Bardney is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the West Lindsey district of

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, England. The population of the civil parish was 1,643 at the 2001 census increasing to 1,848 (including Southrey) at the 2011 census. The village sits on the east bank of the River Witham, east of Lincoln.

History

Two Roman artefacts have been found in Bardney: a gemstone and a coin. Nearby villages show evidence of Roman settlement, particularly Potterhanworth Booths and Branston Booths. The place-name is

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

in origin, and means "island of a man called Bearda". It occurs in the ''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...

'', under the year 716, as "Bearddanig", and in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086 as "Bardenai". Once the site of a mediaeval abbey, ruined in

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

's dissolution of the monasteries, agricultural improvement made the village prosperous in the 19th century. Improved transport, first on the River and then the arrival of several railways caused considerable expansion between the traditional centre of the village and the former riverside settlement of Bardney Ferry, where in 1894 the ferry was replaced by the present bridge. A British Sugar factory, built in 1927, survived the closure of the railways but ceased processing on 9 February 2001.

Bardney Abbey

Bardney Abbey was founded before 679, perhaps as a double house of monks and nuns, and perhaps as a minster. It was destroyed by the Danes circa 860. Refounded 1087 as a priory, it became a Benedictine Abbey in 1115, and was dissolved in 1538.

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

relates that Bardney Abbey (which he called ''Beardaneu'') (as ) was greatly loved by Osthryth, queen of

Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

, and in about 679 she sought to move the bones of her uncle, the very pious St Oswald, to there. However, when the body was brought to the Abbey the monks refused to accept it, because the Abbey was in the Kingdom of Lindsey, and Oswald, when king of Northumbria, had once conquered them. The relics were locked outside, but during the night a beam of light appeared and shone from his bier reaching up into the heavens. The monks declared that it was a miracle and accepted the body, hanging the King's Purple and Gold banner over the tomb. They are also said to have removed the great doors to the Abbey so that such a mistake could not occur again. So if someone said "do you come from Bardney?", it meant that you had left the door open. As well as the wondrous light, other miracles were associated with the remains of King Oswald. The bones at Bardney were washed before interment, and the ground into which the water was poured supposedly gained great healing powers. ''Bede'' iii.11 In another tale from Bede, a boy with the Ague kept vigil by the tomb and was cured. The King's heads and hands had been separately interred, for he had been dismembered in battle. A fragment of the stake on which his head had been impaled was later used to cure a man in Ireland. In 909, in response to increased viking raids, Oswald's bones were translated to the new St Oswald's Priory, Gloucester.

Lost villages

Near the Abbey is the site of the deserted medieval village of ''Butyate'', which was demolished in 1959, and converted to farmland. Another abandoned village, north of modern Bardney, is associated with the former chapels of St Lawrence and St Andrew.

Demographics

At the 2021 census, Bardney's built up area had a population of 2,069. Of the findings, the ethnicity and religious composition of the ward was: The religious composition of the ward at the 2021 Census was recorded as:

Transport

The river Witham has been used for commercial shipping for centuries, and has been straightened and improved many times including in 1753 and 1812. A straight course (new cut) was made at Bardney and the lock built in 1770 was re-built in 1865. In 1870, Bardney had a station which was a junction for the Branch Line to Louth via Wragby and the Lincolnshire Loop Line. The Louth to Bardney Line closed as well as the Loop Line in 1970 although the section north of Wragby closed prior to 1958–1969. The station building survives and is a listed building. The route of the old railway has been converted into a cycle-track, known as Water Rail Way, which follows the river between Lincoln and

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. The name of the cycle track refers to the river, the railway, and a wetland bird found in the area, the water rail.

Great Western Express Festival

In 1972, the nearby ruin of Tupholme Abbey was the setting for the Great Western Express Festival, a four-day pop concert (also known as the Bardney Festival). Funded by Lord Harlech and the actor Stanley Baker (amongst others), the event attracted 30,000 people. Amongst the artistes playing were

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry (lead vocals/keyboards/principal songwriter) and Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson (bass). By the time the band recorded their Roxy Music (album), first albu ...

and

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

and, for two nights running, the Rory Gallagher Band. Despite its popularity the show lost money, due mainly to bad weather which blighted the event.

Community

The grade I listed Church of St Lawrence is part of the Bardney Group of the

Deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

of Horncastle in the Diocese of Lincoln. There is also an active Methodist chapel on Church Lane. The present building has been in use from 1903 and it replaced an early church. The current minister is the Rev'd Gordon Davis. The former Salvation Army Chapel was originally built in 1882 and later converted from a place of worship to a teacher training school before being closed and seemingly abandoned. It is not a listed building but is within the Bardney conservation area. The modern primary school, Bardney Church of England and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Primary School, was opened in 1983. It replaced two earlier schools merged in 1964. The village has pre-school facilities, including Bardney Mother and Toddler Group which meets at the Methodist Hall, a butcher's shop, a general store and two public houses. The tenth anniversary of Bardney Gala took place in 2018 on August Bank Holiday Sunday. It is a traditional event consisting of crafts, trade and community stands, funfair rides, bar and BBQ, sports, children's races, car boot sale, classic vehicle display, and an Exemption Dog Show.

Administration

Originally part of the Wraggoe Wapentake, and of the Lincoln poor law union in the

Parts of Lindsey The Parts of Lindsey are a traditional division of Lincolnshire, England, covering the northern part of the county. The Isle of Axholme, which is on the west side of the River Trent, has normally formed part of it. The district's name origina ...

, the parish is now part of West Lindsey District, and Lincolnshire County Council. The civil parish has become part of a group that consists of Bardney, Apley and Stainfield parishes. The villages of Southrey and Kingthorpe are also included. The 2011 electoral arrangements are: * West Lindsey District Council, Bardney ward councillor: Ian Fleetwood * Lincolnshire County Council councillor: Ian Fleetwood *

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, Gainsborough constituency Member of Parliament: Edward Leigh * Until 2020 Bardney was also represented in the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

, by the East Midlands MEPs:

Sister city

* (fr) – La Bazoge, Sarthe

Geography and ecology

Bardney lies between 7 and 17 metres above sea level, on the edge of the present-day Lincolnshire Fens, but its name indicates that before the fens were drained for agriculture (from the 17th century onwards) it was surrounded with wet fenland. Nowadays the Lincolnshire Fens are mostly unflooded, very flat and very productive arable farmland. Wildlife observed on the fens near Bardney includes

barn owl The barn owls, owls in the genus '' Tyto'', are the most widely distributed genus of owls in the world. They are medium-sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. The ter ...

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

and hemlock. Bardney is surrounded by ancient woodlands composed primarily of lime trees, known collectively as Bardney Limewoods. Lime forests are rare in the United Kingdom, where oak is generally the dominant climatic climax species. The flora of the woodlands is indicative of ancient woodland, including '' Allium ursinum'', ''

Hyacinthoides non-scripta ''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'' (formerly ''Endymion non-scriptus'' or ''Scilla non-scripta'') is a bulbous perennial plant found in Atlantic areas from the north-western part of the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles, and also frequently used ...

'' and '' Circaea lutetiana'', as well as several species of wild

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

. Wildlife in the limewoods includes deer, Eurasian jay, European hornet and purple hairstreak butterfly. In 2017 a white-billed diver was observed on the River Witham at Bardney. This is an

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

species which seldom visits the United Kingdom.

References

External links

*
Location map for Bardney and the AbbeyNational cycle route 1Environment agency flood planningBardney
Genuki.org.UK
Heritage centre contact details
* ttp://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designatedareas/nnr/1006846.aspx National nature reserve: Bardney Limewoods* {{Authority control Villages in Lincolnshire Civil parishes in Lincolnshire West Lindsey District River Witham