Editing Sempringham (section)

{{Short description|Hamlet in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox UK place
 |static_image_name=      St.Andrew's church, Sempringham - geograph.org.uk - 528619.jpg
 |static_image_caption=   St Andrew's Church
 | official_name=         Sempringham
 | country=               England
 | region=                East Midlands
 | os_grid_reference=     TF117332
 | map_alt= 
 | coordinates = {{coord|52.885224|-0.3412|display=inline,title}}
 | post_town=             [[Sleaford]]
 | postcode_area=         NG
 | postcode_district=     NG34
 | dial_code=             
 | constituency_westminster= [[Grantham and Stamford (UK Parliament constituency)|Grantham and Stamford]]
 | civil_parish=          [[Pointon and Sempringham]]
 | shire_district=        [[South Kesteven]]
 | shire_county=          [[Lincolnshire]]
 | london_distance_mi=     95<!-- straight line per MOS – constant and comparable with other place distances -->
 | london_direction=       S
 }}

'''Sempringham''' is a village in the [[civil parish]] of [[Pointon and Sempringham]], in the [[South Kesteven]] district of [[Lincolnshire]], England. It is situated {{convert|2|mi|km}} south from the [[A52 road]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} east from [[Grantham]] and {{convert|8|mi|km}} north from [[Bourne, Lincolnshire|Bourne]]. The hamlet is on the western edge of the Lincolnshire [[The Fens|Fens]], the closest village being [[Billingborough]], {{convert|0.5|mi|km|1}} to the north on the [[B1177 road]]. Sempringham is noted as the home of [[Gilbert of Sempringham]], the son of the lord of the manor. Gilbert is the only English Saint to have founded a [[Monasticism|monastic order]], the [[Gilbertines]].<ref name="Lincolnshire p. 4">Official site of Lincolnshire, p. 4</ref><ref name=Online>{{Cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=38029|title= Houses of the Gilbertine Order|accessdate=21 December 2010|publisher=British history online}}</ref><ref name=quest>{{Cite web|url=https://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=36B8F2B6D842F7DFA8CFEC357EC9357C.inst1_3a?docId=5008186623|title= Handling Pilgrims: Robert Mannyng and the Gilbertine Cult|accessdate=21 December 2010|publisher=Quaestia: Journal Article}}</ref> In 1921 the parish had a population of 112.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10450524/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Sempringham AP/CP through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=12 January 2024}}</ref> On 1 April 1931 the parish was abolished to form "Pointon and Sempringham".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10450524|title=Relationships and changes Sempringham AP/CP through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=12 January 2024}}</ref>

Sempringham consists of a church and a [[holy well]], with other houses east from the church scattered along the B1177 between [[Pointon]] and [[Billingborough]]. The church stands at an altitude of about {{convert|52|ft|m}}, on land rising out of flat fenland. Pointon is the chief township of the civil parish, which includes [[Millthorpe, Lincolnshire|Millthorpe]] and the fens of Pointon, Neslam and [[Aslackby]], and a part of Hundred Fen at [[Gosberton Clough]]. Formerly, Birthorpe, now part of Billingborough, was included in the parish.

The parish church is a Grade I [[listed building]], dedicated to [[Saint Andrew]] and dating from 1170. It was restored and the [[chancel]] rebuilt in 1868-69 by [[Edward Browning (architect)|Edward Browning]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1241280|desc=St Andrews Church|accessdate=7 August 2011}}</ref>

Sempringham is noted in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as "Stepingeham" in the [[Aveland]] [[Hundred (county subdivision)|Hundred]] of [[Kesteven]]. In 1086 the [[Manorialism|manor]] consisted of 35 households, 8 [[Serfdom#Villeins|villagers]], 2 smallholders and 14 [[Serfdom#Freemen|freemen]], with 4.3 [[Carucate|ploughlands]], a  meadow of {{convert|11|acre|km2}}  and woodland of {{convert|7|acre|km2}}. In 1066 [[Morcar|Earl Morcar]] was [[Lord of the Manor]], which was transferred to Jocelyn, son of Lambert in 1086, with [[Tenant-in-chief]] as Alfred of Lincoln.<ref>{{OpenDomesday|OS=TF1032|name=sempringham|display=Sempringham|accessdate=22 May 2012}}</ref><ref>[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/search-results.asp?searchtype=quicksearch&query=sempringham&catid=24&pagenumber=1&querytype=1&mediaarray=*  "Documents Online: Sempringham, Lincolnshire"], Folio: 356r, ''Great Domesday Book''; [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]]. Retrieved 22 May 2012</ref>

In the early 17th century, Sempringham was a centre of the [[Puritan]] movement in Lincolnshire.  [[Samuel Skelton]], curate of Sempringham, sailed to [[Massachusetts Bay]] in 1628 with the first group of Puritan settlers, who landed in [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]].  Another member of the Sempringham congregation at the time was the young Anne Dudley, later [[Anne Bradstreet]], the colony's first published poet.