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.
(More
information on 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:-
