Sleaford History

 

The original settlement of Old Sleaford was situated between Boston Road and the River Slea and objects found at the site give evidence of Roman and Anglo-Saxon occupation.

In the time of Edward the Confessor, the Manor of New Sleaford was held by Bardi, a Saxon landowner. With the Norman Conquest of 1066 Bardi was dispossessed, and it was given to the Bishop of Lincoln.

 

The Manor remained in the possession of the Bishops of Lincoln for over 400 years until the reign of Edward VI (1547-1553) when it was sold by Bishop Holbeach to the Duke of Somerset who was attained for treason and the Manor reverted to the Crown. Queen Mary I (1553-1558) granted the Manor to Edward, Lord Clinton, who sold it to the Carre family.

 

The Carre family held it until 1686 when following the death in 1684 of Sir Robert Carre the land Baronet, it passed to his daughter and heiress, Isabella Carre, who married John Hervey, first Earl of Bristol, and since then the Manor of New Sleaford has remained in the ownership of the Earls (later Marquess) of Bristol.

 

The Old Manor of Sleaford was held for many years by the Hussey family until 1536 when John, Lord Hussey, was beheaded for treason at Lincoln, and the Manor was purchased by the Carre family who held it until 1686 when on the marriage of Isabella Carre it also passed to the Bristol family who have held it ever since.

 

Sleaford Castle, of which only a few mounds now remain, was built by Alexander de Blois, Bishop of Lincoln from 1123-1147. In it King John spent a night after his disastrous crossing of the Wash. Henry VIII stayed at Sleaford twice and held a State Council at the Castle.

 

The modern town retains the traditions of a Market Town and the market is now held on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. Until 1202 it had been held on Sunday but in that year it was transferred to Thursday and at a later date it was moved from Thursday to Monday.

 

The town now serves as an administrative and social centre for the surrounding agricultural district. The Royal Air Force College and Station at Cranwell and the Royal Air Force Station at Digby have very close links with Sleaford.

 

A striking feature in the main Street (Southgate) is the Handley Monument, erected to the memory of Henry Handley who was born in Sleaford in 1797 and died in 1846. He was a member of Parliament (but not for this district) from 1820-1826 and when Lincolnshire was divided into two constituencies each returned two members. In 1823 Mr Handley accepted nomination as a candidate; he was returned unopposed on three occasions; he resigned in 1841 and was defeated at the succeeding poll. The memorial was erected by a number of local people who felt that their affection for him should be shown in the form of an enduring memorial and a subscription list towards the cost of the work was duly opened.

 

In Southgate too, is the wall sign of the Black Bull, dated 1689. This represents bull-baiting and is believed to be the only one of its kind in the country.

 

Coat of Arms

 

The design of the Coat of Arms was prepared by the College of Arms and is as follows:-

 

Arms: Gules on a Chevron Or three Estoiles Sable on a Chief Argent as many Trefoils slipped Vert.

 

Crest: On a Wreath of the Colours An Eagle wings extended and head downwards and to the sinister proper holding in the beak an Ear of Wheat stalked and leaved Or.

 

The arms depicted on the shield are those of the Carre family which had a very close association with Sleaford in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

 

On the Chief the trefoils have allusion to the ownership of the Manor by the Marquess of Bristol. The Eagle signifies the town's close contact with the Royal Air Force and, in particular, the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell. The ear of wheat represents the local agricultural interests.

 

The closed helmet is that used for arms of civic authorities and the crest, wreath and mantling in the main colours of the arms, red and gold, are the proper accompaniment to such a shield.