A beautiful village in Lincolnshire.
The name Stubton originates from Old English: Stubb ton, a farmstead where there are tree stumps. It appears in Domesday Book under the name of Stobetun/Stubetune. At that time, there were 30 households, which was then considered quite a large settlement. In 1086 the Lord and tenant-in-chief was Norman d’Arcy. Records indicate that the landscape consisted of a mix of smallholdings, ploughl and and meadow. Documentary evidence of the development of the village was very sparse until the late 1700’s. The Heron family took over the Stubton Hall estate in 1789, being inherited by Sir Robert, from his uncle Sir Richard, in 1805. The house was originally used only for summer visits, but after being elected MP for Grimsby Sir Robert adopted it as his main home. Wishing initially to remodel the existing house, he commissioned Sir Jeffrey Wyatt, a sought after architect at the time, who had previously worked on Windsor Castle and the Orangery at nearby Belton House. However, when work started, on discovering the poor state of the house they revised their ideas, and a new design was prepared for a restrained, classical style building similar in style to Wolley Park in Berkshire. Sir Robert and his wife, Amelia, had no children and when he died in 1854, the estate, including large sections of land in Stubton and Claypole passed to a male relative of Amelia’s, George Neville. Beyond Stubton Hall parkland, arable farming was the main activity, providing the majority of the employment in the area.
The parish church Grade II* listed, is dedicated to St Martin and when built in 1799 consisted of a nave, pinnacled tower and vestry, located on a site commonly known as Bemrose Croft. The Bishop of Lincoln consecrated the church in June 1800. The chancel was added in1869 as a memorial to the late rector, Rev. W. S. Hampson. Although the present church is relatively modern, the Domesday Survey mentions a priest and church in 1086 and the original medieval church and churchyard occupied a site immediately opposite the present front of Stubton Hall. The only vestiges remaining, are the two bells installed in the tower of the present church and a memorial stone dated 1530 let into the wall of the vestry. The present church underwent considerable renovation of the tower roof and internal structures in 2010. New lighting and heating were installed in the following year. Theft of the lead from the vestry roof occurring in 2011, this was repaired and reinstated in 2013.
The conspicuous broken column resting upon a mound in Bemrose Croft to the northeast corner of the church, marks the grave of Sir Robert Heron. (The broken column signifies that he was last in the line). This, and a number of buildings in Stubton, is listed under the Planning Listed Building.
Stubton Character and Style
Stubton has 179 villagers, occupying 77 households. There is a very strong community ethos, with residents demonstrating a clear ‘can do’ attitude and always willing to participate in community activities. A team from the village was responsible for initiating and overseeing the construction of a new Village Hall in 2000, with considerable help from the millennium lottery fund which also made a significant contribution to major repairs to the church tower in 2010. The local community gave generously and helped with local fundraising. Other important contributors were: National Churches Trust, Marshalls Charity, Lincolnshire Old Churches Trust and Allchurches Trust. In 2011 the churchyard was cleared with volunteer help. There is always a good turnout for the frequent litter picks to keep verges and hedgerows clear. Stubton has won the Lincolnshire Best Kept Village four times, most recently in 2021. Residents’ willingness to get involved was the catalyst for the decision to start the process of creating a Neighbourhood Plan and taking ownership of the future development of the village.
NB: The above is from the NDP dated 2015, which should be updated every 5 years. Consequently it now contains a certain number of inaccuracies.
