Apley

The Bridleway at this point became very muddy and impassable.

This well marked Bridleway does not actually follow the line on the map, but the path cuts straight across the field.

A charming church in well-kept grounds. See Link for a view of the east end.

See Link for a view of the west end of this diminutive church. Buried by the cement render band is believed to be a cut bench mark, detailed at Link.

Benedictine Priory of St. Mary at Stainfield was founded in the mid 12th century and dissolved in 1536. It was the only Benedictine nunnery in Lincolnshire. In 1538 it was granted to Sir Robert Tyrwhitt whose descendants constructed a large house, park and formal gardens on the site. The remains of the nunnery, including most of the precinct, the site of the conventual buildings and a group of fishponds, are therefore partly overlain by the remains of a post-Dissolution house with associated buildings, gardens and other landscape features. See: Link A Tyrwhitt was also responsible for ridding the area of the tyranny of the Wild Man - or so the story goes... see TF1173 : Wild Man in Church of St. Andrew, Stainfield.

The Benedictine nunnery of Stainfield was founded in the mid 12th century and dissolved in 1536. In 1538 it was granted to Sir Robert Tyrwhitt whose descendants constructed a large house, park and formal gardens on the site. The remains of the nunnery, including most of the precinct, the site of the conventual buildings and a group of fishponds, are therefore partly overlain by the remains of a post-Dissolution house with associated buildings, gardens and other landscape features. The Priory of St Mary at Stainfield was the only nunnery of the Benedictine order in the old county of Lincolnshire. There is extensive information about the Priory in the church. See: Link

St Andrews church is dated 1711, a Queen Anne church. Its design has been attributed to Sir Christopher Wren, who is said to have visited Stainfield Hall at about this time. The church lies north south, so that it forms a pleasing view in the parkland. It was built on the site of the only Benedictine priory in Lincolnshire; finds of sculptural and architectural fragments from the 14th century indicate the site of the priory church and buildings. See Link and TF1173 : St.Andrew's church.

Tyrwhitt is apparently another name for lapwing or plover. See TF1173 : Wild Man in Church of St. Andrew, Stainfield.

Said to be from the helmet of one of the Tyrwhitts of Stainfield. One of Lincolnshire's legends tells of a wild man (aka Wood Wose) who lived in the woods near Stainfield. The story appears in Folklore around Horncastle (1915) by Revd James Alpas Penny, who writes that in Stainfield church is the helmet of one of the Tyrwhitts of Stainfield, with the family crest of a wild man with a dagger. He recounts the legend that one Francis Tyrwhitt-Drake was promised all the land in Stainfield if he could kill the wild man who had terrorised the district. The wild man, so the story goes says, was asleep on a bank by a pit, but his presence had disturbed a plover’s nest. The parent birds made such a noise that they attracted the attention of Tyrwhitt-Drake as he rode by. As he lay asleep, Drake ran the wild man through with his sword, though the man got up and chased him before dropping dead. Interestingly the word ‘Tyrwhitt’ is an old English name for a peewit (or lapwing). The Tyrwhitt-Drake coat of arms henceforth featured three peewits to commemorate the great victory. A variation of this story, set in the 12th century, identifies the wild man as a Stainfield nobleman who had been away fighting in the Crusades for so long that when he returned he found he had been dispossessed. He went on to live in the woods, where he became so dangerous that Drake-Tyrwhitt was forced to kill him. It has been suggested that the story was put about to explain the relics in St Andrews belonging to the Tyrwhitt family, which included tattered cloth hanging from the wall reputed to be the wild man's clothing, and the dagger, gloves, and helmet said to belong to the man who killed him. In fact, the rags were the tattered remnants of the three banners embroidered by the ladies of the Tyrwhitt family, now in the care of the Archives Office in Lincoln. According to another variation on the legend the wildman was killed by a band of farmers incensed that their livestock was being taken and their families terrorised. The farmers, who went on to be known as "The Hardy Gang", trapped and killed the wildman in a wood between Langton and Stainfield. See Link and Link A "replica" of the wildman lurks menacingly in the corner of the otherwise charming church, along with a quilt depicting him - see TF1173 : The Wild Man of Stainfield, Stainfield church.

See Link. Evidence for former settlement exists both as earthworks and as surface pottery scatters. A main hollow way running east to west is flanked along its north side by rectangular closes. A different pattern of large rectangular ditched closes to the south side resembles earthworks identified as monastic granges, demesne manors or farms within villages elsewhere in the area. These closes are all full of ridge and furrow (except at their northern end which may overlie earlier occupation). The Tithe map of 1849 shows that in addition to the surviving north to south farm track, a further way ran up the east side of the churchyard... The medieval settlement of Apley was a hamlet established by the late 11th century. After the foundation of Stainfield Priory in the mid 12th century the settlement was granted to the nunnery and managed as a monastic manor or grange. Documentary references to a priest at Apley occur from the early 13th century onwards. The population of the settlement, which remained low throughout the medieval period, declined after the Dissolution when 'Apley Grange' was granted, with the rest of the Stainfield Priory estate, to Sir Robert Tyrwhitt, who enclosed large areas of land for sheep pasture. The medieval church at Apley remained standing until the beginning of the 18th century; the present St Andrew's chapel, which stands on an adjacent site and is not included in the scheduling, was constructed in 1871. The remains of the medieval settlement of Apley and the surviving parts of its open fields are visible as earthworks with associated buried remains and lie in two separate areas of protection.

The medieval settlement of Apley was a hamlet established by the late 11th century. After the foundation of Stainfield Priory in the mid 12th century the settlement was granted to the nunnery and managed as a monastic manor or grange. Documentary references to a priest at Apley occur from the early 13th century onwards. The population of the settlement, which remained low throughout the medieval period, declined after the Dissolution when 'Apley Grange' was granted, with the rest of the Stainfield Priory estate, to Sir Robert Tyrwhitt, who enclosed large areas of land for sheep pasture. The medieval church at Apley remained standing until the beginning of the 18th century; the present St Andrew's chapel, which stands on an adjacent site and is not included in the scheduling, was constructed in 1871. The remains of the medieval settlement of Apley and the surviving parts of its open fields are visible as earthworks with associated buried remains and lie in two separate areas of protection. See Link

Now converted to dwellings Link