Dowsby
Encyclopedia
Dowsby is a village and civil parish
in the South Kesteven
district of Lincolnshire
, England. It lies on the western edge of The Fens
at the junction of the east-west B1397 road and the north-south B1177. It is 1 miles (1.6 km) north-east of Rippingale
and just south of Pointon
. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Graby. Nearby to the east, along the B1397, is Car Dyke
on Dowsby Fen.
Dowsby Grade II* listed Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Andrew. The ecclesiastical parish is part of The Billingborough Group of the Deanery
of Lafford, Diocese of Lincoln
. The incumbent is The Revd John Spreadbury.
Dowsby Fen falls within the drainage area of the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board
.
A bus service operates to Bourne
on Thursdays, provided by Kimes Buses.
Although the village looks comparatively modern, as though it dates to the Victorian
agricultural expansion, it is actually very old.
The Hoe Hills was a group of round barrows dating back to the Bronze Age
52°51′32"N 0°20′37"W where Roman and Medieval finds have been made.
St Andrew's church, originating from the 12th century, was mostly rebuilt and enlarged in 1864, although Norman
fragments remain as part of the fabric. A recumbent effigy of Etheldreda Rigdon, and six brasses
to the Burrell family from 1682 lie in the vestry
. Built into the outer wall of the south aisle
are parts of a Saxon
cross.
On the edge of the fen was a decoy used to trap ducks commercially in the 19th century. These would almost certainly have been shipped for sale by railway, probably from Rippingale railway station
which was only a mile or so from the decoy.
Within the parish to the west is the deserted medieval village
at Graby, on the line of the Roman Road
Mareham Lane
.
The former rectory is now a care home for the elderly, providing some employment.
The nearest shop is in Billingborough, the nearest pub is in Aslackby
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 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:...
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. It lies on the western edge of The Fens
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
at the junction of the east-west B1397 road and the north-south B1177. It is 1 miles (1.6 km) north-east of Rippingale
Rippingale
Rippingale is a village in Lincolnshire, England on the A15 road about 5 miles north of Bourne. Its local government district is South Kesteven. Rippingale is a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in the Aveland Deanery of the Diocese of Lincoln....
and just south of Pointon
Pointon
Pointon is a small village situated near Bourne, in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Pointon and Sempringham, and the population of the civil parish in 2001 was 507....
. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Graby. Nearby to the east, along the B1397, is Car Dyke
Car Dyke
The Car Dyke was, and to large extent still is, an eighty-five mile long ditch which runs along the western edge of the Fens in eastern England. It is generally accepted as being of Roman age and, for many centuries, to have been taken as marking the western edge of the Fens...
on Dowsby Fen.
The Village
52.852°N 0.349°WDowsby Grade II* listed Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Andrew. The ecclesiastical parish is part of The Billingborough Group of the Deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of Lafford, Diocese of Lincoln
Diocese of Lincoln
The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire.- History :...
. The incumbent is The Revd John Spreadbury.
Dowsby Fen falls within the drainage area of the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board
Internal Drainage Board
An internal drainage board is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management within drainage districts...
.
A bus service operates to Bourne
Bourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parish on the western edge of the Fens, in the District of South Kesteven in southern Lincolnshire, England.-The town:...
on Thursdays, provided by Kimes Buses.
History
The name Dowsby is from the Old Scandinavian Dusi+by, for "farmstead of Dusi", appearing in the Domesday Book as Dusebi.Although the village looks comparatively modern, as though it dates to the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
agricultural expansion, it is actually very old.
The Hoe Hills was a group of round barrows dating back to the Bronze Age
Bronze 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...
52°51′32"N 0°20′37"W where Roman and Medieval finds have been made.
St Andrew's church, originating from the 12th century, was mostly rebuilt and enlarged in 1864, although Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
fragments remain as part of the fabric. A recumbent effigy of Etheldreda Rigdon, and six brasses
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
to the Burrell family from 1682 lie in the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. Built into the outer wall of the south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
are parts of a Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
cross.
On the edge of the fen was a decoy used to trap ducks commercially in the 19th century. These would almost certainly have been shipped for sale by railway, probably from Rippingale railway station
Rippingale railway station
Rippingale railway station was a station serving the villages of Rippingale, Dowsby and Dunsby, Lincolnshire on the Great Northern Railway Bourne and railway. It opened in 1872 and closed to passengers in 1930. The section from Bourne through Rippingale to Billingborough remained open for goods...
which was only a mile or so from the decoy.
Graby
52°51′13"N 0°21′59"WWithin the parish to the west is the deserted medieval village
Deserted medieval village
In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the convention is to regard the site as deserted; if there are more...
at Graby, on the line of the Roman Road
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
Mareham Lane
Mareham Lane
Mareham Lane is an unclassified road between Graby and Sleaford in Lincolnshire, England.-The Roman Road:For most of its length Mareham Lane follows the route of a minor Roman road, and the name is also used for that Roman road from Bourne to the original ford at Sleaford and perhaps on to Lincoln...
.
Business
Most of the employment in the parish is agricultural.The former rectory is now a care home for the elderly, providing some employment.
The nearest shop is in Billingborough, the nearest pub is in Aslackby