Braceby
| Braceby | |
| Lincolnshire | |
|---|---|
 St Margaret's Church, Braceby | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TF016354 |
| Location: | 52°54’22"N, 0°29’22"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Sleaford |
| Postcode: | NG34 |
| Dialling code: | 01529 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | South Kesteven |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Grantham and Stamford |
Braceby is a small village and ancient parish in the Kesteven part of Lincolnshire, forming part of the Soke of Grantham. Its population is included in the civil parish of Pickworth. A nature reserve along the verges of a local road shelters 250 species of plant life.
Parishes and buildings
Situated to the south of the A52 road and approximately six miles east of the market town of Grantham, the village forms part of the civil parish of Braceby and Sapperton and has a population of just under 30.
The church, St Margaret's, dates back to the 13th century, but was restored in the 19th.[1] The ecclesiastical parish is part of the North Beltisloe Group in the Deanery of Beltisloe and the Diocese of Lincoln.[2] From 2006 to 2011 the incumbent was Rev. Richard Ireson.[3] Services are held at Braceby once or twice a month.
Many village buildings, especially those dating from the 16th and 17th century, are built in part of limestone quarried in the district, at places such as Ancaster.[4] The population peaked about 1861, when there were 168 inhabitants in 37 houses, but the population declined rapidly. By 1970 it was under 20, but a decision by the local landowners, the Welby family, to sell off empty and unwanted cottages led to some recovery and saved the church from closure.[5]
Nature and land use
The 65 roadside nature reserves maintained by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, under a local-government scheme dating back to 1960, include one that covers both verges of the Braceby–Walcot road south-east of the village.[6] The list of plants found at this reserve runs to 250 species. Notable among them are early purple orchids (Orchis mascula), common orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) and cowslips (primula veris).[7]
Livestock farming (cattle and sheep) in the village has largely given way to arable since the 1970s, but a small amount of permanent grazing remains. Some mixed woodland has also been planted.[8]
References
- ↑ Braceby Past and Present. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ↑ "Braceby P C C" Diocese of Lincoln. Retrieved 14 May 2012
- ↑ "North Beltisloe Group Council Report for PCC AGMs."; Boothby.org.uk. PDF download required. Retrieved 14 May 2012
- ↑ Natural England – Kesteven Uplands. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ↑ Braceby Past & Present: History [1] Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ↑ List of Lincolnshire roadside reserves Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ↑ Braceby Past & Present: Wildlife, nature and birds Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ↑ Geology and landscape. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Braceby) |