The Village

More details of the interesting buildings and a timeline of Middle Rasen

School – Built in 1874 for 120 pupils, open 5.10.1874 with 63 pupils. Average attendance (1885) 90. In1885 Thomas J Thompson is master, School board 1878-AA Padley clerk

Endowment £12.00 yearly from land left by John Wilkinson for a free school. He died in February 1720. The free school open in 1723 to educate 16 poor children 8 from each side of the Village. John Wilkinson was a Mason and owned land in Lincoln and Middle Rasen (village hall playing field). Wilkinson Drive leads to the village hall. In 1916 held a School concert for “aid relief in Belgium” Children collected eggs and donated them to the Military Hospital in Lincoln for the wounded soldiers. John Wilkinson charity and poor lands & poor meadow charity still helps local children and the school with aid or grants.

Middle Rasen Timeline

1060…Saxon settlement. Ul Grim, Ulf Godwin, Alain and Levrick
1086…Domesday book. Norman lords -Roger of Poiton, Bishop of Bayeux.
1209…Tupholme Vicar William de Rasne, built by monks of Tupholme Abbey.

1220…Drax Rector Bricius, built by Drax Priory- two churches/parishes
1332… Walter de Bolyngton and wife Lecia- one messuage and 1 oxgang of land     
1533…Will of Janet Rayton, other wills in The Lincolnshire Archives.

1539…Pottery, 2 water mills, cottages and farms, 2 churches and 2 Vicars, 49 able men for war, archers and billman…. ‘Like a Rasen Fiddler’ by Mary Shipley

1563… Diocesan Population Return-Deanery of Walshcroft

East Rasen 64 households, West Rasen 50, Middle Rasen Drax 38 and Middle Rasen  Tupholme 56 (94)

1597…Water mill, maybe before see above

1616…Two vicars-Thomas Tripping & Michael Jessopp

1639…Schoolmaster granted licence to teach by The Bishop

1641…Brief the Oath to Charles 1…… Just of 90 Males over 18 names were recorded

1708…Parish Registers

1716… William Cater, Cordwainer had an apprentice called John Riggs from Horncastle

1720…School built by John Wilkinson’s legacy, to educate 8 children from each Parish

1774…Enclosure Act: Main Landowners, Bishop of Lincoln, The Vicar, Anne Cust,  Catherine James, Marmaduke Dixon, John Martin, John Gramston, John Turner

1796…A Wesleyan Society was formed in village

1801…Population 403

1803…Poor of Parish were Bequeathed £170 by Mr M Tomline, then lost by Mr Hesleden, solicitor when declared bankrupted

1820…Middle Rasen Mill in Mill Lane built

1838…Wesleyan Methodist chapel built in Church Street/Chapel Street

1839…Primitive Methodists chapel built opposite The Nag’s Head, demolished in    1956

1842…William Naylor landlord of Nag’s Head

1844…Two parishes become one- St. Peter and St. Paul’s

1856…United Methodist Free Church was built in Church Street/Chapel Street

1860…St. Peter is rebuilt, using bits from St. Paul…a decorated window, effigy of      priest which appears to be 14th century

1869…Ancient stone bridge replaced.

1871…Pop.982, 7 tenements for poor families

1875…Council School built for 120 children 

1885…Kelly’s directory- 17 Farmers-W Broughton, G Codd, E Ellis, J Fowler, W Fowler, W  Hand, J Hargrave, S Hodson, J Major, J Marriott, J Marshall, R Naylor, W Plaskitt, J Robinson, E Sharpe, W Tomlinson and D Wood

1900… 2 butchers, 4 general stores, a post office, 2 cobblers, 1 boot makers, 1 tailor shop, windmill,  watermill and 19 thatched cottages, James and Tom Lingard- farmers
1910…Brown Cow Pub and adjacent blacksmith knocked down to build new chapel

1911…Grand opening of new Wesleyan Methodists Central Chapel
1914…Village sent men to War-10 do not come back. Headmaster of School became a Special Constable

1915… School children collect over 100 eggs for Military Hospital

1925…George Lingard returned to Prospect Farm after WW1 and service in Ireland.

1932…Middle Rasen Mill, miller died. Lost its sails in 1931
1937…Kelly’s Directory Principal Landowners-Frank Naylor, Alwyn Musgrave, Fredk. Rose, and W.G. Mortimer, James Lingard farmer, Prospect Farm

1939…Sent more men to war, this time 5 do not come back.

Evacuees from Leeds and their teachers attended the school.

Air raid precautions taken at the School

1944…On 27th June Wellington III Z1592 crashed at Baner (Manor?) Farm, Middle Rasen, Lincolnshire after catching fire during a cross-country sortie, Sgt G.K. Cameron, Sgt E.A. Crowe, Sgt G.F. Marchington, Sgt G.W. Dunham, Sgt E. Bunt and Sgt R.S. Cracknell were all killed. The crew were all in the R.C.A.F.

1950’s.. Late 50’s polio epidemic…Village fairs.

1951…Population 910, 345 properties-Post office, garage, general store, electrical shop, one church, 3 chapels, Nag’s Head, sewage works, water mill, Manor House, school with 88 children, and scout hut

1960’s Middle Rasen water mill lasted worked by Fred Cottingham

1970…Village hall opened on 20^th June 1970

1999…St Paul’s cemetery became God’s Acre

2000…New church clock, restored 3 bells and had 3 more added.

2001…Population 1,319

2005…New village signs