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Ruckland

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"RUCKLAND, a parish in the Wold division of the hundred of Louth-Eske, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 6½ miles S.E. of Louth, its post town, and 7 W. of Claythorpe railway station. The village, which is small, is situated on the Wolds, and is wholly agricultural. In the valley is a stream abounding with trout. The living is a rectory with that of Farforth and the vicarage of Maiden-Well united, in the diocese of Lincoln, joint value £315. The church, dedicated to St. Olave, is an ancient edifice, with a turret containing one bell. It is situated on the brow of a hill. The parochial charities produce about £2 a year. J. W. Dawber, Esq., is lord of the manor and sole landowner."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2020

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Archives & Libraries

The Library at Louth will prove useful in your research.

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Cemeteries

Rde HEALTH has a photograph of St. Chad's churchyard on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2014.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Louth 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:
Census
Year
Piece No.
1851H.O. 107 / 2111
1861R.G. 9 / 2381
1871R.G. 10 / 3404
1881R.G. 11 / 3263
1891R.G. 12 / 2608
1901R.G. 13 / 3084
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Church History

  • The first church on this site was probably built between 1030 and 1086.
     
  • The Anglican parish church was dedicated to Saint Olave (alternately "St. Olaf"). It is one of the smallest churches in all Lincolnshire.
     
  • The church was rebuilt in 1861 usin stones from the earlier structure..
     
  • The church is a Grade II listed structure with English Heritage.
     
  • The church seats only 40.
     
  • The church was rebuilt in 1885 of sandstone. It has a small western turret with one bell.
     
  • White's 1872 Directory tells us that the church was dedicated to St. Clare. This is corrected in Kelly's 1900 Directory.
     
  • There is a photograph of St. Olave Church on the Wendy PARKINSON Church Photos web site.
     
  • Here is a photo of Saint Olave's Church, taken by Ron COLE (who retains the copyright):
     
image
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1757 and includes entries from Worlaby parish.
     
  • The Lincolnshire FHS has published several Marriage indexes and a Burial index for the Bolingbroke Deanery to make your search easier.
     
  • Check our Church Records page for county-wide resources.
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Civil Registration

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

Ruckland is both a village and a parish about 6 miles south of Louth. The parish covers only about 610 acres.

If you are planning a visit, see:

  • By automobile, take the A15 trunk road south out of Louth or north from Spilsby. Turn west at Burwell and proceed about one mile to the village.
     
  • See our touring page for visitor services.
You can see pictures of Ruckland which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"RUCKLAND, a parish in the Wold division of the hundred of Louth-Eske, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 6½ miles S.E. of Louth, its post town, and 7 W. of Claythorpe railway station. The village, which is small, is situated on the Wolds, and is wholly agricultural. In the valley is a stream abounding with trout. The living is a rectory with that of Farforth and the vicarage of Maiden-Well united, in the diocese of Lincoln, joint value £315. The church, dedicated to St. Olave, is an ancient edifice, with a turret containing one bell. It is situated on the brow of a hill. The parochial charities produce about £2 a year. J. W. Dawber, Esq., is lord of the manor and sole landowner."

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History

The Greenwich Prime Meridian passes through this parish.

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Maps

  • See our Maps page for additional resources.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TF334781 (Lat/Lon: 53.283536, -0.000429), Ruckland which are provided by:

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Military History

Wikipedia tells us that the "churchyard contains the war graves of a Royal Navy sailor and an Army Veterinary Corps soldier of the Second World War."

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Names, Geographical

In the 1086 Domesday Book Ruckland is written as "Rochland".

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Politics & Government

  • 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 Louth Eske Wapentake in the East Lindsey district in the parts of Lindsey.
     
  • In 1936, the Civil Parish was abolished and made part of the Maidenwell Civil Parish.
     
  • For today's governance, see the East Lindsey District Council.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Louth petty session hearings every other Wednesday.
     
  • In 1719, Mr. Chas. HUMPHREYS left the interest on £30 for the poor.
     
  • After the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, this parish became part of the Louth Poor Law Union.
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Population

YearInhabitants
180124
183124
184132
187146
188163
189138
190124
193121
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Schools

  • The children of this parish attended school in Farforth parish, to the northeast.
     
  • See our Schools page for more information on researching school records.