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Croyland or Crowland, Lincolnshire

Historical Description

Croyland or Crowland, a small town and a parish in Lincolnshire. The town stands on the rivers Welland and None, 4 miles W from Postland station on the G.N.R., and 10 S by W of Spalding. Its site was anciently an island in the tract of the east marsh lands. Its streets are united by a triangular bridge of three pointed arches meeting in one, like the legs in the Manx arms, and built in 1360-90. Its-origin was in a hermitage founded in the 7th century by a noble thane called St Guthloc, and its progress depended on an abbey founded in 714 by Ethelbald, burnt in 870 by the-Danes, rebuilt by Ethelred II., burnt again in 1091, rebuilt again in 1112, and given by Edward VI. to the Clintons. The church of the abbey was originally cruciform, but only the north aisle remains, and is used as the parish church; the other portions are in ruins. The noble west front, with seven tiers of statuary and a most interesting quatrefoil over the west doorway, contains the history of Guthloc in alto-relievo. In 1860, a small portion of the west front was restored, but since 1887 the present rector has endeavoured to preserve the entire fabric. Henry VI. was here in 1460, and Edward IV. in 1469. The town has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Peterborough, a bank, Primitive Methodist, United Methodist, and Wesleyan chapels, brickfields, and corn mills, and a fair on September 4. Some fine schools, called South View Schools, were built in 1877 There is also a good Foresters' hall. Area of the parish 13,450 acres; population, 2800. Most of the land was at one time impassable marsh, but all has been well drained and highly improved. The living is a rectory in the-diocese of Lincoln; net yearly value, £156 with residence. Ingulphus the historian was abbot of Croyland.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyLincolnshire 
Ecclesiastical parishCrowland St. Bartholomew and St. Guthlac 
Poor Law unionPeterborough 
WapentakeElloe 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Church Records

Findmypast, in conjunction with the Lincolnshire Archives, have the following parish records online for Crowland:

BaptismsBannsMarriagesBurials
1639-19111754-18131639-19111639-1911

Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Croyland or Crowland from the following:


Maps

Online maps of Croyland or Crowland are available from a number of sites:


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Lincolnshire papers online: