Edenham

The stately cedar trees in the churchyard at Edenham, three miles north west of Bourne, were planted more than a century ago and the largest that overhangs the main A151 as you drive into the village from Bourne is thought to be over 150 years old. It has a good straight trunk persisting high through the crown to a spreading, flat top and the canopy is so immense that its branches obscure the first sight of the church’s fine pinnacled tower, 84 feet high and dating back to the 15th century.

The cedars here are given added height because the church stands on a man-made plateau in which Roman remains have been found and nearby are signs of earthworks, indicating the possibility of Saxon habitation and defences and it is even possible that an earlier British settlement stood here in this loop of the River Eden that runs through the parish. 

Close by the church is the village school, stone built and sturdy and erected in 1873 as a church school but still providing good service today. It is now administered by Lincolnshire County Council and is known as Edenham Church of England Primary School. An ornate plaque on the front gable end gives the date of the building and the crest of the Willoughby family who lived at nearby Grimsthorpe Castle and who no doubt contributed towards the building costs. 

The family has also been responsible for many acts of philanthropy towards the parish over the years, notably the provision of a village library. It was first established in 1844 by Lord Willoughby but it fell into disuse until the summer of 1874 when it was reopened for the use of the parish under the patronage of Lady and Miss Willoughby, both having made considerable donations towards the venture. A total of 400 volumes were then available, a remarkable number at that time, and it was opened on the first and third Mondays of each month. The subscription was fixed at as low a rate as possible to attract new members and by August a total of 86 villagers had already become borrowers.

Not all of our apparently historic public houses are as old as they look and a good example is the Five Bells at Edenham. It enjoys a reputation as one of our old English inns but it is in fact Victorian and was not built until 1880. There was however a temperance hotel on the site prior to that, most probably a religious hostel similar to those that can be found in the vicinity of many parish churches to provide accommodation for visitors and within the sound of their bells. The name indicates that St Michael and All Angels had five bells when the inn was opened in the late 19th century, the oldest cast in 1636.

The peal of five were re-hung with new fittings in the summer of 1874 after being out of order for some time, the work being carried out by Messrs Taylor and Son, of Loughborough, Leicestershire, and the work paid for by parishioners and Lady Willoughby de Eresby. An inspection of the peal revealed that the tenor bell weighed about 13 cwt. and bore the inscription "Thomas Norris made me, 1636" and was thought to have been made from the metal of a former bell brought from the Abbey of Vaudey (or as it was then called Valle Dei) close by, the ruins of which are now in Grimsthorpe Park. The fifth bell was also an ancient one having been cast in 1726 by the great Peterborough bell maker Henry Penn. The other three were by Mears, of London, the second and third bearing the date 1807, and the treble 1832. At that time it was also contemplated increasing the peal to six, there being a frame for that number, but they were not augmented until 1909 and then to eight in 1931 when the 18th century tenor bell was also recast. A further two treble bells were added in 1985 following the death of the last Earl of Ancaster two years before and one of them is inscribed with his initials as a memorial.

To celebrate the refurbishment of 1874, the Edenham and Bourne societies of ringers met on Wednesday 12th August and after several hours of ringing, pronounced the bells to be in admirable condition and afterwards they adjourned to the Five Bells for a ringers' supper at which the vicar and churchwardens were present.

Edenham vicarage also acts as a Regional House for the Diocese of Lincoln, serving parishes and people from the south of the county. It is used for retreats and reading weekends, family or study days. The Diocesan Educational Team also meets there periodically for activities such as Sunday School teacher training and churchwarden days. A new chapel was opened on Friday 15th June 1990 in the old stables that were last used for their original purpose 100 years before and had since been utilised as a garage and potting shed. Grimsthorpe Estate, who own the vicarage, commissioned the design and various religious charities contributed towards the cost of furnishings. 

The chapel was dedicated by the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Rev Robert Hardy and the vicar, Canon Andrew Hawes, outlined its aims. "It will be used to develop the work of fostering and encouraging the spiritual life of the churches in South Lincolnshire", he said. "The new chapel will provide a small, warm and flexible space for small groups and individuals to use and will complement the facilities in the house and the adjacent church for meetings, study groups and recreation."

Apart from its famous cedars, Edenham has many more beautiful trees and we found this one during an evening outing in May 1988. We heard the church bells ringing and stopped to listen and saw this magnificent horse chestnut in full blossom by the side gate to the vicarage. The church is a large and handsome building, Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular, noted for its noble west tower, with a south porch added around 1350 and decorated with imps, a late 12th century drum-shaped font and many interesting memorials. Inside the tower are the effigies of a civilian and lady, circa 1300, and a knight and lady from the late 14th century resting on an altar tomb.

There is a restoration monument in the north chapel to Robert, 1st Earl of Lindsey and the 12th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, and a further array in the chancel to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Dukes, by distinguished artists such as Cheere, Nollekens, Roubiliac and Charles Harris of London, a series larger than in any other Lincolnshire church, while even more which commemorate family members can be found in the church at Spilsby. The family were steadfast supporters of the Royalist cause in the Civil War and one of the most notable of the grandiose monuments in the lofty church at Edenham is the huge monument to Robert Bertie, 4th Earl of Lindsey and 1st Duke of Ancaster, by the Belgian sculptor Pieter Scheemakers.