Moulton, Lincolnshire

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Moulton
Lincolnshire

East Window, All Saints' Church, Moulton
Location
Grid reference: TF306240
Location: 52°47’53"N, 0°3’47"W
Data
Population: 3,504  (2011)
Post town: Spalding
Postcode: PE12
Dialling code: 01406
Local Government
Council: South Holland
Parliamentary
constituency:
South Holland
and The Deepings

Moulton is a village and ancient parish in the Holland part of Lincolnshire, within the Elloe Wapentake. It is situated on the B1537 road, five miles east of the centre of Spalding and 3½ miles west of Holbeach.

Moulton is the primary village of the extensive civil parish of The Moultons, over 16 miles in length. It includes the smaller villages of Moulton Chapel, Moulton Seas End and Moulton Eaugate. The separate village of Moulton Chapel is about two miles south of Moulton and a similar distance east of Cowbit.[1]

History

Moulton Grammar School was founded through an endowment given in the will of John Harrox (died 1561) who was steward to Sir John Harrington of Weston. The School opened in 1562 with ten pupils and continued to educate boys until 1939 when it merged with Spalding Grammar School. Some school buildings still exist but are now private residences. John Harrox is commemorated in the name of the Primary School and the Moulton Harrox sports club. The Moulton Harrox Educational Foundation uses income from the management of more than 200 acres to support the education of young people of the district.[2][3] Old boys of the Grammar School included:

  • Johnny Douglas, Olympic gold medal winner in boxing and captain of the England Cricket Team
  • Rt Rev. Kenneth Healey, Bishop of Grimsby from 1958–66
  • Walter Plowright (1923–2010) veterinary scientist

Moulton railway station closed to passengers in 1959. The station buildings remain but are now private residences although some of the old platform structures still exist.[4]

During the 1970s Moulton was home to an astronomical observatory[5] that was relocated to Sussex in the early 1980s.

On 28 July 2005, a mini-tornado swept through the village, damaging the church roof and some other properties in the vicinity, depositing glass tens of metres away.[6]

On 19 July 2016, a shooting occurred in nearby Spalding. The two victims, Claire and Charlotte Hart, and the gunman, Lance Hart, were residents of Moulton. Following the attack, Lincolnshire Police raided the family home in the village.

Landmarks

Tower mill and All Saints' spire, Moulton

Moulton's chief landmarks are All Saints' Church, known as "The Queen of the Fens", and Moulton Windmill, the tallest tower mill in the United Kingdom.[7][8]

All Saints' Church was built about 1180, instigated by Prior John of Spalding. It took approximately 60 to 70 years to build, and was heavily restored from 1866 to 1867 by William Smith. The church has a rood screen dating from around 1425. There is a memorial in the floor of the church to Prudence Corby, who apparently died on "Julye the 36th 1793".[9]

Moulton Windmill, built in 1822, ground wheat and other products until 1995, despite losing its sails in 1895.[7] The Friends of Moulton Mill was established to restore the Grade I listed mill to full working order. The mill was a subject of the first series of BBC2's Restoration, after which it received a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and benefited from fundraising events. A café and shop was built, and the mill adapted for disabled access.[8] New sails were fitted on 21 November 2011 and on 28 April 2013 the first bag of flour to be ground with wind power in over 100 years was produced.[10]

The remains of Moulton Castle, now a small mound of earth and a moat, lie south of the village.[11]

The Elloe Stone

Located nearby, just off the A151, is the Elloe Stone, believed to mark the site of the moot of the Elloe Wapentake in Danish times.[12][13]

Notable people

  • G. D'Arcy Boulton (1759 – 1834), a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada
  • John Molson (1763 – 1836), major brewer and entrepreneur in Canada, founder of the Molson family

References

  1. "Parish council web site". Lincolnshire council. http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Moulton/. Retrieved 16 March 2013. 
  2. "Wanted: one student to get £6,000 funding Spalding Today 23 September 2008". http://www.spaldingtoday.co.uk/news/Wanted-one-student-to-get.4514836.jp. Retrieved 17 March 2010. 
  3. "Moulton Harrox Educational Foundation". Charity Commission. http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=527635&SubsidiaryNumber=0. Retrieved 16 March 2013. 
  4. Historic England. "Moulton railway station (507046)". PastScape. http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=507046. Retrieved 17 March 2013 
  5. Journal of the British Astronomical Association. British Astronomical Association. 1978. p. 626. https://books.google.com/books?id=AJ9HAQAAIAAJ. 
  6. "Tornado 'rips off a church roof'". BBC Lincolnshire news. 28 July 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4726237.stm. Retrieved 16 March 2013. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 Historic England. "Robert King's windmill (353798)". PastScape. http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=353798. Retrieved 16 March 2013 
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Friends of Moulton Mill". http://www.moultonwindmill.co.uk/. 
  9. "...Prudence Corby who died on the 36th of July 1793", Andrew Amesbury personal blog, 30 March 2008
  10. "Moulton windmill's flour-from-sail power for first time in 120 years" BBC News; 2 May 2013
  11. Historic England. "Kings Hall Park (353789)". PastScape. http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=353789. Retrieved 13 July 2012 
  12. Cox, J. Charles (1916); Lincolnshire p. 233; Methuen & Co. Ltd.
  13. Historic England. "The Elloe Stone (353777)". PastScape. http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=353777. Retrieved 17 March 2013 

Further reading

  • Kaye, David (1995). Lincolnshire, A Shire County Guide. Shire Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-7478-0271-8. 
  • Elsden, Michael J. (2000). Aspects of Spalding Villages. Bookmark, The Crescent, Spalding. ISBN 0-9539582-0-5. 

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Moulton, Lincolnshire)
Windmill
Other