England GenWeb Project - Lincolnshire, South Somercotes

South Somercotes (South Somercoates)

The parish was in the Saltfleet sub-district of the Louth 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 Peter.
The church was originally constructed about 1200.
The spire was added to the tower circa 1450.
The church underwent extensive repairs in 1866 and again in 1896.
The church seats 250.
The church is a Grade I listed building with British Heritage.
There is a photograph of Saint Peter's church on the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photos web site.
Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Peter's Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2006.
J. HANNAH-BRIGGS has a striking view of the church tower also on Geo-graph, taken in 2012.
The church has been nicknamed the "Queen of the Marsh" and its tower and spire have long been a navigation aide for local fishermen and boaters.
The church no longer has weekly services and it is in the hands of the Churches Conservation Trust.

The Anglican parish register dates from 1558.
We have the beginnings of a Parish Register Extract in a text file. Your additions are welcome.
The Lincolnshire FHS has published several Marriage indexes and a Burial index for the Louthesk Deanery to make your search easier.
The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel here in 1869 to replace a small one they erected in 1813. There was also a Free Methodist chapel built in 1854, replaced in 1872. For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
CHRIS has a photograph of the Old Methodist Chapel on Geo-graph, taken in 2006.
Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.

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

South Somercotes is a village and a parish 8 miles north-east of Louth. The parish covers almost 2,600 acres and includes the hamlet of Scupholme.

If you are planning a visit:

The parish had a Public House around 1900 called the "Blue Bell." It is now considered a "lost pub". The Anchor Inn appears to have opened just before 1900. These are the names associated with the Blue Bell in various directories:

The national grid reference is TF 4193.
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.

In the churchyard is a cross erected in memory of the 5 men of the parish who fell in World War I. It has a crusader's sword carved on the face.
Charles has a photograph of the War Memorial for us (Charles retains the copyright):

So. Somercotes War Mem.

This place was an ancient parish in Lincoln county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
The parish was in the Marsh division of the ancient Louth Eske Wapentake in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
For today's district governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.

In 1620 John LOWRIE left a yearly rent-charge of 10 shillings for the poor.
After the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, the parish became part of the Louth Poorlaw Union.
Bastardy cases would be heard in the Louth petty session hearings.

Year Inhabitants

1801 284

1831 320

1871 455

1881 435

1891 415

1911 314

A Church School was built here in 1846 and enlarged in 1871 to hold 120 children. At that time, each child paid a pence per week to attend.
See our Schools page for more information on researching school records.

Last updated on 16-May-2015
Click here to send any questions and/or comments about this site to the Lincolnshire County Coordinator.