Highways and Byways in LincolnshireRawnsley, W. F. (Willingham Franklin)
History
Highways and Byways in Lincolnshire
Rawnsley, W. F. (Willingham Franklin)
Lincolnshire (England) -- Description and travel
A sign-post in Lincoln points to this village, because, though twelve
miles distant, there is nothing on the way; indeed you may follow up
the valley of the Brant River another six miles to its source near
_Hough-on-the-Hill_, and then go on another six as it curves round
into _Grantham_, and not pass through anything but _Marston_, and
there is nothing to see there but the old seat of the Thorold family,
Marston Hall, now a farmhouse. All these are on the low ground to the
west. Then on the ridge itself is “the Ermine Street,” and east of the
Sleaford highway is a desolate road over “Lincoln Heath” to _Scopwick_,
where a stream, crossed by several single planks, runs right through
the village. East of this, another somewhat important road goes across
the low and once swampy ground south of Lincoln, where the Witham gets
through the gap in the cliff ridge to _Canwick_. Here the church, which
has a rich Norman chancel arch and arcade, and an Early English arcaded
reredos in the vestry, once a chantry chapel, rises, without any other
footing, from a Roman pavement; here, too, from the grounds of Mr. Waldo
Sibthorp’s house, Canwick Hall, where the cliff begins again, you get
a most beautiful view of the minster about two miles distant; indeed,
those who live near Lincoln and can see the minster may boast of a view
which for grandeur has few equals in the land. This walk from Lincoln
is a favourite one, and passes a well-planted cemetery of twenty-five
acres, part of which was taken from the common, which rejoices in the
delightfully bucolic name of “the Cowpaddle.” The road is really the
continuation of the Wragby road, and, curving down Lindum road passes
into Broadgate, then crossing the Witham and the Sincel dyke and the
intersection of the Midland and Great Northern Railways, crosses yet
two more lines before it reaches the cemetery. After Canwick the road
goes through _Branston_ and passes, near _Nocton_, _Dunston_, and
_Metheringham_, to _Blankney_. The hall here, the home of Mr. Henry
Chaplin, than whom no Lincolnshire man is better known or more popular,
is now occupied by Lord Londesborough. The church has a curious tomb-slab
to John de Glori, with a bearded head looking out of a cusped opening,
and a beautiful sculpture by Boehm of Lady Florence Chaplin. This is
one of the few churches in which the ringing of the Curfew-bell still
obtains. After _Blankney_ the road passes Scopwick and curves round
through _Digby_, _Donnington_ and _Rushington_ to Sleaford. Of these
villages _Digby_ is worth seeing, and so is _Rowston_, lying one mile
north of it. At _Digby_ the village cross has been restored, but with a
very indifferent top, and at the other end of the village is a curious
stone lock-up, like a covered well-head, and hardly capable of holding
more than one man at a time. Lingfield in Surrey has a larger one called
‘Ye Village Cage’; it has two steps up inside, and is capable of holding
a dozen people.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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