The Church of Edlington is dedicated to St. Helen, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, who was, by birth, a Yorkshire woman. The edifice was re-built, with the exception of the lowest part of the tower, in 1859–60, at a cost of £1146. It consists of a nave, south aisle, chancel, and substantial tower of 3 tiers, with 3 bells. The font is square at the base, octagonal above. The tower arch at the west end is the original Norman, and the only part remaining of the original building. The upper part of the tower is in the Early English style. The windows in the tower are copies of the former Early English ones, the south arcade is perpendicular, with windows in the same style, and consisting of 3 bays, with octagonal columns. The Chancel Arch is of good Early English style. There is a good coloured two-light window, near the pulpit, in memory of Margaret, the wife of J. Hassard Short, Esq., who died Feb. 2nd, 1881. The subject of this window is the three Maries, and the Angel, at the Sepulchre; combined with his wife, he also by the same window, commemorated his daughter, Agnes Margarette, who died 17th Dec., 1867. Another coloured window was placed in the Church in December, 1900, in memory of the late Squire, the subject being the Saviour appearing to Mary Magdalene, at the Sepulchre. Both figures are of life-size, the countenances being full of expression. It was designed by Messrs. Heaton and Butler, and placed in position by Mr. C. Hensman, of Horncastle; and forms a fitting companion to the window in memory of his wife. It bears the inscription, “To the glory of God, in loving memory of John Hassard Short, Esq., who died Dec. 4, 1893, this window is erected by his daughter Marian.” The Shorts have held this estate for four generations. The flooring is laid with Minton tiles, the church is fitted with open benches, and pulpit of oak, with reading desk and lectern of the same. These were the gift of the Lay Impropriators of the Benefice, the Trustees of Oakham and Uppingham Schools. The organ is by Stephenson, of Lincoln. The inscription on the 3 bells (according to North, in his “Lincolnshire Bells”), 2 Royal Heads on each, Edwd. I., and Queen Eleanor; Edwd. III. and Queen Philippa; Henry VI. and Margaret of Anjou. Further details are given, as that Edlington had, in 1553, “three big bells and a Priest’s bell.” Inscriptions now, on 1st bell “1824,” 2nd bell “I.H.S. Sancte Peter,” with diameter of 34 inches; 3rd bell “I.H.S., Sancte Paule”; Priest’s bell, “T.L. TFCW., 1670,” with diameter 11½ inches.
There have been at least 5 Vicars within the last 50 years. The present Vicar, is the Rev. E. H. Bree, formerly Curate of Belchford, who has a good and commodious residence and premises, recently enlarged, and good garden, pleasantly situated close to the Park.
We have said that the former old Residence of the Shorts was pulled down several years ago; no building has been erected on the same scale or site since, but a farm house was adopted as a shooting box, for members of the family; and for the last three or four years this has been occupied by J. R. Hatfeild, Esq., who rents the shooting. The Benefice is in the gift of the Lord Chancellor, as representing the former Patron, the King.
Small as is the parish of Edlington, it has seen some stirring scenes. On the day before the Battle of Winceby, near Horncastle, where the Royalists were defeated by Cromwell, viz., on the Evening of Tuesday, Oct. 10, 1643, a troop of Parliamentary Horse, commanded by Capt. Samuel Moody, were surprised at Edlington, by the King’s forces, under the command of Sir John Henderson and Lord Widdrington, of Blankney, and there befell a rather sharp skirmish, in which the Parliamentary troops had to fall back. Such was one violation of the quietude of the little village. In older times, lying as it did, between the two Roman forts of Banovallum (or Cornucastrum) and the ancient Lindum (or Lincoln), it would often, in the time of the Roman occupation of the country, be disturbed by the heavy tread of Roman Legions, and the accompanying music of Roman Clarions.
History also tells us that “in the year of our Lord, 1406, Sept. 12, King Henry IV. made a Royal procession from the town of Horncastle, with a great and honourable company, to the Abbey of Bardney, where the Abbot and Monastery came out, in ecclesiastical state, to meet him,” [Leland’s “Collectanea”]. As by-roads did not exist, as they do now, we can hardly doubt, that his line of route would be by the King’s highway, through Edlington.
Surely, even in these days of easy locomotion, it can have fallen to the lot of few villages, large or small, to have given to the gaze of their rustic wondering inhabitants, such varied, and unusual scenes as these.
Mavis Enderby.
Mavis Enderby is nearly 8 miles from Horncastle, in an easterly direction, the road passing through High Toynton, skirting Scrafield, and through Winceby, and Lusby, and being part of the old Roman road from Doncaster to Wainfleet. It is about 3 miles west by north of Spilsby, where is the nearest telegraph office; the nearest money order office being at Raithby. Letters, via Spilsby, arrive at 7.30 a.m. The village is prettily situated on a slope of the wolds, the houses clustering about the church, except solitary farm residences of a substantial kind; the parish is roughly divided into Northfield and Southfield. To the north formerly stood a religious house, a dependency of Revesby Abbey. It was last occupied by C. J. H. Massingberd Mundy, Esq. It fell into decay some years ago, and nothing now remains of it, beyond the turf-covered foundations and some fine yew-trees, apparently survivals of a former avenue leading to it. A varied view is seen to the north-east, towards Aswardby and Langton, including the wooded height of Harrington Hill, and other elevated ground, with the graceful spire of Sausethorpe church conspicuous in the intervening valley, one of the most successful creations of the Architect, Stephen Lewin, who, fifty years ago, did some good work among our Lincolnshire churches, notably in his restoration of Swineshead, and his re-building of Brothertoft. The stranger might, by the name of this parish, be reminded of the lines of Sir Walter Scott. [47a]
Merry it is in the good green woods,
When the Mavis [47b] and Merle [47c] are singing,
When the deer sweep by, and the hounds are in cry,
And the hunter’s horn is ringing.
But no groves or hedgerows vocal with their songsters, gave the parish its name. The Lord of the Manor, in the 12th century was Richard de Malbyse, or Malbishe, a large proprietor, and exercising considerable influence in this neighbourhood, and elsewhere. The epithet has been retained to distinguish this from Bag Enderby, and Wood Enderby; one of which is near and the other not far away. The name Malbyse or Malbishe, means, in old Norman French, an evil beast (compare Bis-on); and the arms of the family, as still preserved at Acaster Malbis, near York, once belonging to a member of the family, are a chevron, with three wild stags heads “erased,” i.e., raggedly severed from the body.