Market Deeping

The parish has a Community Library, staffed by volunteers, is normally open 5 days per week at:

• Deepings Community Library
• The Park
• High St,
• Market Deeping
• PE6 8ED
• Tele: 01522 782010

• The Library at Bourne should prove useful in your research.

• A public cemetery was set aside in 1863 and a Burial Board of the Town Council established.
   
• In 1894, a cemetery of one acre was laid out near the churchyard.
   
• There is current information about the Cemetery at the Town Council website.
   

• The parish was part of the Deeping sub-district of the Bourne Registration District.
   
• We have a partial list of 1901 Census Surnames for the parish.
   
• Check our Census Resource page for county-wide resources.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

Census Year	Piece No.
1841	H.O. 107 / 617
1851	H.O. 107 / 2095
1861	R.G. 9 / 2318
1871	R.G. 10 / 3317
1901	R.G. 13 / 3027
1911	R.G. 14 / 19469

• The parish church is dedicated to Saint Guthlac. It was built or rebuilt in the 12th century and again in the 15th century.
   
• Portions of the Rectory House consist, in part, of a building erected by the monks of Croyland in the 13th century. The monks had built a Priory on the east side of the church, later to become part of the Rectory House.
   
• The church was restored and partially rebuilt in 1877-78.
   
• The church seats about 400 people.
   
• There is a photograph of St. Guthlac's Church on the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photos web site.
   
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of St. Guthlac's Church on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2009.
   
• Here is a photo of St. Guthlac's Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
   

• Anglican parish registers exist from 1709, but Bishop's Transcripts go back to 1562.
   
• There is a book of churchwarden accounts going back to 1570.
   
• We have a partial parish register extract. Your additions and corrections are welcomed.
   
• From John STEER: The reasons why the Market Deeping parish registers, as an older parish, only start from 1709 is explained by two comments to be found in the first surviving register before and after the burial entries. The hand writing and quality of the microfilmed copies mean that these comments are not completely legible. "Memorand - The old register book was very deficient Mr. Edmundson the late incumbent being blind some years before his death and the Parsonage House being very much out of repair so that I was obliged to live in town. Several of my papers were lost in my removal and this register book not being bought till some time afterwards occasioned this (word unclear)(signed) Borradale Rect"
  "Memorandum - The former register Books were all torn in pieces by my Predecessor's wife, Mrs. Edmundson. A woman very (unclear word) her husband being blind by her means."
   
• Check the Aveland and Ness Deanery page to see which indexes are available.
   
• An Independent Chapel was built here around 1811. A Primitive Methodist chapel, built in 1876, graced the parish, as did a Wesleyan Methodist chapel (built in 1866).
   
• Basher EYRE has a photograph of the Deeping Baptist Church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2016.
   
• For information and assistance in researching these chapels, see our non-conformist religions page.
   
• Market Deeping Methodist records are held at the Northants Record Office for 1898-1919.
   
• Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.

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

Market Deeping is both an ancient market town and a parish lying 90 miles north of London and nine miles north of Peterborough. Deeping St. James parish lies to the southeast and Langtoft parish to the northwest. Northamptonshire lies to the south, just across the River Welland. The area is flat fenland, about 1,540 acres, drained by many small canals including the South Drove Drain.

Before 1870, the town was basically one long street lying on the north bank of the River Welland. In the early 1800s the town grew to the north toward Langtoft village. If you are planning a visit:

• By automobile, the village lies at the junction of the A15 and A16 trunk roads.
   
• Keith EVANS has a photograph of a Milestone on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2009.
   
• See our touring page for visitor services.
   

• Geograph
• Flickr

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

• Richard de RULOS, chamberlain to William the Conqueror, is reputed to have raised the first bank to confine the River Welland from overflowing the land at high tide.
   
• A lovely three-arch stone bridge used to cross the River Welland in the south-east part of the town.
   
• Market day used to be on Wednesday, but was obsolete by 1880.
   
• A Town Hall was built in 1839. The Gas Works were erected in 1855.
   
• In 1878, an Act of Parliament was passed to build a railway from Market Deeping to Helpston in Nottinghamshire.
   
• A Police Station was built here in 1880. In 1912, Inspector Richard W. DECANN and 4 constables staffed the office.
   
• P. L. CHADWICK has a photograph of the White Horse Pub on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2012. This is a popular spot for sharing local news and has served in that role since the 18th century.
   
• Alex MacGREEGOR has a photograph of the Walnut Tree Pub. on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2016.
   
• Rex NEEDLE has a photograph of The Vine Public House on Geo-graph, taken in September, 1999.

• See our Maps page for resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TF137103 (Lat/Lon: 52.67848, -0.319665), Market Deeping 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.

• During the Great War, an emergency landing field was created here, but no flight operations were conducted here.
   
• During World War II some RAF and WAAF personnel were billeted in Market Deeping. The Langtoft Radar site is only 1/2 mile from Market Deeping.
   
• Michael PECK has some photograps of the War Memorial inside the parish church at the Imperial War Museum website.

There are two Commonwealth War Graves in Market Deeping Cemetery from World War I:

1. E(Edward) PLOWRIGHT, able seaman, Royal Navy (HMS Wryneck), age 25 (born 1896), died 27 April 1921. Son of Joseph and Fanny PLOWRIGHT. Edward had been a Grocer's Apprentice before the war.
    
2. Robert G(Greenhow) O(Openshaw) STANTON, lieut., 4th Btn. Royal Marine Light Inf., age 21, died 28 April 1918. Son of William and Anne STANTON.

Tha 25 names listed on the War Memorial plaques are (additonal data from the CWGC):

1. Andrew, John William, prvt. 8th btln. Lincs Regt.
2. Burton, J
3. Butcher, Frank
4. Butcher, Reginald
5. Edwards, W J
6. Ellis, Thomas
7. Fisher, Herbert
8. Frost, Walter
9. Green, William Stanley
10. Hare, Walter, prvt. 1st btln. Lincs Regt.
11. Harrison, Charles A., prvt, 10 btln. Sherwood Foresters
12. Hudson, George William, prvt, 7th Btln Royal Fusiliers
13. Hudson, Thomas Henry, driver, R.F.A.
14. Loweth, John Henry, prvt, 1st btln, Liverpool Regt.
15. Parker, James William, prvt, 11th btln. East Yorks Regt.
16. Plowright, A
17. Plowright, George Edward, prvt, 1st btln. Lincs Regt.
18. Plowright, William Newborn, prvt, 5th Field Ambulance, Canadian Army Medical Corps.
19. Pratt, Ernest Fred, prvt, 6th btln, Northamptonshire Regt.
20. Rudkin, Charles E., prvt, 1st btln. Lincs Regt.
21. Shuttleworth, Cecil Thomas, driver, R.F.A.
22. Stanton, Robert Greenhow Openshaw, Lt. Royal Marine Light Infantry
23. Watson, Thomas William, prvt, 1st btln, Northamptonshire Regt.
24. Wilson, Robert, prvt, 4th btln, South Lancashire Regt.
25. Wilson, S E

A fuller description of the names on this list can be found at the Roll of Honour site.

• The name Deeping is from the Old English Deoping, or "Deep or Low place".
  [A. D. Mills, "A Dictionary of English Place-Names," Oxford University Press, 1991].

• This place was an ancient parish in county Lincoln and it became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
   
• The parish was in the ancient Ness Wapentake in the South Kesteven district in the parts of Kesteven.
   
• The parish has its own Town Council, but they will not do lookups for you.
   
• For today's local governance, contact the South Kesteven District Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Bourne petty session hearings.
   
• In 1806, John WARRINGTON left £4,000 to generate interest , which was to be given to 10 poor widows in several parishes.
   
• In 1813, the Common Land was enclosed and later drained and cultivated.
   
• As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, the parish became part of the Bourne Poor Law Union.
   
• In 1844, Jonathan PILKINGTON left £100 to generate interest, which was to be given to poor widows in the parish. Another £100 was added in 1850 by J. K. MILLER.
   
• In 1876, six almshouses were built on Church Street as part of the will of Miss Mary Ann SCOTNEY. They were to be used by six poor Protestant women. In 1896 through 1912, each woman received 4s. per week.
   

Year	Inhabitants
1801	803
1821	1,016
1831	1,091
1841	1,219
1851	1,294
1871	1,235
1881	1,212
1891	1,079
1901	978
1911	966
1921	888

John BLAND provides a transcript of the will of Jonathan MILLER of Market Deeping.

John BLAND also provides a transcript of the will of Robert MILLER of Market Deeping.

John BLAND provides a transcript of the will of Ann WOOLLEY of Market Deeping.

• The Endowed School on Church Street was built in 1819. It could hold up to 70 children.
   
• The Green School was built in 1851 from funds provided by Mrs. Mary WENSOR. It had originally been endowed with £200 by Mrs. Elizabeth MOLECEY in 1844. The school could hold 100 children.
   
• For more on researching school records, see our Schools Research page.