The Benefice of Barlings, Diocese of Lincoln : Parishes of Sudbrooke, Stainton by Langworth, and Barlings with Langworth

St Edward the Confessor, Barlings

                      Some Notes on the History of St. Edward Barlings

The church at Barlings (referred to as Berlinge) is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the property of Colsuain,and the Parish contains the historic remains of the 12th Century Barlings Abbey – one of the Abbeys of the Witham Valley – founded in 1154,by Ralf de Haya (or Haia),and with its first monks coming from Newsham Abbey near Grimsby.     

In 1123, Robert de Haia (Ralf’s father),who had married Colsuain’s daughter Muriel, granted the church at Barlings to the Benedictine abbey of Lessay in Normandy, which had been founded jointly by Robert’s Norman grandfather Richard (“Turstin Haldup”) and uncle Eudo in 1056  - the grant being confirmed by King Henry I in 1126. 

In 1154, Ralf de Haia, Robert’s younger son, founded Barlings Abbey for a community of premonstratensian Canons at Barlings Grange (adjacent to the church), but it shortly moved to a new site a little further south at Oxeney on some higher ground (on land belonging to Ralf’s elder brother Richard, who thereby acquired the advowson) close to the Barlings Eau river,a tributary of the River Witham.   The new establishment,with the central tower above the nave of the church rising 180 feet,had by 1376 an Abbott,Prior,Sub-Prior,25 monks,5 conversi and 8 clerks.   The final completed building was larger than Lincoln Cathedral.

The church of Barlings had not been part of Ralf s original endowment of Barlings Abbey, but it was granted to Barlings Abbey by agreement with Lessay Abbey, in exchange for an annual payment of one silver mark.  The foundation is recorded in a confirmation charter of Henry II of 1185,which states that the church was dedicated to “St Edward” – the first mention of a dedication.

The Valuation of Norwich of 1252-1254 states that Barlings was no longer a parish (“desiit esse  parochial”},so until the abbey was suppressed in 1537, the church was probably served by the Canons. 

In 1267 William of Inglesby gave monies for a Chantry Chapel to be built at the nearby village of Langworth,which had a ford over the River Barlings,and in 1313 a Leper Hospital was built and dedicated to St. Margaret.   The Abbey was charged with supervision of both of these.  The Abbey was dissolved in 1537,after the abbot and several of his canons had been involved in the Lincolnshire Rising of 1536.  Apart from allowing the Abbey to give food and shelter to the rebels,the Abbott, Matthew Makarell,had commanded an army of 20,000 men defeated by the Duke of Suffolk.   He was tried at the Guidhall in London and hanged at Tyburn in 1537.  Four canons were also executed.   Weir in is account of Lincolnshire (1828) reports that the ancient Register of the Abbey was preserved in the British Museum.

The Parish Registers date from 1626 and the first recorded incumbent of the church was Henry Eldborowe who was in place in 1634.   From 1755 to 1830,no marriage services were solemnized in the parish,as during that period divine service was not regularly performed in the Parish Church and therefore Banns could not be published.

The present church building is built of stone in the Norman and Early English styles. It consists of a Chancel,Vestry,Nave,a Turret on the Western Gable (containing one bell),and a West Door entrance.   In 1832 it was observed that “what is now the church is the west end and a part of the former nave - as there have been doorways on the North and South sides.”    These two entrances,although blocked in,can still be seen today.

The Chancel is considerably higher than the Nave,the latter being medieval but tidied up in the 18th Century.  The East End and Nave were rebuilt in the early 1800’s, largely with materials of a previous structure.   However,the whole of this work was taken down and rebuilt again in 1875 - 76,by Charles Kirk who began his rebuilding work with an ambitious Early English Chancel.  He also added a Vestry and refitted the interior completely, including a panelled oak pulpit and an oak lectern.  The architect’s plans of this project show that it was proposed to replace the Norman Door (now built up on the South side of the Nave) with a new door and add a South Porch in the Early English Style.   In the end,due to shortage of funds,the church was rebuilt only to the Norman Nave.

From the 11thC there is the blocked doorway,from the 14thC come the West front, west bell turret,the octagonal font,and the nave.  The Hatchment of Royal Arms is dated 1739.   Amid the substantial evidence of the 19thC work (including the timbered chancel roof,pulpit,pulpit and altar rail) are the pews from the 20thC.   The graveyard,which has burials recorded back as far as 1348,is still open and in use today.

In recent years,substantial restoration work has been undertaken – during the course of which the Lord’s Prayer and Apostles Creed on the North Wall,dating from the mid-18thC,were rediscovered.   The ‘missing’ Commandments seem to have fallen ‘victim’ to the work carried out by Charles Kirk.   A new modern organ was introduced in 2006.

 

INCUMBENTS OF BARLINGS PARISH
include

Henry Eldborowe 1634 – 1648+ .  The last legible signature and the same handwriting is continued to 25th February 1651.  The next entry is continued from 13th August, 1654 and is in another handwriting.

Joshua Hodson	1678 -1694
William Parker	1747
J. Robinson	1750
William Holmes	1754 -1757
John Emins	1762 -1763
John Hewthwaite	1766 -1775
John Carter	1788 - 1822
Robert Neesham	1822 - 1829
James Armistead	1830 - 1842
Thomas Sandon	1845 - 1850
Richard Stanley	1852 - 1889
Reginald Remington	1890 - 1897
Samuel Wild	1897 - 1900
Edward Upcher	1901 - 1904
Percy Griffiths	1904 - 1906
Charles Morrell	1906 - 1909
William Duncan	1910 - 1916
Arthur C.P Burles	1918 - 1927
Colvin Graham	1927 - 1934
Francis Kerr Thompson	1934 - 1939
James Capron	1940 - 1944
Frank W. Hickling	1944 - 1949
R. Dalton	1950 - 1952
William Harrison	1952 - 1957
S. Robert Bolton	1958 - 1959
James Capron	1959 - 1961
Keith Entwhistle	1962 - 1965
Geoff Hardy	1965 - 1977
Kenneth Jardin	1978 - 1983
Raymond Gibson	1984 – 1988
Robert George Spaight	1989 -

 

 

                       HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS DEPOSITED
                  WITH THE COUNTY ARCHIVIST IN LINCOLN

In addition to the historical books and documents kept in the Parish, the following are amongst the records deposited :-

Baptism Registers	1626 - 1697	1747 - 1812	1813 - 1876
Burial Registers	1626 - 1697	1747 - 1812	1813 - 1938
Marriage Registers	1626 - 1697	1747 - 1751	1754 - 1775	1830 -1842

 

Notes :-
1.  some entries for 1626 and 1627 are missing as a small part of the first folio has been cut out.

2.  the Registers for 1697 - 1747 were already missing when returns were made in 1886.

3.  a note states that no marriages were solemnized between 1775 and 1830

4.  receipt of a Marriage Register for 1837 - 1978 was acknowledged by the Superintendent Registrar in 1979.