Hemswell, Lincolnshire

Description
Hemswell, a village and a large parish in Lincolnshire. The village stands in a valley among the Wolds, 5 1/2 miles SSE from Northorpe station on the M.S. & L.R., and 8 E from Gainsborough, and has a post office under Rirton-Lindsey (R.S.O.); money order office, Willonghton; telegraph office, Rirton-Lindsey. The parish contains also part of the hamlet of Spittal-in-the-Street, and is traversed by Ermine Street. Acreage, 2663; population, 338. The manor belongs to the Whichcote family. An hospital for poor widows, with a small chapel, is at Spittal; was founded in the time of Edward II., and is under the protection of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Lincoln; gross value, £85. The church is a building of stone in the Late Decorated style, with the exception of the tower, which is in the Perpendicular style. There are Primitive Methodist and Wesleyan chapels, and a few small charities.