Editing Sempringham

{{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.

==Sempringham Priory==
{{main|Sempringham Priory}}
Sempringham is the site of St Mary's Priory, a priory that was founded by Saint Gilbert (also known as [[Gilbert of Sempringham]]).

The priory was built by [[Gilbert of Sempringham]], the only English Saint to have founded a [[Monasticism|monastic order]].<ref name="Lincolnshire p. 4"/><ref name="Online"/><ref name="quest"/> St Gilbert established the [[Gilbertine Order]] in 1131 by inducting ‘seven maidens’ who were his pupils when young. Alexander, [[Bishop of Lincoln]], helped in establishing the religious buildings to the north of the parish church. Gilbert died at Sempringham in 1189 and was buried in the priory church. He was canonized on 13 October 1202 for the many miracles noted at his tomb in the priory and Sempringham became a site of pilgrimage. 
[[File:Gwenllian monument 528634.jpg|thumb|left|Monument to Gwenllian]]
It became the enforced residence of [[Gwenllian of Wales]], the daughter of [[Llywelyn ap Gruffudd]], Prince of Wales, and the granddaughter of [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]]. In 1283 Gwenllian had been captured by [[Edward I of England|King Edward I]]'s troops. Edward sent Gwenllian 'in her cradle', to be held there in security. In 1327, [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] stayed at the Priory and granted Gwenllian a lifelong yearly pension of £20, necessary to pay her board and lodgings as she never became a nun, but was regarded as a 'paying guest' who was not permitted to leave. Gwenllian died at the Priory after being held there for 54 years, on 7 June 1337.  A memorial stone has been erected in her honour.

At the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]], Sempringham Priory came to the [[Baron Clinton|Clintons]], who demolished it and reused the stone to build their residence on the site. Today little remains of priory or residence.
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==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Sempringham}}
*[http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=350979 National Monument record for the Shrunken Village], Pastscape.org.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2012
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050830092149/http://homepages.which.net/~rex/bourne/sempringham.htm Sempringham], Homepages.which.net. Retrieved 22 May 2012
*[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LIN/Sempringham/ "Sempringham"], ''[[GENUKI|Genuki]].org.uk''. Retrieved 22 May 2012
*[http://boar.org.uk/ariwxo3PGSempringham.htm "Sempringham"], Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales (1843-4), Retrieved 22 May 2012
*[https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=6347126 "Sempringham"], Geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2012

{{Portal bar|England|United Kingdom}}
{{Lincolnshire|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:South Kesteven District]]