Caistor is a town 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 West Lindsey is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Lincolnshire, England. Its council is based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Gainsborough, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Caistor and M ...

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. As its name implies, it was originally a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

castrum ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

or fortress. It lies at the north-west edge of the

Lincolnshire Wolds The Lincolnshire Wolds which also includes the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape are a range of low hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England which runs roughly parallel with the North Sea coast, from the Humber Estuary just west of the t ...

, on the

Viking Way The Viking Way is a long distance trail in England running between the Humber Bridge in North Lincolnshire and Oakham in Rutland. History The route was officially opened on 5 September 1976 at Tealby, by the Deputy Chairman of Lincolnshire C ...

, and just off the A46 between

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

and

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

, at the A46, A1084, A1173 and B1225 junction. It has a population of 2,601. Its name comes from the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

''ceaster'' ("

camp" or "town") and was given 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 ''Castre''.

Buildings

Only a few fragments of the 4th-century walls remain; for example, the original Roman wall is visible on the southern boundary of the parish church of St Peter and St Paul. The area occupied by the

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

is now classified as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. The church of St Peter and St Paul, which is enclosed within the fortress, has an Anglo-Saxon tower. The

market square A market square (also known as a market place) is an urban square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world. A market square is an open area where market stalls are tradit ...

lies at the heart of a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

which contains 56, mainly Grade II,

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

s. In numerical terms, the number of listed buildings makes Caistor the most important conservation area in the West Lindsey area; many of the buildings are Georgian or

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

. Notable buildings in the town include

Caistor Grammar School Caistor Grammar School is a selective school with academy status in the English town of Caistor in the county of Lincolnshire, England. The school was founded in 1630. It has since grown to be one of the most respected and highest performing ...

, founded in 1633, and Sessions House, built in 1662. In 2010 the remains of a 4th-century Roman cemetery were found during the development of a new

Co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...

supermarket.

Education

Grammar school

dates from the reign of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. An

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

with a selective pupil intake, it has

specialist school Specialist schools, also known as specialised schools or specialized schools, are schools which specialise in a certain area or field of curriculum. In some countries, for example New Zealand, the term is used exclusively for schools specialis ...

status for

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

and

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

. Sir

Henry Newbolt Sir Henry John Newbolt, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (6 June 1862 – 19 April 1938) was an English poet, novelist and historian. He also had a role as a government adviser with regard to the study of English in England. He is perhaps ...

, author of ''

Drake's Drum Drake's Drum is a snare drum that Francis Drake, Sir Francis Drake took with him when he Francis Drake's Circumnavigation, circumnavigated the world. Shortly before he died he ordered the drum to be taken to Buckland Abbey and vowed that if Eng ...

'', was educated at the school.

Caistor Yarborough Academy School

Caistor Yarborough Academy is a mixed

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

named in memory of John Edward Pelham, the 7th

Earl of Yarborough Earl of Yarborough is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1837 for Charles Anderson-Pelham, 2nd Baron Yarborough. History The Anderson-Pelham family descends from Francis Anderson of Manby, Lincolnshire. He married ...

. Being limited to 570 pupils it is much smaller than the average British school of this type. It has

Arts College An Arts College, in the United Kingdom, is a type of specialist school that specialises in the subject fields of the performing, visual, digital and/or media arts. They were announced in 1996 and introduced alongside Sports Colleges to En ...

status under the English

specialist schools programme The specialist schools programme (SSP), first launched as the Technology Colleges programme and also known as the specialist schools initiative, specialist schools policy and specialist schools scheme, was a government programme in the United ...

. In 2012 the school became an

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

RAF Caistor

Opened in 1940,

RAF Caistor Royal Air Force Caistor or more simply RAF Caistor is a former Royal Air Force relief landing ground located south east of Brigg, Lincolnshire and north west of Binbrook, Lincolnshire, England, the site is now used for farming. History Secon ...

was built as a relief airfield for

RAF Kirton in Lindsey Royal Air Force Kirton in Lindsey or more simply RAF Kirton in Lindsey is a former Royal Air Force station located north of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. It is a custom of the RAF (inherited from the RFC) to name its bases after the neares ...

, and also used for flying training from its grass runways. Closed in 1945, it later reopened as a nuclear missile base. Between 1959 and 1963 Caistor was manned by 269(SM) Sqn. equipped with three

Thor missile The PGM-17A Thor was the first operative ballistic missile of the United States Air Force (USAF). It was named after the Norse god of thunder. It was deployed in the United Kingdom between 1959 and September 1963 as an intermediate-range ballis ...

s. The site has now returned to agricultural use, and little remains of the military facilities.

Transport

The nearest railway station is

Barnetby railway station Barnetby railway station serves the village of Barnetby-le-Wold in North Lincolnshire, England. It is operated by TransPennine Express, with East Midlands Railway and Northern Trains also serving the station. Barnetby railway station is unst ...

. The town was formerly served by the stations at both

North Kelsey North Kelsey is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated west from Caistor and north-east from Lincoln (England), Lincoln. Within the parish is the ha ...

and Moortown. Both are now closed but the station buildings survive as private residences. The town has bus services to

Brigg Brigg (Wikipedia:IPA for English#Key, /'brɪg/) is a market town in North Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 5,076 in the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 UK census, the population increased to 5,626 at the 2011 census. The town lies ...

Market Rasen Market Rasen ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The River Rase runs through it east to west, approximately north-east from Lincoln, England, Lincoln, eas ...

and

. Operated by

Stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

Humberside Airport Humberside Airport is an international airport at Kirmington in the Borough of North Lincolnshire, England, from three large settlements: Grimsby (east), Kingston upon Hull, Hull (north) and Scunthorpe (west), on the A18 road (England), A18 ...

is also located a short distance to the north of the town.

Media

Television signals are received from either the

Emley Moor The Emley Moor transmitting station is a telecommunications and broadcasting facility on Emley Moor, west of the village centre of Emley, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is made up of a concrete tower and apparatus that began ...

or Belmont TV transmitters. Local radio stations are provided by

BBC Radio Humberside BBC Radio Humberside is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving the former county of Humberside which includes the unitary authorities of England, unitary authorities of East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North Lincolns ...

, Hits Radio East Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire,

Hits Radio Lincolnshire Hits Radio Lincolnshire is an Independent Local Radio station serving Lincolnshire and Newark in Nottinghamshire. The station is owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio Network. The station has rebranded from its o ...

and Greatest Hits Radio East Yorkshire & Northern Lincolnshire. The town is served by the local newspaper,

Grimsby Telegraph The ''Grimsby Telegraph'' is a daily United Kingdom, British regional newspaper for the town of Grimsby and the surrounding area that makes up North East Lincolnshire including the rural towns of Market Rasen and Louth, Lincolnshire, Louth. The ...

Audleby

Audleby is a hamlet just north of Fonaby. It is recorded in the ''Domesday Book'' with 33 households, which at the time constituted a significant settlement. Today it is listed as a

deserted medieval village In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village (DMV) is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the conve ...

(DMV). Audleby House on Brigg Road is a Grade II

Fonaby

Fonaby is a hamlet and deserted medieval village just north of Caistor, mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'' as having 18 households and three acres of meadow, and held by

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

Notable people

* Admiral Nigel Malim lived at Caistor. * Gary Turner, sideshow performer and World Record holder, was born in Caistor.

Local tradition

According to a local tradition, one of Jesus's

12 apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and ministr ...

Simon the Zealot Simon the Zealot (, ), also the Canaanite or the Canaanean (, ; ; ; ), was one of the apostles of Jesus. A few pseudepigraphical writings were connected to him, but Jerome does not include him in ''De viris illustribus'' written between 392 a ...

, came to England, where he is supposed to have been martyred somewhere in the vicinity of Caistor. He was reputedly

crucified Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Carthaginians, ...

on the orders of a

procurator Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to: * Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency * Procurator (Ancient Rome), the title of var ...

called

Catus Decianus Catus Decianus was the procurator of Roman Britain in AD 60 or 61. Tacitus blames his "rapacity" in part for provoking the rebellion of Boudica.Tacitus, ''Annals'14.32/ref> Cassius Dio says he confiscated sums of money which had been given by ...

on 10 May AD61. (However, there are competing theories as to what became of Simon the Zealot.)Codd, Daniel. ''Mysterious Lincolnshire''. (Breedon Books Publishing Co Ltd). p.12-13. .

References

External links

Caistor Poor Law UnionCaistor.net
* * {{authority control Towns in Lincolnshire Civil parishes in Lincolnshire West Lindsey District