England GenWeb Project - Lincolnshire, Bitchfield

Bitchfield

The parish was in the Colsterworth sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
In 1890, as a result of the Poor Union reorganisation, the parish was placed in the Grantham South sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:

The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalen.
The church was built in the 10th century and enlarged in the 12th century.
The church was restored in 1873.
The church seats only about 100 people.
There is a photograph of St. Mary Magdalen's Church on the Wendy PARKINSON web site under "Still more Lincolnshire".
Richard CROFT has a photograph of "St. Mary's Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2006.
Here is a photograph St. Mary's Church supplied by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):

St. Mary's Church

The Anglican parish register dates from 1674.
The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage indexes and a burial index for the Beltisloe Deanery to make your search easier.
Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.

The parish was in the Colsterworth sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
In 1890, as a result of the Poor Law Union reorganisation, the parish was placed in the Grantham South sub-district of the Grantham Registration District.
Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which started in July, 1837.

Bitchfield is a village and a parish on the River Glen, 3 miles north of Corby and 8 miles south-east of Grantham. The parish covered 1,357 acres.

If you are planning a visit:

By automobile, take the A52 trunk road east out of Grantham and turn right (south) onto the B1176 arterial road. Bitchfield is about six miles along that road.
Visit our touring page for more sources.

Bitchfield House is a relatively modern manor house. In 1882 it was occupied by Mr. Joseph GRUMMITT.

The national grid reference is SK 9929.
You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #247 map, which has 2.5 inches to the mile scale.
See our "Maps page for additional resources.

The name Bitchfield is from the Old English Bill's+feld, or "Bill's field". In the 1086 Domesday Book, the village is given as Billesfelt.
["A Dictionary of English Place-Names," A. D. Mills, Oxford University Press, 1991]

This place was an ancient parish in Lincolnshire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
The parish was in the ancient Beltisloe Wapentake in the South Kesteven district in the parts of Kesteven.
For today's district governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
Bitchfield was abolished as a Civil Parish in 1931 and the land incorporated into surrounding parishes.

Bastardy cases would be heard in the Spittlegate petty sessional hearings.
As a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became part of the Grantham Poor Law Union.

Year Inhabitants

1801 95

1831 135

1851 209

1861 159

1871 169

1881 167

1891 161

1901 101

1911 97

1921 95

A School Board, of 7 members, was formed on 16 November, 1875. The "Bitchfield United District" covered Bassingthorpe, Bitchfield and Boothby Pagnall parishes.
A Board School was built in 1877 to hold up to 70 children.
For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.

Last updated on 20-February-2015
Click here to send any questions and/or comments about this site to the Lincolnshire County Coordinator.