The Lost Houses of Lincolnshire - Haverholme Priory

Haverholme is 4 1/2 miles north east of Sleaford. Referred to in Domesday Book as Holm, later becoming Hufreholme and then Hafreholm.

Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln offered a marshy island site near Sleaford to Abbot Gervase of Fountains Abbey in 1137. Buildings were erected by 1139 and a band of Cistercian monks were sent from Fountains to take possession. The monks were unhappy with the site and Bishop Alexander offered them land in the north of the county, where Louth Park Abbey was built.

Alexander then offered Haverholme to Gilbert of Sempringham. Gilbert founded the only English religious order and was unique in accepting men and women into the same houses albeit in separate accommodation.

The number of nuns at Sempringham was increasing and the buildings at Haverholme were ready for occupation. The priory at Haverholme was dedicated to St Mary. St. Gilbert sent nuns, lay sisters and lay brothers to Haverholme, but at first they suffered severely from poverty, Simon Tuchet granted the priory lands in nearby Ashby in 1140. Later benefactors included Henry II, Roger Mowbray and Roger de Lacey.

In 1164 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, "from his angry sovereign in fear of his life, he took refuge in the hermitage belonging to Haverholme Priory, on the edge of the fen, under the guidance of a monk who knew the country."

Gilbert had limited the numbers in the house to 100 nuns and lay sisters, and 50 canons and lay brothers. At the Dissolution the members of the Priory had dwindled down to a small number.

The deed of surrender is dated September 5th, 1539, and by it William Hall, the Prior, and six canons gave up the Priory and all the estates belonging to the Priory, and in return, together with the prioress and seven nuns, received pensions for life varying from £4 to £2 per annum.

The Priory was granted to Edward Lord Clinton, who, by the King's licence, granted half the manor to Robert Carre in 1544, and the other half to William Thorold. The property passed through several owners until it was bought by Sir Samuel Gordon, 1st Baronet in 1763. The property passed, on his death, to Sir Jenison William Gordon, 2nd Baronet. In 1788 Sir Jenison improved and enlarged the building.

The Priory, south and east aspects c. 1800

Sir Jenison died in 1831 and bequeathed the Priory to George William Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of Winchilsea, 5th Earl of Nottingham. Henry Edward Kendall was commissioned to redesign the Priory, the work being completed in 1835. A resemblance to Haverholme Priory can be seen in Carre's Hospital at Sleaford, another of Kendall's designs.

Henry Stormont Finch-Hatton, 13th Earl, was the last owner of the Priory. After World War I, in common with many landed families, the 13th Earl decided to put the Haverholme Priory Estate up for auction.

South aspect c 1925

East end of south aspect and Orangery

The auctioneers were the well-known local firm of Earl and Lawrence and took place on Monday, 9th August 1926 at the Corn Exchange, Sleaford. The Priory sold for £5,400 to a Mr Caley of Manchester who, after the departure of the Finch-Hatton's by 11th October, would demolish the building. A sad end to a fine country house.

There is a story that circulates in the local Sleaford area that the Priory was bought by an American heiress who intended to rebuild it in the United States. The story goes on, she was killed in a train crash, the stone was stored at Liverpool docks and was eventually used to repair dock walls. Read the true story here

Henry S Finch-Hatton's second son was Denys Finch-Hatton, Denys was a white game hunter in East Africa and was killed in a flying accident in 1931. He was the subject of the film "Out of Africa", starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep.

The Ruins on the Hill: Uncovering the Lost Village of Calceby

When I was too young to drive, my parents and I would journey from Lincoln to Mablethorpe on summer weekends in Dad’s Ford Model Y. Our route took us through Belchford and Alford, passing a particular hillock on the Bluestone Heath Road where ruins still sit upon the crest. Despite consulting locals and scouring OS maps, we were never been able to identify exactly what they were.

Remains of St Andrew's Church, Calceby

 Fast forward more years than I care to remember, and I now know those ruins are the remains of St Andrew’s Church, Calceby.

Calceby’s roots predate the Norman Conquest; it was once one of 84 Lincolnshire villages belonging to Earl Harold—known briefly in 1066 as King Harold II. Following the Conquest, King William granted the village to Earl Hugh of Chester. The name itself is Old Scandinavian, translating to ‘Kalfr’s village.’

At the time of the Domesday Book, Calceby was a thriving settlement of 151 villagers, featuring extensive ploughlands, 1,000 acres of meadow, and 80 acres of woodland. However, after reaching its peak in the 11th century, the village entered a long, slow decline. By 1377, only 60 villagers were recorded for the poll tax; by 1563, that number had dropped to 18 families. By 1961, the population had dwindled to just 32.

Aerial Map of Calceby, showing outlines
of various features (Bing)

While many factors can lead to a village’s abandonment, the "Great Pestilence" of the 14th century was a significant catalyst. The reality of this era was unearthed in 1952, when a plague pit was discovered during the widening of Bluestone Heath Road nearby. Beyond disease, a changing climate brought years of poor harvests, forcing many to abandon their homes in search of food.

However, the primary cause for the loss of Calceby—and roughly 100 other Wold villages—was the shift from arable farming to more profitable sheep rearing. As landowners replaced crops with livestock, the demand for labor plummeted. This forced the population toward larger centers like Alford, Horncastle, and Spilsby. By the 17th century, 20 farms had been abandoned, and the process was finalized when Sir Drayner Massingberd (1615–1689) began enclosing the open fields in November 1672.

The village's spiritual heart soon followed its people. The last baptism at St Andrew’s took place in 1724, the same year its final vicar, William Pennington, was instituted. By the time Calceby was united with South Ormsby and Kelsby in 1750, the church had fallen into serious disrepair. In 1756, much of the structure was demolished and sold to the South Ormsby estate.

Today, a fragment of Calceby lives on elsewhere: when St Leonard’s Church in South Ormsby was restored by James Fowler of Louth in 1871–72, a 12th-century round-arched doorway was installed in the west wall—a piece of history said to be salvaged from the ruins of St Andrew’s.

The Doorway from St Andrew's, Calceby
© Richard Croft
 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Click link to view side by side image of OS map and LiDAR 

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