Navenby

Description and Travel

Navenby is both an ancient village and parish. The parish stradles the old Roman Ermine Street between Boothby Graffoe parish and Wellingore parish, and lies 124 miles north of London, about 8 miles south of the city of Lincoln and 10 miles NW of Sleaford. The parish is elongated in an east-west direction, extending east to the Lincoln Heath and west to the River Brant. The size of the parish has varied over the last two centuries. In 1821 it covered 2,110 acres; in 1951 it was 3,345 acres.

Navenby village lies in the eastern end of the parish. If you are planning a visit:

• By atuomobile, the A607 trunk road passes through the village as it rambles north out of Leadenham on its way to Lincoln. Navenby can also be reached off the A15 motorway north out of Sleaford.
  
  
• There used to be passenger rail service back in 1867 for your ancestors, but the railway ceased operations in 1962.
  
  
• Click here for the Lincolnshire Heritage Trust and enter Navenby in the Search box.
  
  
• Use our touring page for area resources.
  
  

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Census

• The parish was in the South West sub-district of the Lincoln Registration District.
  
  
• Wendy PARKINSON has the Navenby 1861 census transcribed and online.
  
  
• The North Lincolnshire Library holds copies of the census returns for 1881.
  
  
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
  
  
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
  
  

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Church History

• There is evidence that a Roman temple existed in the parish. There may also have been a Saxon church, but the location is unknown.
  
  
• The Anglican church is dedicated to Saint Peter.
  
  
• The church is built in a variety of styles. The original structure appears to be from the 13th century.
  
  
• The tower fell down in 1859 and restorations of the building continued into 1860.
  
  
• Restorations were done again in 1875/76.
  
  
• The church seats 300.
  
  
• The church is a Grade I listed building with British Heritage.
  
  
• Here is a photo of Saint Peter's church, taken by (and copyright of) Wendy PARKINSON.
  
  

• Here is a photo of the Church of St. Peter taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
  
  

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Church Records

• Parish registers exist from 1681.
  
  
• The London Family History Centre has the Bishop's transcripts from 1562 to 1849.
  
  
• There are a few marriage entries in our Navenby Register Extract page. It is not a complete transcription of the register, so always check the original.
  
  
• For burials, check Sheila Richards web page.
  
  
• Parish registers are on file at the Society of Genealogists, covering 1562 - 1837.
  
  
• Parish marriages are in Boyd's Marriage Index, covering 1562 - 1837 and Pallot's Marriage Index, covering 1790 - 1837.
  
  
• The LFHS has published several indexes (marriage and burial) for the Graffoe Deanery to make your search easier. In the early 1900's, the parish was in the newly-formed deanery of Longoboby, which has since been dissolved.
  
  
• A small Wesleyan Methodist chapel was established about 1830 and completely rebuilt in 1840. The Wesleyan Reformers also met in Navenby in the Temperance Hall, built in 1852. 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 South West sub-district of the Lincoln Registration District.
  
  
• Check our Civil Registration page for sources and background on Civil Registration which began in July, 1837.
  
  

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History

• A Bronze Age cemetery has been found at Navenby as well as an Iron Age settlement. The Romans are reported to have had a small base or garrison at Navenby.
  
  
• The ancient Market Town of Navenby had grants from Edward the Confessor, William Rufus and Richard II.
  
  
• At one time the town square had a market cross in honour of Queen Eleanor, now long since removed.
  
  
• A Sick Society was founded in 1811. A Temperance Hall was erected in 1852.
  
  
• The Volunteer Fire Brigade was established in 1844, consisting of five men and a manual engine.
  
  
• The Provincial Gas Light & Coke Co. supplied gas lighting to the village in 1857. This firm later became the Navenby & Wellingore Gas Light & Coke Co. Limited.
  
  
• Navenby used to celebrate two annual fairs, one held on October 17th for farm animals and the other a feast on the Thursday before Easter.
  
  
• The village held a Hiring Fair for servants on May Day.
  
  
• The parish had a station three-quarters of a mile west of the village on the Lincoln to Grantham branch of the Great Northern Railway.
  
  
• In 1871, the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln was the principal landowner and lord of the manor. Most tenants leased their land for 21 years, renewable every seven years.
  
  
• The parish had a Green Man Pub, but the webpage author could find no record of it, except for the street named "Green Man", It is now a private house.
  
  
• The Butcher's Arms Public House at 69 High street was a good spot to find neighbors and friends. It was converted into a private house after 1930. These are the names associated with the place in various directories:
  
  

• The Chaplain's Arms Public House was William JOHNSON's place in 1882. It apparently closed with his death.
  
  
• The Great Northern Hotel was was associated with the railroad. These are the names associated with the place in various directories:
  
  

There appear to be no guests at the GNR Hotel in 1881. Here is the census entry (RG 11/3235 folio 23):

Relationship	Name	Sex	Age	Where born
Head	Jesse HARRISON	M	29	Boothby Graffoe, Lincolnshire
wife	Mary A. HARRISON	F	34	Navenby, Lincolnshire
stepson	George W. BARRAND	M	8	America
stepdaugh.	Gertrude E. BARRAND	F	5	America
stepdaugh.	Florence M. BARRAND	F	2	Navenby, Lincolnshire
daughter	Ada M. HARRISON	F	0	Navenby, Lincolnshire
servant	Elizabeth HUTCHINSON	F	13	Harmston, Lincolnshire

• The King's Head Public House is a 18th century Grade II listed building with British Heritage.
  
  
• The King's Head Public House was another conversation spot. These are the names associated with the place in various directories:
  
  

And only one lodger at the King's Head in 1881. Here is the census entry (RG 11/3235 folio 4):

Relationship	Name	Sex	Age	Where born
Head	George CLARKE	M	62	Wold Newton, Lincolnshire
wife	Hannah CLARKE	F	54	Navenby, Lincolnshire
son	Robert CLARKE	M	33	Navenby, Lincolnshire
son	Tom CLARKE	M	21	Navenby, Lincolnshire
daugh.	Sophy CLARKE	F	16	Navenby, Lincolnshire
son	Henry CLARKE	M	14	Navenby, Lincolnshire
son	Andrew CLARKE	M	12	Navenby, Lincolnshire
lodger	John PALIN	M	52	Welbourne, Lincolnshire

• The Lion Public House (often listed as a hotel) was the spot to go for local news and gossip since it opened in 1824. It is also a Grade II listed building with British Heritage. It changed its name to "The Lion and Royal" after a visit by the Prince of Wales (Later Edward VII) in 1870. It is still operating.
  
  
• Trevor RICKARD has taken a picture of the The Lion & Royal and put it on Geo-graph. Names and years are:
  
  

• The Reindeer Public House at 10 High street was was also well known. It has since become a fish and chips shop. These are the names associated with the place in various directories:
  
  

John NELSON was born in Branston, LIN, circa 1843. His wife Emma (nee ALLETT) was born in Heighington, LIN, circa 1847.

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Manors

• Dave BEVIS has taken a picture of the Old Manor House and put it on Geo-graph for all to see.
  
  

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Maps

• The village is at National Grid Reference SK 9857.
  
  
• You'll want an Ordnance Survey Explorer 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

• During the Great War, the Royal Flying Corps established an airfield on land bordering Navenby (in Wellingore parish). The field was also used by the Royal Naval Air Service.
  
  
• The field closed after the war, but re-opened in 1935 and expanded in 1939-40. By then it had become officially RAF Wellingore.
  
  
• The field closed again in 1945, but was used as a camp for prisoners of war for a few years afterward.
  
  
• The War Memorial in the churchyard is a granite celtic cross erected by the parishioners in 1921 in memory of the men who fell in the Great War.
  
  

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Military Records

For a photograph of the Navenby War Memorial and the list of the names on it, see the Roll of Honour site.

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Names, Geographical

• The Saxon name for Navenby has not survived, but the current name derives from the Old Scandinavian Nafni+by, which means "farmstead or village of a man called Nafni". In the 1086 Domesday Book, the name is similar to today's name and appears as Navenebi.
  ["A Dictionary of English Place-Names," A. D. Mills, Oxford University Press, 1991]
  
  

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Politics and Government

• This place was an ancient parish in Lincolnshire and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
  
  
• The parish was in the Higher division of the ancient Boothby Graffoe Wapentake in the North Kesteven division of the county, in the parts of Kesteven.
  
  
• For today's district governance, see the North Kesteven District Council.
  
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• The Common Lands were enclosed here in 1772.
  
  
• Care of the poor dates back to at least 1772 when part of the parish was enclosed. There appears to have been prior donations by DARWIN and DAUBNEY, but these are undated.
  
  
• Some time after 1772 a workhouse was erected, but later given over to other uses.
  
  
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Lincoln Poor Law Union.
  
  
• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Lincoln South petty session hearings.
  
  

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Population

Year	Inhabitants
1801	479
1811	542
1821	625
1831	778
1841	942
1851	1,057
1871	1,000
1881	957
1891	803
1901	779
1911	796
1921	824
1951	851
1971	938

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Schools

• The Parish School was built here by subscription in 1816 with one room for boys and a second room for girls. Although built for 220 students, average attendance was about 100. The current Primary School is on East Road in Navenby, with about 156 students aged 4 to 11.
  
  
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.
  
  
• Here are two undated photographs of two classes from the school. The date is presumed to be from the late 1800s. These were contributed by Denis FLUCK, born in Hales House.

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