Castle Bytham
Encyclopedia
Castle Bytham is a picturesque village and Civil Parish
of around 300 houses in South Kesteven
in south Lincolnshire
.
At one time the village was an important commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural communities, but it is now largely a dormitory
, although a number of farming families remain with a much reduced workforce.
castle mound
. The site of the castle in Saxon times was owned by Morcar, also known as Morkere, the brother-in-law of King Harold
. His grandson married Lady Godiva
. The castle, which gave its name to the village, was built soon after the Norman Conquest and was given by the Conqueror to his half brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and Earl of Albemarle; it was later owned by William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle
, and was burnt in the 15th century during the Wars of the Roses
.
In 1221, after a siege, the castle was destroyed by Henry III
with the help of Hugh de Mortimer II and William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey. It had been defended by William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
aided by William d'Aubigny
, Sir Richard Siward, and Henry de Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
.
John Leland in the sixteeth century mentioned of the castle: "yet remained great walls of buildings".
(even though Castle Bytham is in the Grantham
postal area, with a Nottingham
postcode). It is at the apex of the NG (Grantham), LE (Rutland) and PE
(Stamford) postcodes.
The village is very close to the Rutland
boundary. The civil parish extends much to the north-west of the village, up to Woolley's Lane, including Red Barn Quarry, owned by Bullimores. It also extends westwards to include all of Morkery Wood - named after the Saxon earl Morcar mentioned above.
South of the A1 interchange to Woolley's Lane, the parish boundary is with North Witham
, including Park House Farm. The eastern buildings of Stocken Hall Farm lie in the parish (with an LE15 postcode), with the rest in Stretton
. To the east, Little Haw Wood is also in the parish.
Southwards, the civil parish extends to (and includes) Pillowsyke Holt, a piece of woodland near Holywell. Eastwards, the parish extends for about half a mile, where it includes the 30 acre Lawn Wood which has been a nature reserve since 1995, joining two neighbouring meadows that were donated to Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
in 1993. The meadows are a good site for buttercups and yellow rattle
, and are managed to encourage butterflies, including the ringlet, and the meadow brown
. The wood is mainly oak and ash, but includes field maple, midland hawthorn and the uncommon wild service tree; woodland flora such as wood anemone
, woodruff and early purple orchid also found there. Fallow deer
and red deer
are frequently seen in the reserve.
. The two villages used to be called West and East Bytham.
To the west, on the western side of the A1 road, is South Witham
near the source of the River Witham
. The village's vicar, and that of the Bythams Group, is also the wife of the vicar of South Witham.
Between the village and the A1 the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust maintains an important wildlife reserve at Tortoiseshell Wood (which borders on to the west of the civil parish) and some of the road verges are protected for wildlife by Lincolnshire County Council. Tortoiseshell Wood is in the parish of North Witham
, although the edge lies on the parish boundary.
West of the village, towards Clipsham
, is a Yew Tree Avenue maintained by the Forestry Commission
, the trees cut into large topiary
forms.
The former RAF Coningsby
station commander (1974-60) and Commandant of the Central Flying School
(1979-83) lives in the village, and a former resident on Glen Road was Harold Wilson
's press secretary, Sir Trevor Lloyd-Hughes.
There is a village shop on Pinfold Road. Castle Bytham Post Office was closed in 2008 despite local opposition. It had served Creeton
, Swinstead
, Swayfield
, Little Bytham
and Clipsham
, and other nearby small villages – it has now been replaced by a mobile 'outreach' service.
There are two remaining pubs in the village: the Fox & Hounds and the Castle Inn. Others, such as the New Inn on Station Road, were converted to housing in the 1960s.
on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
, the remains of which can still be seen. This station was rather unusual, being a single platform in a deep cutting through the village. The station was not originally planned by the railway, but was added after considerable local lobbying. It remained open, as did the goods yard on the other side of the road, until the line closed in 1959. West of the village the line of the railway now forms a road crossing under the A1.
The name Bytham is first recorded in 1067 (as a monastery that rapidly translated to Vaudey Abbey
), and comes from the Old English word bythme meaning Valley bottom, broad valley. In the Domesday survey of 1086 the village was known as West Bytham as the castle had yet to be built. People have named the River Glen
in the village Tham or Am as a back-
formation from the village name. It has always been the Glen.
Morkery Wood housed a former bomb dump during the Second World War for the nearby airfields. In the early hours of 19 November 1942 Handley Page Halifax
BB209 NP-G of 158 Sqn
, from RAF Rufforth
in North Yorkshire
, crashed near Stocken Hall Farm (in the wood). It had been hit by flak south-east of Paris coming back from a raid on Turin
(Torino). Half the aircrew were in the RCAF
.
and is one of a group of parishes in the rural deanery of Beltisloe
. It contains an unusual memento of the English Restoration
: a ladder, formerly used in the tower, with a carved inscription which reads "THIS WARE THE MAY POVL 1660" (see photograph), suggesting that May celebrations
were held in the village (as they were throughout the country) to mark the return to the throne of King Charles II
.
There was at one time a Methodist
chapel in High Street (now a private house), served by visiting ministers from Stamford
. On its closure in 1972 the Methodist Circuit still sent a preacher to the village for a few years, service taking place in the parish church.
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...
of around 300 houses in South Kesteven
South Kesteven
South Kesteven is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England, forming part of the traditional Kesteven division of the county. It covers Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and Market Deeping.-History:...
in south 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...
.
At one time the village was an important commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural communities, but it is now largely a dormitory
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
, although a number of farming families remain with a much reduced workforce.
Castle
Overlooking the village is an 11th century NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
castle mound
Bytham Castle
Bytham Castle was a castle in the village of Castle Bytham in Lincolnshire The castle is thought to be of early Norman origin, but little is known of its history...
. The site of the castle in Saxon times was owned by Morcar, also known as Morkere, the brother-in-law of King Harold
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
. His grandson married Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva
Godiva , often referred to as Lady Godiva , was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants...
. The castle, which gave its name to the village, was built soon after the Norman Conquest and was given by the Conqueror to his half brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and Earl of Albemarle; it was later owned by William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle
William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle
William le Gros was the Count of Aumale , Earl of York, and Lord of Holderness. He was the eldest son of Stephen, Count of Aumale, and his spouse, Hawise, daughter of Ralph de Mortimer of Wigmore....
, and was burnt in the 15th century during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
.
In 1221, after a siege, the castle was destroyed by Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
with the help of Hugh de Mortimer II and William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey. It had been defended by William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
William II de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle was an English nobleman. He is described by William Stubbs as "a feudal adventurer of the worst type".-Family background:...
aided by William d'Aubigny
William d'Aubigny
William d'Aubigny may refer to:* William d'Aubigny , itinerant justice under King Henry I of England* William d'Aubigny , Magna Carta surety...
, Sir Richard Siward, and Henry de Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
Henry de Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings
Henry de Hastings was created Baron in 1264 by Simon de Montfort. He led the Londoners at the Battle of Lewes, where he was taken prisoner, and fought at the Battle of Evesham...
.
John Leland in the sixteeth century mentioned of the castle: "yet remained great walls of buildings".
Geography
The nearest town is StamfordStamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
(even though Castle Bytham is in the 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...
postal area, with a Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
postcode). It is at the apex of the NG (Grantham), LE (Rutland) and PE
PE postcode area
The PE postcode area, also known as the Peterborough postcode area, is a group of postcode districts covering a large area in eastern England, including Peterborough and Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, King's Lynn in Norfolk and Boston and Stamford in Lincolnshire. Parts of East Northamptonshire also...
(Stamford) postcodes.
The village is very close to the Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
boundary. The civil parish extends much to the north-west of the village, up to Woolley's Lane, including Red Barn Quarry, owned by Bullimores. It also extends westwards to include all of Morkery Wood - named after the Saxon earl Morcar mentioned above.
South of the A1 interchange to Woolley's Lane, the parish boundary is with North Witham
North Witham
North Witham is a small village and civil parish in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England. The village is located along the upper course of the River Witham, 11.4 miles south of the nearest major town, Grantham. It has an estimated population of 158 in around 70 households...
, including Park House Farm. The eastern buildings of Stocken Hall Farm lie in the parish (with an LE15 postcode), with the rest in Stretton
Stretton, Rutland
Stretton is a small village and civil parish in the county of Rutland, England, just off the A1 Great North Road. The Ecclesiastical parish of Stretton shares the same boundaries and is part of the Rutland deanery of the diocese of Peterborough. The incumbent is The Revd Richard Jan...
. To the east, Little Haw Wood is also in the parish.
Southwards, the civil parish extends to (and includes) Pillowsyke Holt, a piece of woodland near Holywell. Eastwards, the parish extends for about half a mile, where it includes the 30 acre Lawn Wood which has been a nature reserve since 1995, joining two neighbouring meadows that were donated to Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the whole ceremonial county of Lincolnshire England...
in 1993. The meadows are a good site for buttercups and yellow rattle
Yellow rattle
Yellow Rattle or Cockscomb, Rhinanthus minor, is a flowering plant in the genus Rhinanthus in the family Orobanchaceae, native to Europe and Western Asia....
, and are managed to encourage butterflies, including the ringlet, and the meadow brown
Meadow Brown
The Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina, is a butterfly found in European meadows, where its larvae feed on grasses, such as Sheep's Fescue.Similar species are Gatekeeper and Small Heath ....
. The wood is mainly oak and ash, but includes field maple, midland hawthorn and the uncommon wild service tree; woodland flora such as wood anemone
Anemone nemorosa
Anemone nemorosa is an early-spring flowering plant in the genus Anemone in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Common names include wood anemone, windflower, thimbleweed and smell fox, an allusion to the musky smell of the leaves...
, woodruff and early purple orchid also found there. Fallow deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
and red deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
are frequently seen in the reserve.
Surrounding area
About 1 miles (2 km) to the east lies Little BythamLittle Bytham
Little Bytham is a small village in South Kesteven in south Lincolnshire, situated between Corby Glen and Stamford on the B1176, which is straddled by brick railway viaducts of the East Coast Main Line as the road passes through the village.On the edge of the village to the east is the West Glen...
. The two villages used to be called West and East Bytham.
To the west, on the western side of the A1 road, is South Witham
South Witham
South Witham is a village in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, situated close to the Leicestershire and Rutland borders.-Geography:It is bisected by the young River Witham, about three miles to the east of its source. It is the point on the A1 where it enters Lincolnshire from the south, near ...
near the source of the River Witham
River Witham
The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...
. The village's vicar, and that of the Bythams Group, is also the wife of the vicar of South Witham.
Between the village and the A1 the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust maintains an important wildlife reserve at Tortoiseshell Wood (which borders on to the west of the civil parish) and some of the road verges are protected for wildlife by Lincolnshire County Council. Tortoiseshell Wood is in the parish of North Witham
North Witham
North Witham is a small village and civil parish in South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England. The village is located along the upper course of the River Witham, 11.4 miles south of the nearest major town, Grantham. It has an estimated population of 158 in around 70 households...
, although the edge lies on the parish boundary.
West of the village, towards Clipsham
Clipsham
Clipsham is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.The village is well-known for its limestone quarries. Clipsham stone, part of the Upper Lincolnshire Limestone Formation, can be found in many of Britain's most famous buildings including King's College Chapel , the...
, is a Yew Tree Avenue maintained by the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
, the trees cut into large topiary
Topiary
Topiary is the horticultural practice of training live perennial plants, by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, perhaps geometric or fanciful; and the term also refers to plants which have been shaped in this way. It can be...
forms.
Community
Castle Bytham's community supports several events each year in the Village Hall. The annual Midsummer Fair has raised over £40,000 for local causes including a Christmas lunch for pensioners and a children's party, and village infrastructure improvements. Efforts are currently being made to improve the village recreation ground for the benefit of local young people and a 2010 Parish Plan suggested wider improvements.The former RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...
station commander (1974-60) and Commandant of the Central Flying School
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...
(1979-83) lives in the village, and a former resident on Glen Road was Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
's press secretary, Sir Trevor Lloyd-Hughes.
There is a village shop on Pinfold Road. Castle Bytham Post Office was closed in 2008 despite local opposition. It had served Creeton
Creeton
Creeton is a hamlet in the civil parish of Counthorpe and Creeton in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies 5 miles south west from Bourne and 3 miles south from Corby Glen, on the River Glen...
, Swinstead
Swinstead
Swinstead is a small village of just over 100 households, located 5 miles west of Bourne in southern Lincolnshire. Although close to Bourne and Stamford , it lies in the Grantham post code....
, Swayfield
Swayfield
Swayfield is a small village of approximately 138 houses situated just off the A1 in South Kesteven, southern Lincolnshire, England.-The Village:...
, Little Bytham
Little Bytham
Little Bytham is a small village in South Kesteven in south Lincolnshire, situated between Corby Glen and Stamford on the B1176, which is straddled by brick railway viaducts of the East Coast Main Line as the road passes through the village.On the edge of the village to the east is the West Glen...
and Clipsham
Clipsham
Clipsham is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.The village is well-known for its limestone quarries. Clipsham stone, part of the Upper Lincolnshire Limestone Formation, can be found in many of Britain's most famous buildings including King's College Chapel , the...
, and other nearby small villages – it has now been replaced by a mobile 'outreach' service.
There are two remaining pubs in the village: the Fox & Hounds and the Castle Inn. Others, such as the New Inn on Station Road, were converted to housing in the 1960s.
Former railway station
The village had a railway stationCastle Bytham railway station
Castle Bytham railway station was a station in Castle Bytham. It was Midland Railway property but train services were operated by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway . The station and line closed in 1959 along with most of the M&GN.-History:...
on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...
, the remains of which can still be seen. This station was rather unusual, being a single platform in a deep cutting through the village. The station was not originally planned by the railway, but was added after considerable local lobbying. It remained open, as did the goods yard on the other side of the road, until the line closed in 1959. West of the village the line of the railway now forms a road crossing under the A1.
History
- See Bytham RiverBytham RiverThe Bytham River has been proposed as an ancient river in Pleistocene Great Britain that has been suggested to have run through the English Midlands until around 450,000 years ago...
for details of the postulated ice ageIce ageAn ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
watercourse that takes its name from the village.
The name Bytham is first recorded in 1067 (as a monastery that rapidly translated to Vaudey Abbey
Vaudey Abbey
Vaudey Abbey was an English Cistercian abbey. It was founded in 1147 by William, Count of Aumale, Earl of York. Its site is within the Grimsthorpe Castle park, in Lincolnshire, 6 km northwest of Bourne on the A151, but there are no remains of the Abbey aside from earthworks.The Victoria County...
), and comes from the Old English word bythme meaning Valley bottom, broad valley. In the Domesday survey of 1086 the village was known as West Bytham as the castle had yet to be built. People have named the River Glen
River Glen, Lincolnshire
The River Glen is a river in Lincolnshire, England with a short stretch passing through Rutland near Essendine.The river's name appears to derive from a Brythonic Celtic language but there is a strong early English connection.-Naming:...
in the village Tham or Am as a back-
formation from the village name. It has always been the Glen.
Morkery Wood housed a former bomb dump during the Second World War for the nearby airfields. In the early hours of 19 November 1942 Handley Page Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
BB209 NP-G of 158 Sqn
No. 158 Squadron RAF
No. 158 Squadron RAF was a World War I proposed ground attack squadron that did not became operational in time to see action, and a World War II bomber squadron. After World War II had ended in Europe the squadron operated in the transport role until disbandment in December 1945.-Formation in World...
, from RAF Rufforth
RAF Rufforth
RAF Rufforth is a former Royal Air Force station located near Rufforth in North Yorkshire, UK.-Construction:RAF Rufforth was built by John Laing & Son Ltd for the Royal Air Force in 1941 , it is located on the south side of the village....
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, crashed near Stocken Hall Farm (in the wood). It had been hit by flak south-east of Paris coming back from a raid on Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
(Torino). Half the aircrew were in the 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...
.
Places of worship
The church, restored in 1900, is dedicated to St JamesSaint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
and is one of a group of parishes in the rural deanery of Beltisloe
Beltisloe
Beltisloe is a Deanery of the Diocese of Lincoln England, and a former Wapentake.The Wapentake of Beltisloe, was an old administrative division of the English county of Lincolnshire. In England a wapentake was the division of a shire for administrative, military and judicial purposes under the...
. It contains an unusual memento of the English Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
: a ladder, formerly used in the tower, with a carved inscription which reads "THIS WARE THE MAY POVL 1660" (see photograph), suggesting that May celebrations
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
were held in the village (as they were throughout the country) to mark the return to the throne of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
.
There was at one time a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
chapel in High Street (now a private house), served by visiting ministers from Stamford
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
. On its closure in 1972 the Methodist Circuit still sent a preacher to the village for a few years, service taking place in the parish church.
Midsummer Fair
Every year the villagers organise a Midsummer Fair and Street Market, with stalls, a duck grand prix, dog show, funfair, children's games, beer tents and barbecues. In 2009, the Fair attracted over 2,000 cars.Publications
- Wild, John, (1871); The History of Castle Bytham: Its Ancient Fortress and Manor BiblioBazaar (2008) ISBN 0554794942 / Nabu Press (2010) ISBN 9781147702866
- Chorlton, Martyn; Danger Area: The Complete History of RAF South Witham, 100 MU Old Forge Publishing (2003) ISBN 0954450728
See also
- Castle Bytham QuarryCastle Bytham QuarryCastle Bytham quarry is a disused quarry located close to the centre of the village of Castle Bytham, Lincolnshire, England. It is famous for the exposure of Laeviuscula Zone ammonite fauna has allowed the dating of the Upper Lincolnshire limestone formation to the Bajocian era, and thereby dating...
- Little BythamLittle BythamLittle Bytham is a small village in South Kesteven in south Lincolnshire, situated between Corby Glen and Stamford on the B1176, which is straddled by brick railway viaducts of the East Coast Main Line as the road passes through the village.On the edge of the village to the east is the West Glen...
- Bytham CastleBytham CastleBytham Castle was a castle in the village of Castle Bytham in Lincolnshire The castle is thought to be of early Norman origin, but little is known of its history...
- Bytham RiverBytham RiverThe Bytham River has been proposed as an ancient river in Pleistocene Great Britain that has been suggested to have run through the English Midlands until around 450,000 years ago...
- Parish outline map
External links
- Photographic history of Castle Bytham
- History of the village
- Parish council contact details
- Lawn Wood, Bottleneck and Jacksons nature reserve