Billingborough

Billingborough is a village and civil parish^[2] in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Bourne and 10 miles south of Sleaford, and on the B1177 between Horbling and Pointon just south of the A52.

Billingborough
Church of St Andrew, Billingborough
Billingborough Location within Lincolnshire
Population	1,401 (Including Birthorpe. 2011 census)^[1]
OS grid reference	TF116342
• London	95 mi (153 km) S
Civil parish	Billingborough
District	South Kesteven
Shire county	Lincolnshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SLEAFORD
Postcode district	NG34
Dialling code	01529
Police	Lincolnshire
Fire	Lincolnshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Grantham and Stamford
List of places UK England Lincolnshire 52°53′37″N 0°20′25″W / 52.893649°N 0.340233°W / 52.893649; -0.340233

History

The village is named after the post-Roman Billings tribe of invaders. The village was formerly served by the Billingborough and Horbling railway station on the Bourne and Sleaford Railway, giving the village connections to nearby Bourne and Sleaford.^[3] The former high school name, Aveland, is taken from a pre-conquest wapentake of that name, dating to 921. The wapentake extended from Bourne to Threekingham. The area was populous in the Middle Ages, and included the lost village of Ouseby ^[4] as well as the shrunken village of Birthorpe.^[5] St Andrew's Church dates to the 13th century and is in a mixture of Perpendicular Gothic and Decorated styles.^[6]

On a Saturday in 1791 a six-hour football match between the 'bachelors' of Osbournby and Billingboroough was played at Osbournby field. Billingborough won and were distinguished by the wearing of blue ribbons.^[7]

Community

Billingborough is positioned at the edge of The Fens. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,098 in 461 households.^[8] By 2011 both figures had risen, to 1,401.^[1]

The village has a single primary school.^[9] There formerly existed a secondary modern school, The Aveland High School,^[10] which opened in 1963 but closed in January 2010 to merge with a Sleaford school to form St George's Academy.^[11] The high school was later demolished^[12] and the site redeveloped for housing.^[13]

Main article: St Andrew's Church, Billingborough

The parish church is dedicated to St Andrew. Under the Diocese of Lincoln, the ecclesiastical parish is part of The Billingborough Group in the Lafford Deanery. As of 2014, the priest-in-charge is Rev Anna Sorensen.^[14]

Billingborough has a small number of shops on High Street as well as a public house called the "Fortescue Arms".^[15] There is also an Army Cadet Force detachment next to the St George's Academy site. It is part of the Lincolnshire Army Cadet Force^[16] and wears the cap badge of the Royal Engineers. The village Billingborough Horbling and Threekingham Cricket Club gained entry into the ECB Lincs Premier League in 2013.^{[citation needed]}

Notable people

• Richard Nauyokas, of Lads Army lived in the village^{[citation needed]}
• Eric Houghton, Aston Villa and England footballer and Villa manager, was born in the village.^[17]
• Robert Gordon Latham, ethnologist and philologist was born in Billingborough in 1812

References

1. "Billingborough". 2011 census. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
2. "Billingborough Parish Council".
3. Historic England. "Billingborough and Horbling station (498482)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 December 2012.
4. Historic England. "Ouseby (350961)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 December 2012.
5. Historic England. "Birthorpe (351023)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 December 2012.
6. Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (350971)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 December 2012.
7. "Saturday". Stamford Mercury. 6 May 1791. p. 3.
8. . 2001 census. Office for national statistics. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
9. "Billingborough Primary School".
10. "The Aveland High School – GOV.UK". get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
11. "St. George's Academy web site".
12. "Asbestos Removal and Demolition – Aveland School – Billingborough – Projects". art-demolition.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
13. "Planning application – s14/1316". southkesteven.gov.uk. from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
14. . Archived from the original on 16 July 2011., Diocese of Lincoln
15. George and Dragon 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
16. Lincolnshire ACF
17. "Eric Houghton"; Cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 14 April 2012

External links

•   Media related to Billingborough at Wikimedia Commons
• Photographs of the village
• Cricket Club