Grayingham

The Gainsborough Library is an excellent resource with both a Local History section and a Family History section.

Alternatively, the Scunthorpe Library also has a Local History section.

J. HANNAN-BRIGGS has a photograph of St Radegunda's Churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2014.

• The parish was in the Scotter sub-district of the Gainsborough Registration District.
   
• The North Lincolnshire Library holds a copy of the parish census returns for 1841 through 1901.
   
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:

• The Church of Saint Radegund (or Radegunda) is a very ancient structure in origin. Most of it was rebuilt on the same site in 1773 (some sources give 1797), except for the tower.
   
• The church was thoroughly restored in 1870 and reroofed in 1906.
   
• The church only seats 70.
   
• In 1881 a memorial window to the PEELE family was inserted in the south wall.
   
• There's a picture of St. Radegund's Church at the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photo site.
   
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Radegunda's Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2005.
   
• Here is a photo of St. Radegund's Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
   

• Parish registers exist from 1576, but the Bishop's transcripts only go back to 1599.
   
• We have a list of Rectors for 1500 - 1740 which you might find useful.
   
• The North Lincolnshire Library holds a copy of the parish register entries for baptisms 1576 - 1812, burials 1576 - 1811 and marriages 1576 - 1837.
   
• The Lincolnshire FHS has published several marriage and burial indexes for the Yarborough Deanery to make your search easier.
   
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
   

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

Grayingham is both a parish and a village about nine miles northeast of Gainsborough and ten miles south of Scunthorpe. The parish itself is bordered on the north by Kirton in Lindsey parish, on the east by the old Roman Road "Ermine Street", and to the south by Blyborough parish. The parish covers about 1,730 acres. The parish is on the Cliff range and a tributary of the River Eau rises from this parish.

Grayingham is a small village. If you are planning a visit:

• Take the A15 trunk road north out of Lincoln (or south from Scunthorpe) and turn west onto the B1205. After about a mile, and past the B1398, turn south into the village.
   
• Ian S. provides a photograph of the Village Sign on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2018. This is on the road coming up from the south.
   
• Visit our touring page for more sources.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Grayingham to another place.

The English ecologist Edward Adrian WOODRUFFE-PEACOCK was Rector of Grayingham towards the end of his life. He died in this post in 1922.

• A large part of the parish was once a rabbit warren for hunting.

• In 1842, Sir J. C. THOROLD was the only landowner.
   
• In 1872, Sir J. H. THOROLD was the only landowner.
   
• In 1900, Sir John Henry THOROLD, baronet, was the principal landowner.
   
• In 1913, Sir John Henry THOROLD, baronet of Syston, was the principal landowner.
   

• See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK935963 (Lat/Lon: 53.454838, -0.593948), Grayingham which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

Ian S. has a photograph of the War Memorial in the Church on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2018.

Inside the parish church is a small but lovely marble and carved stone Memorial which reads:

• IN MEMORY OF THESE MEN WHO FOR KING AND COUNTRY GAVE THEIR LIVES IN WAR.
• HERBERT SIMPSON MAY 9 1915
• FRED HARRISON JULY 31 1917
• SYDNEY DOUGLAS JULY 24 1920

Steve MORSE tells us (2006):

  "Herbert Simpson was in 'D' Company 2nd Lincolns. He may have been a regular and the Battalion came back from Bermuda at the start of the war. 25th Brigade, 8th Division. he would have died in The Battle of Aubers (Ridge) 9th May 1916. He is commemorated on the Plugstreet (Ploegsteert) Memorial. This memorial should have been closer to were the men died but the French would not have it. Luckily the Belgians gave land just inside their border. Interesting place - Hitler was near there as was Churchill. The 1914 Christmas Truce also took place near there.
  Fred Harrison - He shows the problems encountered without service number and battalion - Two Fred Harrison's (at least) died on 31 July 1917 and are both on the Menin Gate Memorial. Neither on the CWGC site gives any extra detail. - but -
  He was in the 2nd Lincolns and from Horncastle. He would have died in the first battle of 3rd Ypres (sometimes called Passchendaele by people who should know better)
  The 1st battle of 3rd Ypres being - Battle of Pilckem 31st July - 2nd August 1917.
  Sydney Douglas was in the 2nd Manchester Regt but from Grimsby. Despite dying in 1920 he is commemorated on the Basra Memorial (nothing changes)."

• The name Grayingham comes from the Old English Gra(ga)+inga+ham for "homestead of the family of a man named Graeg". The name appears in the 1086 Domesday Book as Graingeham.
  A. D. MILLS, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991.

• White's 1842 Directory lists the following names in the parish: John BOOTH, Sarah COPEMAN, Thos. ELSTON, John HILL, Thos. NICHOLSON, George SLEIGHTHOLM, John SMITHSON, Thos. STEPHENSON, and Rev. Wm. VERELST.
   
• White's 1872 Directory lists the following names in the parish: John ADSON, John West COUPLAND, Miss NICHOLSON, William W. PARR, William Brilliatt SLEIGHTHOLM, and Rev. John WHITE.
   
• White's 1882 Directory lists the following names in the parish: John West COUPLAND, Miss Barbara M. GIBBS, George HOLLINGSWORTH, Benjamin MOORE, Thos. A. NICHOLSON, Wm. Watts PARR, GEORGE PECK, William Brilliatt SLEIGHTHOLME, and Rev. John WHITE.
   
• Kelly's 1900 Directory lists the following names in the parish: Rev. George JAMESON, John C. NICHOLSON, Benjamin MOORE, Edit COUPLAND, Wm. GLOVER, William John NICHOLSON, and William Billiatt SLEIGHTHOLME.
   
• Kelly's 1913 Directory lists the following names in the parish: Rev. George Browne JAMESON, Robert ANDERSON, William GLOVER, William Billiatt SLEIGHTHOLME, George SPACIE and Joseph WRIGHT.

• This place was an ancient parish in Lincoln county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
   
• The parish was in the ancient Corringham Wapentake in the West Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
   
• For ecclesiastical purposes, the parish was within the Soke of Kirton in Lindsey.
   
• You can contact the local Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to assist you with family history searches.
   
• Today's district governance is provided by the West Lindsey District Council.

• Bastardy cases would be held in the Gainsborough petty session hearings every Tuesday.
   
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Gainsborough Poorlaw Union.
   

Year	Inhabitants
1801	94
1811	98
1831	137
1841	157
1851	152
1861	135
1871	166
1881	167
1891	158
1911	165

• The first parish school was erected here in 1838 by the lord of the manor. It was enlarged in 1873 to hold 40 children and completely rebuilt in 1905.
   
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.