....
family. It was the Thorolds who did much to embellish the house with the fine carved panelling of the period.
During the reign of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, again through marriage it passed into the hands of Sir William Widdrington who was created Baron Widdrington
Baron Widdrington
Baron Widdrington, of Blankney in the County of Lincoln, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 2 November 1643 for Sir William Widdrington, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Widdrington in the County of Northumberland, in the Baronetage of England on 9 July...
of Blankney in 1643. Lord Widdrington's great grandson, William Widdrington, 4th Baron Widdrington
William Widdrington, 4th Baron Widdrington
Baron William Widdrington succeeded to the title 4th Baron Widdrington of Blankney on the death of his father in 1695....
had the indiscretion to take part in the Jacobite rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
of 1715. He was captured at Preston, convicted of high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
and his lands were confiscated in the following year.
In 1719 Thomas Chaplin, a prominent Lincolnshire landowner, purchased the land from the Crown Commissioners for Confiscated Land, and it was to remain in the family for over two centuries. The estate owes its appearance largely to the influence of the Chaplins and their care of the land. The last Chaplin, Henry
Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin
Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin PC was a British landowner, racehorse owner and Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 until 1916 when he was raised to the peerage....
, led an extravagant lifestyle and had political ambitions; this lifestyle coupled to the falling revenues from farms led him ever into debt until finally in 1892, the estate passed to the principal mortgagee Charles Denison, 1st Earl of Londesborough (n.b. Wikipedia says that the 1st Earl of Londesborough was named William Denison
William Denison, 1st Earl of Londesborough
William Henry Forester Denison, 1st Earl of Londesborough , known as The Lord Londesborough from 1860 to 1887, was a British peer and Liberal politician. He was also one of the main founders of Scarborough FC....
).
At the start of the Second World War the Hall was requisitioned for use as billets for servicemen from nearby RAF
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...
stations. During 1945 it was badly damaged by fire and was then left as an empty shell before being demolished in the 1960s. All that remains today are the dilapidated remnants of the former stable block.
Golf
Unusually, the Hall was not built within its park, the park being on the opposite side of the village’s main road. Although part of the park has been lost to arable farming much of it remains as a golf courseGolf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
. The course was first laid out over 9 holes in 1902 by the 2nd Earl of Londesborough, in all probability at this stage for the use of himself and his guests, but in 1904 Blankney Golf Club was formed to manage the course which it continues to do today. In 1938 it was decided to extend the course to 18 holes and this extended course came into play at the start of the 1940 season.
Cricket
Blankney Cricket Club was originally formed in 1873 playing on a site in the centre of the village; it continued to flourish into the 20th century under the patronage of Lord Londesborough, who used to watch the matches from the north wing of Blankney Hall. However, after the end of the Second World War in 1945 the club went into decline and closed a few years later. In 1988 the CricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Club was re-formed on the same site, the ground was developed, and a new clubhouse was built, opening in 1991.
Old coach-road
The Old Coach-Road was constructed from the Hall to Metheringham railway stationMetheringham railway station
Metheringham railway station serves the village of Metheringham in Lincolnshire, England.-History:The station was opened to passengers on 1 July 1882 named Blankney & Metheringham. It closed to passengers on 11 September 1961 but it was later reopened on 6 October 1975 named Metheringham. The...
(then called Blankney and Metheringham station) 1.2 miles (2 km) away, around the beginning of the 20th century by Lord Londesborough. It was run through woodland both existing and newly planted and where it crossed the Blankney to Martin
Martin, Lincolnshire
Martin is a small, ancient, village just north of Timberland, Lincolnshire, located on the a large flat Fen through which the River Witham runs...
road, a bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
with high parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
s was built to take the road over the coach-road. It was probably constructed to allow the Earl’s visitors, in particular the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
(the future King Edward VII) who used the Hall as a discreet retreat for his amorous adventures, to arrive and depart without being seen by the local populace. This coach-road still exists and although private can be used for a pleasant walk by a concession from the landowner.
Parish church
At the south end of the village is the Parish ChurchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
dedicated to St. Oswald. The church, which was restored twice during the 19th century, has a curious tomb-slab to John de Glori with a bearded head looking out of a cusped opening and a beautiful sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
by Joseph Boehm
Joseph Boehm
Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, 1st Baronet, RA was a medallist and sculptor, best known for the Jubilee head of Queen Victoria on coinage, and the statue of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Park Corner.-Biography:...
of Lady Florence Chaplin.