Swaton
Encyclopedia
Swaton is a hamlet and civil parish
in North Kesteven
, Lincolnshire
, England
, off the A52 road
on the B1394. The name comes from Suavetone or Swaffa’s Farmstead. The nearest town is Sleaford
. The Roman Car Dyke
runs to the east of the village. Roman brick pits are still extant. The Eau river rises to the west and runs through the village until it joins the Forty Foot Drain. Prior to the draining of the Fens the Eau was navigable and a large inland port existed close to the current bridge.
In 1086 there were three estates in Swaton. Four bovates were soke
land belonging to Robert de Vescy, probably as parcel of his manor
of Stenning in Holland, and these descended with the manor of Thorpe Latimer, to which its rents and dues were rendered throughout the Middle Ages, as a subsidiary element in the larger estate. A further carucate was constituted as a manor held by Guy de Craon, but it seems to have been subsequently absorbed into the major holding in the village. Assessed at eight carucates, the fee held by Colsuain dominated Swaton. Before the Conquest seven of the carucates had evidently constituted an estate of some importance, for they belonged to Auti, a king's thane, with the liberties of sake and soke, toll and team. This prominence, along with the franchises which are probably reflected in the existence of a prescriptive market and fair, seems to have survived the Conquest, for in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the manor was one of the main demesne fees of the de la Haye honour to which it passed in the reign of Henry I. In 1185 it constituted the dowage portion of Maud de la Haye, at which time there were three ploughs in demesne
, 60 sheep, 10 pigs and a boar, worth the not inconsiderable sum of £30, and by 1275 the manor with all of its liberties of view of frankpledge, assizes
, and gallows
and tumbrell, was valued at £80 (5). It remained in the hands of the earls of Lincoln until Maud de Lacy granted the estate in her widowhood to the abbot of Barling for the service of one and an eighth knight's fees in 1322. The abbey retained the manor until the Dissolution when it consisted of a capital messuage, lands, a common, a horsemill, and windmill. The estate was subsequently granted to Robert Tyrwhit and remained intact until the nineteenth century.
In 1240 William Longespee and his wife Idonea applied for and were granted a Royal Charter to run a Friday market in the village. This grant was unsuccessfully challenged by residents of Folkingham and Sleaford who feared it would damage their own Saturday and Monday markets.
Nicolaa de la Haye (born 1150), a former Sheriff of Lincolnshire
in the 12th century is buried in the churchyard.
Swaton Vintage Day is held each June. The town also hosts the annual World Egg Throwing competition
. Egg throwing in this village started circa 1322 when the new Abbot of Swaton, controlling all poultry in the village, used them to provide eggs as alms to those that attended church. When the Eau was in flood these were hurled over the swollen river to waiting peasants.
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 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...
, 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...
, off the A52 road
A52 road
The A52 is a major road in the East Midlands, England. It runs east from the junction with the A53 at Newcastle-under-Lyme near Stoke-on-Trent via Ashbourne, Derby, Stapleford, Nottingham, West Bridgford, Bingham, Grantham, Boston and Skegness before terminating on the east Lincolnshire coast at...
on the B1394. The name comes from Suavetone or Swaffa’s Farmstead. The nearest town is 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...
. The Roman 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...
runs to the east of the village. Roman brick pits are still extant. The Eau river rises to the west and runs through the village until it joins the Forty Foot Drain. Prior to the draining of the Fens the Eau was navigable and a large inland port existed close to the current bridge.
In 1086 there were three estates in Swaton. Four bovates were soke
Soke
The word soke has several meanings:* Soke , an early Western jurisdictional concept.* Soke or eke is a Tongan stick dance, originating from Wallis and Futuna., a Japanese title meaning "head of the family," and is usually used to denote the headmaster of a school of Japanese martial arts.* Soke of...
land belonging to Robert de Vescy, probably as parcel of his manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Stenning in Holland, and these descended with the manor of Thorpe Latimer, to which its rents and dues were rendered throughout the Middle Ages, as a subsidiary element in the larger estate. A further carucate was constituted as a manor held by Guy de Craon, but it seems to have been subsequently absorbed into the major holding in the village. Assessed at eight carucates, the fee held by Colsuain dominated Swaton. Before the Conquest seven of the carucates had evidently constituted an estate of some importance, for they belonged to Auti, a king's thane, with the liberties of sake and soke, toll and team. This prominence, along with the franchises which are probably reflected in the existence of a prescriptive market and fair, seems to have survived the Conquest, for in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the manor was one of the main demesne fees of the de la Haye honour to which it passed in the reign of Henry I. In 1185 it constituted the dowage portion of Maud de la Haye, at which time there were three ploughs in demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
, 60 sheep, 10 pigs and a boar, worth the not inconsiderable sum of £30, and by 1275 the manor with all of its liberties of view of frankpledge, assizes
Assizes
Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to::;in common law countries :::*assizes , an obsolete judicial inquest...
, and gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
and tumbrell, was valued at £80 (5). It remained in the hands of the earls of Lincoln until Maud de Lacy granted the estate in her widowhood to the abbot of Barling for the service of one and an eighth knight's fees in 1322. The abbey retained the manor until the Dissolution when it consisted of a capital messuage, lands, a common, a horsemill, and windmill. The estate was subsequently granted to Robert Tyrwhit and remained intact until the nineteenth century.
In 1240 William Longespee and his wife Idonea applied for and were granted a Royal Charter to run a Friday market in the village. This grant was unsuccessfully challenged by residents of Folkingham and Sleaford who feared it would damage their own Saturday and Monday markets.
Nicolaa de la Haye (born 1150), a former Sheriff of Lincolnshire
High Sheriff of Lincolnshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
in the 12th century is buried in the churchyard.
Swaton Vintage Day is held each June. The town also hosts the annual World Egg Throwing competition
World Egg Throwing Federation
The World Egg Throwing Federation is an organization that promotes the sport of egg throwing. -Function:They promote a number of different variations of games including Russian egg roulette, throw and catch, static relay, target throwing and egg trebuchet. The organization discourages the use of...
. Egg throwing in this village started circa 1322 when the new Abbot of Swaton, controlling all poultry in the village, used them to provide eggs as alms to those that attended church. When the Eau was in flood these were hurled over the swollen river to waiting peasants.