Skinnand

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Skinnand
The field where Skinnand once stood
Skinnand shown within Lincolnshire
Population	0 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SK9457
- London	111 miles (179 km) S
District	North Kesteven
Shire county	Lincolnshire
Region	East Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LINCOLN
Postcode district	LN5
Dialling code	01522
Police	Lincolnshire
Fire	Lincolnshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
European Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Sleaford and North Hykeham
List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire

Coordinates: 53°06′36″N 0°31′26″W / 53.11, -0.524

Skinnand is a deserted medieval village in Lincolnshire.^[1] Originally a small farming community situated 9 miles (14 km) south of Lincoln and 11.5 miles (19 km) northwest of Sleaford, it once boasted a church and several houses. It was hit hard, however, by the English Civil War of 1642-1646, when the church fell into ruins. Today only fields and one deserted farmhouse remain of the once thriving community.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early history 1.2 Middle Ages 1.3 19th century 1.4 20th century 2 References 3 External links

[edit] History

See also: History of Lincolnshire

[edit] Early history

Archaeological investigations in the area around Skinnand indicate the countryside was occupied from at least the Bronze Age, in about 600 BC.^[2] The remains of Iron Age farms have been found at nearby Navenby, 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Skinnand, as well as Bronze Age and Roman remains.^[3] Skinnand was recorded as "Schinende" in the Domesday Book of 1086, a name thought to be of Anglo-Saxon origin.^[4] Historians believe the original name may have come from the Old Scandanavian word "skinnari," which means "skinner or tanner."^[5]

[edit] Middle Ages

The ancient parish of Skinnand was recorded as the smallest village in the Deanery of Longoboby in 1332. It had the lowest tax assessment, a population of around 40 and was predominantly based around agriculture.^[6] The population of Skinnand stayed stable for many generations but, by 1563, only three of the original ten households remained. This decrease in numbers has been attributed, by some historians, to a reduction in arable farming and a rise in sheep production.^[6]

Records show that the village of Skinnand had up to six houses before the English Civil War, most built as small single-storey stone dwellings with thatched roofs. Two, however, were much larger. One was owned by a John Chester, which boasted four domestic rooms with 'upper chambers,' and the other was the parsonage. The parsonage included a hall, two parlours, a kitchen, buttery, milkhouse, brewhouse and stable. It also had three upstairs rooms, as well as an orchard, garden, yard and dovecote. It is believed the parsonage was pulled down, however, during the Civil War and, by the time of the Hearth Tax returns of 1665, there were just three houses in Skinnand.

Details about the Norman-built Anglican church of Skinnand are sketchy, although it was reputedly dedicated to St Matthew and burned down by Oliver Cromwell's forces in the 1640s.^[7] Historical records certainly show that it had begun to fall into ruins in the 17th century - at around the time of the Civil War. The Glebe Terrier documents of 1700 recorded: "The church was in ruins, no house for the rector, more than this we find not, all the buildings being long since disappeared." Despite the disappearance of the church, parish registers reveal that services were still held throughout the 19th century, at the home of Skinnand man John Woolfit. The Skinnand burial ground was also in use until 1911.

[edit] 19th century

Skinnand was a village of just 12 people in 1801, according to the Census returns. The population did rise slightly over the next 100 years, to 30 in 1901, but by 1921 numbers were once again decreasing and the figure stood at 25. Census returns also reveal that most of the village men worked on the land as unskilled labourers.^[8] The children of these poor labourers attended school at Wellingore, just south of Navenby, and at Carlton-le-Moorland and Bassingham - each village several miles walk away.^[7]

As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Lincoln Poor Law Union and, by the mid-19th century, Skinnand was a struggling parish in the Higher division of the wapentake of Boothby Graffoe. According to the Institute of Historical Research, it consisted of 636 acres, of which 40 were arable and the rest "old pasture and meadow."^[9] The records add: "The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the King's books at £5. 13. 11½.; net income, £85; patron, S. Nicholls, Esq. The church is in ruins."

Just a few years later, in 1871, it was recorded that "just a few stones remain to mark the location" of the old church. In the same year, the Census showed that the parish now consisted of only three farms, all belonging to Mr S. Nicholls of London. Other surnames in the parish at that time included Clawson, Burt and Picker.^[7]

[edit] 20th century

The 1911 Census shows that the population of Skinnand was once again in decline at the turn of the 20th century, with just 28 people living in the village. Most were tenant labourers as, by 1913, William Grant of Grimsby was the prinicpal landowner. The village was occupied for just a few more years, however, before the final families moved out. Today, just a boarded up old farm house stands where the thriving community of Skinnand once was.^[7]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Rectors of Skinnand, and other clerical appointments 1749–1822 as recorded in the Clergy of the Church of England Database. Retrieved 2008-06-02.