Wragby

Summary

Wragby (/ˈræɡbi/ RAG-bee) is a town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated at the junction of the A157 and A158 roads, and approximately 10 miles (16 km) north-west from Horncastle and about 11 miles (18 km) north-east of Lincoln.[2]

Wragby
All Saints' Church, Wragby
Wragby is located in Lincolnshire
Wragby
Wragby
Location within Lincolnshire
Population1,768 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceTF132780
• London125 mi (201 km) S
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMarket Rasen
Postcode districtLN8
Dialling code01673
PoliceLincolnshire
FireLincolnshire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Lincolnshire
53°17′14″N 0°18′09″W / 53.287282°N 0.302601°W / 53.287282; -0.302601

History edit

Wragby is named in the Domesday Book as "Waragebi", when it consisted of 23 households a mill and a church.[3]

The 'Rout Yard', a scheduled monument in the form of two moated islands and associated ditched enclosures, is the remains of a medieval manorial complex. In 1086 there were two manors at Wragby, one in the possession of Erenis of Buron, the other, Waldin the Artificer. The surviving remains possibly represent the Buron manor which held responsibility for a church.[4] The church was dismantled in 1836 when a new church was established closer to the modern village centre. The 18th century brick-built chancel was kept as a cemetery chapel until the 1980s when it too was demolished.[5]

The ruins of the older church can be seen from the bottom of the cemetery, and are 440 yards (400 m) from the grade II listed church of All Saints' which was built in 1839 by W. A. Nicholson.[5][6] The ruins of the old church are no longer in evidence, but the local history group has marked out the site of the old church and erected information boards. Some artefacts from the old church can be seen in the present day All Saints' Church. The site of the old church and the associated churchyard have been cleared by members of the Wragby Heritage Group, with financial help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The site of the old church has been marked out, information boards erected and several damaged tombs and headstones repaired. Work is being carried out in order to map out the position and occupants of the gravesites.

 
Market Place, Wragby

Wragby was a market town and staging centre through a charter dating back to Charles II and requested by the Duke of Buckingham, for one market and two fairs.[7] The market was held on a Thursday, and there was a fair held on 1 May, and 28–29 September.[2] Eggs and butter were still being sold at the market during the early part of the 20th century and the cattle market was still functioning until some time after the Second World War.[7]

A grammar school founded in 1635, and rebuilt in 1775[8] are both now in residential use. There was also a Grade II listed windmill, built in 1831.[9] It was powered by six sails until 1903 when it ceased working.[10] The 1887 OS Map shows a second windmill off Victoria Street however it has gone in the 1906 map.

The Brady touring company of actors performed here in a temporary theatre in October 1818 before moving on to Bardney.[11]

In 1883 the last European wildcat in England was killed at Bullington Wood, near Wragby.[12]

Over time Wragby has evolved to be a stopping point en route to the coastal town of Skegness, with amenities including three public houses, a fish shop, café and a supermarket. The population of Wragby has expanded though the building of two new housing estates; a third estate began development in late 2009, with completion expected by early 2012. Kier Group initially began the new construction projects after buying-out local homebuilder Hugh Bourn.[13] However, Kier then themselves sold the land and properties to Linden Homes (themselves a subsidiary of Galliford Try), who have continued construction of sites in the town, such as Carpenters Lodge.[citation needed]

The Sinking Ships, a band formed in 1979 known for singing the previously mysterious song 'Strangers', originated from Wragby.

Railway edit

A station was opened in the town on the Louth to Bardney Line. The station was located on Horncastle Road near the present day Station Mews housing estate. The station was to the east of the town. The station opened in 1874 and closed to passengers in 1951, only to close fully in 1960 to goods traffic. The line has been built over by houses and road alignments, although the station and platform remain as a private residence. There were also stations in the nearby villages of East Barkwith and Kingsthorpe.

Governance edit

An electoral ward of the same name exists. This ward stretches east with a total population taken at the 2011 Census of 2,469.[14]

References edit

  1. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Wragby Parish (E04005771)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Wragby". Vision of Britain. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  3. ^ Wragby/ in the Domesday Book. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  4. ^ Historic England. "Manorial complex, Wragby (351496)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  5. ^ a b Historic England. "Moated manorial site (scheduled) (1016967)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Church of All Saints (1147509)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  7. ^ a b The Lincolnshire Village Book (Reprinted 1994 ed.). Countryside Books, Newbury & the LNFWI, Louth and the LSFWI, Sleaford. 1990. p. 185. ISBN 1 85306 077 1.
  8. ^ Historic England. "Grammar School (351493)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  9. ^ Historic England. "Windmill. Wragby (1063070)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Windmill (498472)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  11. ^ Neil R Wright (2016). Treading the Boards. SLHA. p. 202.
  12. ^ Lincolnshire
  13. ^ "Kier Homes". Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  14. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Wragby Ward (as of 2011) (E05005606)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 June 2021.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Wragby at Wikimedia Commons