Caistor Directory

CAISTOR, or Castor, a small town, a parish, a subdistrict, and a district in Lincoln.

The town stands on the side of a hill, on the Wolds, 4 miles ENE of Moortown r. station, and 7½ SE of Glanford Brigg.

It was called by the ancient Britons Caer-Egarry; and by the Saxons Thong-Ceastre. A Roman station was on its site; and a castle was built at it by the Saxon Hengist. Rowena, the daughter of Hengist, was married here to Vortigern; and Egbert, in 827, here subdued Wiglof, king of Mercia.

The town presents a pleasant appearance; is well watered by four springs, called the Cypher-well, the Pigeon-spring, Stot's-well, and the Spa; and has a head post office,‡ two banking offices, two chief inns, a church, three dissenting chapels, a grammar school, a mechanics' institute, and a workhouse.

The church stands on the site of the ancient castle; is Norman and early English; has a fine tower; contains a brass of 1460; and was repaired in 1863.

The grammar school was founded in 1630; and has £183 a year from endowment, with an exhibition at Jesus' college, Cambridge.

A weekly market is held on Saturday; fairs for black cattle and horses on the Saturdays before Palm-Sunday, before Whitsunday, before 18 Sept., and after 11 Oct.; and fairs for sheep and horses, on the day before each of these fairs.

Pop., 2,141. Houses, 418.-The parish includes the hamlets of Audleby, Fonaby, and Hindon, and the chapelries of Clixby and Holton-le-Moor. Acres, 6,490. Real property, £10,388. Pop., 2,348. Houses, 460. The property is divided among a few.

Numerous traces of Roman antiquities exist; and remains of a monastery occur a little east of the town.

The living is a vicarage, united with the p. curacies of Clixby and Holton-le-Moor, in the diocese of Lincoln. Value, £215.* Patron, the Bishop of Lincoln. The subdistrict contains the parishes of Caistor, South Kelsey, North Kelsey, Brocklesby, Keelby, Riby, Limber Magna, Bigby, Somerby, Scarby-with-Ownby, Grasby, Nettleton, Cabourn, Swallow, Cuxwold, Rothwell, Croxby, Thorganby, Swinhope, Thoresway, Claxby, and Normanby-on-the-Wolds, and the extra-parochial tract of Newsham. Acres, 63,811. Pop., 9,005. Houses, 1,811. The district comprehends also the subdistrict of Great Grimsby, containing the parishes of Great Grimsby, Humberstone, Clee, Scartho, Waltham, Brigsley, Ashby-with-Fenby, Hawerby-with-Beesby, Newton-le-Wold, East Ravendale, Hatcliffe, Beelsby, Barnoldby-le-Beck, Irby-upon-Humber, Aylesby, Laceby, Bradley, Little Coates, Great Coates, Healing, Stallingborough, Immingham, and Habrough; and the subdistrict of Market-Rasen, containing the parishes of Market-Rasen, Middle-Rasen, West-Rasen, Usselby, Walesby, Stainton-le-Vale, Kirmond-le-Mire, Tealby, North Willingham, Sixhills, East Torrington, Legsby, Lissington, Linwood, Buslingthorpe, Newtonby-Toft, Toft-next-Newton, Kirkby-cum-Osgodby, South Owersby, North Owersby, Thornton-le-Moor, Kingerby, Glentham, Bishop-Norton, Snitterby, and Waddingham.

Acres, 183,164. Poor-rates in 1866, £13,416. Pop. in 1861, 37,517. Houses, 7,786. Marriages in 1866, 374; births, 1,474,-of which 71 were illegitimate; deaths, 782,-of which 320 were at ages under 5 years, and 23 at ages above 85 years. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 2,645; births, 11,349; deaths, 6,746.

The places of worship in 1851 were 74 of the Church of England, with 11,969 sittings; 3 of Independents, with 566 s.; 2 of Baptists, with 800 s.; 47 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 8,109 s.; 31 of Primitive Methodists, with 3,485 s.; and 3 of Roman Catholics, with 359 s.

The schools were 38 public day schools, with 2,260 scholars; 92 private day schools, with 1,955 s.; 74 Sunday schools, with 4,407 s.; and 1 evening school for adults, with 4 s.

Notes: ANCIENT PARISH

Preceding the Norman Conquest and until England's break with Rome (1533-7), ancient parishes (groups of villages or hamlets and their adjacent lands) existed for ecclesiastical functions, whilst Vills (townships) and Manors dealt with the secular government matters. These parishes could be identified as a conglomeration of ancient rights which became associated with a specific area, such as the area over which a clergyman had jurisdiction. As a result of the Hundred Years War there was a decline in the administrative status of England's feudal system, the Vill and Manor ceased their local government functions, but the parish, as a ecclesiastical unit, remained (Jackson, 1966, p.2). The dissolution of the monasteries led to the ancient parish being left with the duty of relieving its own poor, starting in Elizabeth I's reign with the first Poor Relief Act (1597). This involved the appointment of Overseers and levying parishioners and meant the ancient parish began performing both secular and ecclesiastical roles. The adoption of the parish as an administrative unit by the Government during the sixteenth century aided the development of public services for both urban and rural areas. Authority of urban parishes was ceded to urban districts and boroughs as they developed, but rural parishes still retain some administrative qualities, such as the parish council. There were, in 1965, around 111,00 parishes within England and Wales (Jackson, 1966, p.3).


Imperial Gazette Report 1870-72
prev. page	CAISTOR, or Castor, a small town, a parish, a subdistrict, and a district in Lincoln. The town stands on the side of a hill, on the Wolds, 4 miles ENE of Moortown r. station, and 7½ SE of Glanford Brigg. It was called by the ancient Britons Caer-Egarry; and by the Saxons Thong-Ceastre. A Roman station was on its site; and a castle was built at it by the Saxon Hengist. Rowena, the daughter of Hengist, was married here to Vortigern; and Egbert, in 827, here subdued Wiglof, king of Mercia. The town presents a pleasant appearance; is well watered by four springs, called the Cypher-well, the Pigeon-spring, Stot's-well, and the Spa; and has a head post office,‡ two banking offices, two chief inns, a church, three dissenting chapels, a grammar school, a mechanics' institute, and a workhouse. The church stands on the site of the ancient castle; is Norman and early English; has a fine tower; contains a brass of 1460; and was repaired in 1863. The grammar school was founded in 1630; and has £183 a year from endowment, with an exhibition at Jesus' college, Cambridge. A weekly market is held on Saturday; fairs for black cattle and horses on the Saturdays before Palm-Sunday, before Whitsunday, before 18 Sept., and after 11 Oct.; and fairs for sheep and horses, on the day before each of these fairs. Pop., 2,141. Houses, 418.-The parish includes the hamlets of Audleby, Fonaby, and Hindon, and the chapelries of Clixby and Holton-le-Moor. Acres, 6,490. Real property, £10,388. Pop., 2,348. Houses, 460. The property is divided among a few. Numerous traces of Roman antiquities exist; and remains of a monastery occur a little east of the town. The living is a vicarage, united with the p. curacies of Clixby and Holton-le-Moor, in the diocese of Lincoln. Value, £215.* Patron, the Bishop of Lincoln. The subdistrict contains the parishes of Caistor, South Kelsey, North Kelsey, Brocklesby, Keelby, Riby, Limber Magna, Bigby, Somerby, Scarby-with-Ownby, Grasby, Nettleton, Cabourn, Swallow, Cuxwold, Rothwell, Croxby, Thorganby, Swinhope, Thoresway, Claxby, and Normanby-on-the-Wolds, and the extra-parochial tract of Newsham. Acres, 63,811. Pop., 9,005. Houses, 1,811. The district comprehends also the subdistrict of Great Grimsby, containing the parishes of Great Grimsby, Humberstone, Clee, Scartho, Waltham, Brigsley, Ashby-with-Fenby, Hawerby-with-Beesby, Newton-le-Wold, East Ravendale, Hatcliffe, Beelsby, Barnoldby-le-Beck, Irby-upon-Humber, Aylesby, Laceby, Bradley, Little Coates, Great Coates, Healing, Stallingborough, Immingham, and Habrough; and the subdistrict of Market-Rasen, containing the parishes of Market-Rasen, Middle-Rasen, West-Rasen, Usselby, Walesby, Stainton-le-Vale, Kirmond-le-Mire, Tealby, North Willingham, Sixhills, East Torrington, Legsby, Lissington, Linwood, Buslingthorpe, Newtonby-Toft, Toft-next-Newton, Kirkby-cum-Osgodby, South Owersby, North Owersby, Thornton-le-Moor, Kingerby, Glentham, Bishop-Norton, Snitterby, and Waddingham. Acres, 183,164. Poor-rates in 1866, £13,416. Pop. in 1861, 37,517. Houses, 7,786. Marriages in 1866, 374; births, 1,474,-of which 71 were illegitimate; deaths, 782,-of which 320 were at ages under 5 years, and 23 at ages above 85 years. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 2,645; births, 11,349; deaths, 6,746. The places of worship in 1851 were 74 of the Church of England, with 11,969 sittings; 3 of Independents, with 566 s.; 2 of Baptists, with 800 s.; 47 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 8,109 s.; 31 of Primitive Methodists, with 3,485 s.; and 3 of Roman Catholics, with 359 s. The schools were 38 public day schools, with 2,260 scholars; 92 private day schools, with 1,955 s.; 74 Sunday schools, with 4,407 s.; and 1 evening school for adults, with 4 s. Notes: ANCIENT PARISH Preceding the Norman Conquest and until England's break with Rome (1533-7), ancient parishes (groups of villages or hamlets and their adjacent lands) existed for ecclesiastical functions, whilst Vills (townships) and Manors dealt with the secular government matters. These parishes could be identified as a conglomeration of ancient rights which became associated with a specific area, such as the area over which a clergyman had jurisdiction. As a result of the Hundred Years War there was a decline in the administrative status of England's feudal system, the Vill and Manor ceased their local government functions, but the parish, as a ecclesiastical unit, remained (Jackson, 1966, p.2). The dissolution of the monasteries led to the ancient parish being left with the duty of relieving its own poor, starting in Elizabeth I's reign with the first Poor Relief Act (1597). This involved the appointment of Overseers and levying parishioners and meant the ancient parish began performing both secular and ecclesiastical roles. The adoption of the parish as an administrative unit by the Government during the sixteenth century aided the development of public services for both urban and rural areas. Authority of urban parishes was ceded to urban districts and boroughs as they developed, but rural parishes still retain some administrative qualities, such as the parish council. There were, in 1965, around 111,00 parishes within England and Wales (Jackson, 1966, p.3).
next page