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Unearthing the secrets hidden in south Lincolnshire village Gosberton




A group that started as a fleeting idea to find out more about a village’s history has turned into a thriving project and uncovered many fascinating secrets.

The idea to begin a history society for Gosberton was first suggested by a group of friends in 2014 as a way to exchange old photographs and stories.

But the first meeting, held in the church hall, saw 40 people turn up. That grew to 60 people, then 80 and one meeting saw over 100 people in attendance.

L-R: Ron Wood, Stuart Henderson and Rev Ian Walters, of Gosberton and District History Society.
L-R: Ron Wood, Stuart Henderson and Rev Ian Walters, of Gosberton and District History Society.

The historical stories and characters discovered to have come from the area are quite surprising.

“One of the stories we have come across is that two Lord Mayors came from the village,” said Rev Ian Walters, chairman of the Gosberton and District History Society, and vicar of the village’s St Peter and St Paul’s Church.

And he explained why this is so rare. “A Lord Mayor is very high in the realm. It is not the city mayor, it is a royal appointment and this parish has produced two.”

The elephant gargoyles on the tower of St Peter and St Paul's Church in Gosberton.
The elephant gargoyles on the tower of St Peter and St Paul's Church in Gosberton.

I met up with Mr Walters at the church to find out more about what the group has discovered. Members Stuart Henderson and Ron Wood, who are both retired, joined us for the socially distanced meeting.

Mr Henderson has written a number of historical publications about the area, and runs the South Holland Miscellany Facebook group.

He said: “One of the Lord Mayors was Sir George Bolles, during the realm of King James I. I did a bit of delving just to whet my appetite. He was from Gosberton, and was part of a group of grocers. He seems to have had his hand in quite a few historical events from the early 1600s. He was an investor in the East India Company and the emerging colonies of the US and the growth of trade. He seems to be an interesting character.”

Mr Walters added: “He was the only man who had ever stopped the King’s progression. It was on a Sunday and it was not the thing to do. It was the King’s carriage that had to be stopped and he (King James I) said ‘does this man have greater authority than me?'”

The Calthrop family has connections with Gosberton. Reverend John Calthrop was a former vicar of St Peter and St Paul's Church.
The Calthrop family has connections with Gosberton. Reverend John Calthrop was a former vicar of St Peter and St Paul's Church.

Sir George’s manor was Ball Hall in Wargate Way, in Gosberton, which is today a Grade II listed building.

The other Lord Mayor to come from Gosberton was Sir Thomas Boor Crosby in the 1900s.

“He was a famous London surgeon at St Thomas’ Hospital,” explained Mr Walters. “There were many Crosby families. He was the man who started the Titanic welfare fund that raised several million pounds in today’s money to help the loved ones’ families after the disaster.”

Wooden carvings inside St Peter and St Paul's Church in Gosberton. These are thought to have been carved in the same era as the set of angels at Gosberton Clough restored by BBC One's The Repair Shop earlier in the year.
Wooden carvings inside St Peter and St Paul's Church in Gosberton. These are thought to have been carved in the same era as the set of angels at Gosberton Clough restored by BBC One's The Repair Shop earlier in the year.

Speaking about how Gosberton got its name, the group members believe it came from the word ‘Gosber’ the local Saxon leader. Gosbert’s Kirk, meant Gosbert’s Church, which later evolved to the name Gosberton.

Mr Henderson explained: “These were all seaside towns. When you look at a map you can see where all the main towns were.”

Rev Ian Walters points to a document inside the parish church which details the 'De Rye' family. They are believed to have given their name to Gosberton Risegate.
Rev Ian Walters points to a document inside the parish church which details the 'De Rye' family. They are believed to have given their name to Gosberton Risegate.

Mr Wood added: “Bicker Haven was enormous.”

The Haven was said to be the second busiest area for trade after the City of London, full of fishing and trading boats.

“A Lord Mayor is very high in the realm. It is not the city mayor, it is a royal appointment and this parish has produced two.”

Mr Walters said: “Wigtoft means settlement on a bay, from the Viking. Drayton, the little village between Quadring and Bicker, takes its name from the word meaning a town or settlement where boats are pulled out of the water.”

He added: “The jury is still out on what Quadring means. Some say it means ‘muddy place’, some say it means ‘Lake of eels.’

Eels were quite a delicacy back in the day and an attraction of the area.

Mr Henderson explained: “My father had a blacksmith’s in Gosberton Clough opposite the chapel and I remember someone had a pair of tongs and was catching eels in the river there.”

In the parish church you will see memorials to the Gleed and Calthrop families. A former vicar of the church came from the Calthrop family, who were also solicitors. The Calthrop firm is still running today.

Other famous names associated with the area include the De Rye family, which gives Gosberton Risegate its name.

And one very unusual fact about the church, Mr Walters added, is that it is thought to be the only religious building in England to have elephant gargoyles, which sit on the side of its tower.

Neighbouring village Quadring has its own rich history, including a ‘murder mystery’ from 1892. A man called Bill Hewitt, aged 22, was sent to Lincoln jail for the murder of 40-year-old schoolmistress Mary Spencer.

Hewitt later died of tuberculosis while still in prison.

However, the book Crime and Criminals in Victorian Lincolnshire by Adrian Gray, questions whether or not Mr Hewitt was really guilty.



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