Coningsby

Cemeteries

• Coningsby Cemetery was formed on 30 June 1884 and covered about 1.5 acres.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the Tattershall sub-district of the Horncastle Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
  
  

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Church History

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael.
  
  
• The church has a unique one-handed clock dating from the 17th century, over 16 feet in diameter.
  
  
• Some portions of the church are of Norman origin.
  
  
• Here are two photos of Saint Michael Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• The LFHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the Horncastle Deanery to make your search easier. The parish has also been in the Deanery of Gartree (circa 1910).
  
  
• We have a partial extract from the parish register. Your additions are welcome.
  
  
• There is an active Baptist Church in the village. The church has its own website. There is no history as yet (early 2015) on the web site, but it is still under development.The original Baptist chapel was built here in 1651.
  
  
• The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists both had chapels in the village. The current Methodists have a chapel here that dates back to before 1870. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
  
  
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
  
  

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Civil Registration

• The parish was in the Tattershall sub-district of the Horncastle Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

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Description and Travel

Coningsby lies between the Wolds on one side and the Fens on the other, along the banks of the River Bain. It is 8 miles south of Horncastle, 14 miles north-east of Sleaford and 12 miles north-west of Boston. Tattershall parish is to the north-west. The parish covers over 3,600 acres and includes the hamlets of Haven Bank, Reedham and Dogdyke. Reedham is about 4 miles south of the village of Coningsby.

The village of Coningsby lies on the banks of the River Bain. If you are planning a visit:

• Consider staying overnight at the Dower House Hotel in nearby Woodhall Spa, only two miles away.
  
  
• Try the Castle Inn at 50 High Street.
  
  
• There is an active golf club associated with RAF Coningsby.
  
  
• If coming by bus or train, check the Carlberry bus/car service for bus times or car hires.
  
  
• Check the East Lindsey Council site for tourism information.
  
  
• See our touring page for visitor services.
  
  
• Patricia McCRORY provides this photograph of the village sign seen when entering the village:
  
  

• We do offer these signs, photographed by Partricia McCRORY (who retains the copyright). In the second one, you can see the church tower in the background:
  
  

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• To see more of the village sign, check out Coningsby Sign.
  
  

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History

• Local lore has it that this was a Viking village or settlement.
  
  
• There is a saline spring here, called "The Spa".
  
  
• In 1861, lighting was brought to the village through a gas works.
  
  
• About the same time, the village had a station on the Great Northern Railway line.
  
  
• There was a county police station here by 1912. At that time, John W. STEVENSON was the sergeant in charge.
  
  

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Manors

• Coningsby Castle no longer remains. A painting of it existed at Hampton Court in 1882.
  
  
• The manor was the former seat of the MARMYON family, then later the seat of the CONINGSBY family.
  
  

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Maps

• The national grid reference is TF 2258. (Some sources give the village as TF 2356.)
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer #261 map, which has a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile.
  
  
• See our Maps page for additional resources.
  
  

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Military History

• The RAF built an airbase here on the southern edge of the village, near the intersection of the A153 and A155 trunk roads. Construction started in 1937 and the field opened on 4 November, 1940 as 5 Group Bomber Command. At first, the landing strips were grass.
  
  
• The field was closed for almost a year, from September, 1942, to August, 1943, while hard runways were laid down. This would allow heavier aircraft to use the strips and all aircraft to use the strips in wet weather.
  
  
• The runways were extended in 1954 - 1956 and resurfaced in 2003.
  
  
• This is still an active RAF station (as of 2011).
  
  
• There is a memorial to the Battle of Britain, open to the public on weekdays. The military facilities were recently closed for refurbishment.
  
  
• The Lincolnshire Film Archive has an 8-minute clip of the RAF unit in 1969 entitled 405 Phantoms at Coningsby.
  
  

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Military Records

John EMERSON, who retains the copyright, provides these photographs of the war memorial at Coningsby:

You can find a complete list of the names at The Coningsby Town Council website. Just click on "War Memorial".

Eric WALTERS also tells us:

The Memorial was dedicated in September 1921. The religious service was preceded by the singing of the hymn Let Saints on Earth and the flag which covered it was released by Captain Hotchin MP who said it would serve as a reminder to future children of the willing response of their fathers and grandfathers to do what was necessary to save their country. The memorial takes the form of a broken Aberdeen red granite column on a Portland stone base.

From the War Memorial, by Eric WALTERS, (with additional notations):

From the base of theWar Memorial, by Eric WALTERS, (with additional notations):

Also in Honoured memory of (World War 2, 1939-1945):

Key to Notes:

1. Missing in action.
2. Probably Henry Valentine MAYFIELD, RN, of HMS Ibis.

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Names, Geographical

• The name Coningsby is from the Old Scandinavian konungr+by, or "Kings Manor or Village". In the 1086 Domesday Book, the village is given as Cuningesbi.
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991].
  
  
• When searching old records, the name often appears with an extra "n", as in Conningsby. It has even been shortened to Cunsby
  
  
• Locals pronounce the name as "Cunningsby" or "Cunnsby". Don't be surprised to hear the last syllable as "Bi" or "Sbi".
  
  

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Politics and Governance

• The parish was in the ancient Bolingbroke Wapentake (Bolingbroke Soke) in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
  
  
• Prior to 1882, the parish appears to have been part of the Horncastle Soke in the East Lindsey district.
  
  
• Local Government Order #46,339 transfered part of Coningsby Civil Parish to Langriville Civil Parish in 1904.
  
  
• You may also contact the Coningsby Town Council, but they are NOT staffed to assist with family history questions.
  
  
• For today's district governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Horncastle petty session hearings.
  
  
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Horncastle Poor Law Union.
  
  

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Population

Year	Inhabitants
1801	1,301
1811	1,658
1821	1,651
1831	1,733
1841	1,959
1851	2,098
1861	1,938
1871	1,778
1881	1,331
1901	1,087
1911	1,084
1991	2,901

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Schools

• Coningsby has St. Michael's Primary School, built in 1835 and enlarged in 1875 to hold 232 children. It was originally a "National School." Address: School Lane, Coningsby, Lincs, LN4 4SJ. Tele: 01526 342-312
  
  
• You can visit the website for St. Michael's Primary School, but there is no history or archive of records on the site.
  
  
• The Baptists had a day school here, erected in 1845. In 1891 it was attended by about 70 children.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  

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Societies

• The Coningsby, Tattershall and District History Society meets every second Wednesday at the Methodist Church. Tele: 01526 354954