Dowsby
Dowsby is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the western edge of The Fens at the junction of the east-west B1397 road and the north-south B1177. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) north-east from Rippingale and just south of Pointon. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Graby. Nearby to the east, along the B1397 at Dowsby Fen, is Car Dyke.[1] The civil parish population taken at the 2011 census was 204.[2]
Dowsby | |
---|---|
Church of St Andrew, Dowsby | |
Dowsby Location within Lincolnshire | |
Population | 204 (2011) |
OS grid reference | TF113294 |
• London | 90 mi (140 km) S |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Bourne |
Postcode district | PE10 |
Police | Lincolnshire |
Fire | Lincolnshire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
History
The name Dowsby is from the Old Scandinavian 'Dusi+by', for "farmstead of Dusi", appearing in the Domesday Book as "Dusebi".[3]
Hoe Hills (52°51′32″N 0°20′37″W) was a group of round barrows dating back to the Bronze Age where Roman and Medieval finds have been made.[4][5]
St Andrew's Church, originating from the 12th century,[6] was mostly rebuilt and enlarged in 1864, although Norman fragments remain as part of the fabric. A recumbent effigy of Etheldreda Rigdon, and six brasses to the Burrell family from 1682 lie in the vestry. Built into the outer wall of the south aisle are parts of a Saxon cross.[7][8]
On the edge of the fen was a decoy used to trap ducks commercially in the 19th century. These would almost certainly have been shipped for sale by railway, probably from Rippingale railway station which was approximately a mile from the decoy.
Dowsby
Dowsby Grade II* listed Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Andrew.[6] The ecclesiastical parish is part of the Billingborough Group of the Lafford Deanery, Diocese of Lincoln. The 2013 incumbent is the Rev. Anna Sorensen.[9]
Dowsby Fen falls within the drainage area of the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board.[10]
Most employment in the parish is agricultural. The former rectory is now a care home for the elderly, providing some employment. The nearest shops are in Billingborough, 3 miles (5 km) to the north, the nearest public house in Aslackby, 2 miles (3 km) to the west. A bus service operates to Bourne on Thursdays, provided by Kimes Buses.
Graby
52°51′13″N 0°21′59″W
The hamlet of Graby is situated 1 mile to the west of Dowsby, and on the line of Mareham Lane Roman Road. Graby incorporates the site of a deserted medieval village, with cropmark and earthwork evidence of sunken lanes, crofts, ponds and ridge and furrow field systems.[11]
References
- "Car Dyke, Dowsby Fen, Lincs", Geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2011
- "Civil parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- Mills, A. D. (1991). A Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford University Press.
- Historic England. "Hoe Hills (350993)". PastScape. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- "Hoe Hills:Report on Geophysical Surveys, October 1994 & March 1995". Archived from the original on 15 March 2012.
- Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (1164977)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
- Cox, J. Charles (1916) Lincolnshire p. 118; Methuen & Co. Ltd
- Historic England. "St Andrews Church (350583)". PastScape. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- "Dowsby PCC". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011.
- "Black Sluice IDB".
- Historic England. "Graby deserted medieval village (350651)". PastScape. Retrieved 14 December 2012.