There are two theories about the source of the word Deanery:
In more modern times, a Dean was assigned to a Deanery of anywhere from six to sixty parishes as the administrative overhead and support for the Anglican churches in each parish. The position held, the district and the house of a Dean are all called a Deanery. The office of a Dean is a Dean Hip ("hip" apparently from the Greek for "commander" or "leader").
Deaneries date back at least to 1170 in England. In 19th century Lincolnshire, there were 23 Deaneries covering some 600 parishes, giving an average of 26 parishes per Deanery. The Anglican Church, however, had some cathedrals and abbeys outside the Deanery structure. Also, a Deanery didn't have to end at a county boundary, although in Lincolnshire they genearly did. Deanery boundaries were fluid, as parishes flourished or declined.
Non-conformist churches (i.e. non-Anglican) did not belong to these Deaneries and had their own structures. There are three Roman Catholic parishes in the city of Lincoln, and five in their Deanery. These are St. Hugh of Lincoln in the city centre, Our Lady of Lincoln on the Ermine Estate (northern suburbs) and Saints Peter and Paul in Boultham (southern suburbs). The other two parishes are Holy Rood at Market Rasen and Our Lady & St. Peter at Woodhall Spa. In Lincoln there is a Convent of the Sisters of Providence and a residential University Avalon Chaplaincy Centre. Outside of the City of Lincoln there are Catholic Chapels at Bardney, Osgerby, Spilsby, Caistor and Hainton.
Click here to see the Lincolnshire Anglican Church, then on Parishes to see the present structure.
The list of Deaneries below is alphabetical. For a map of 19th century Deanery boundaries, consult "The Registration Districts and Deaneries of Lincolnshire in the Nineteenth Century," produced by the Lincolnshire Family History Society and can also be purchased from the Federation of Family History Societies Bookstore. The links below will take you to a list of parishes for each Deanery and a list of Deanery indexes available from the Lincolnshire FHS.
Last updated on 6-April-2013
Click here to send any questions and/or comments about this site to the Lincolnshire County Coordinator.
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