Castle Bytham — A Village of Ruins, Rivers, and Resilience

Castle Bytham: A Historical Overview

Castle Bytham is a conservation village in Lincolnshire, England, near the border with Rutland, about 9 miles north of Stamford. Its name comes from the Norman castle built shortly after 1066, and from the Old English word bythme, meaning “valley bottom.”

Saxon and Norman Origins

• Before the Norman Conquest, the land belonged to Morcar, brother of Queen Ealdgyth (wife of King Harold).
• After 1066, William the Conqueror gave the manor to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, his half-brother.
• The castle was built on a natural spur above the River Tham (now Glen), forming a classic motte-and-bailey structure.
  Medieval Conflict
• In 1221, during the First Barons’ War, the castle was besieged and destroyed by King Henry III.
• It was later rebuilt and occupied by noble families including the Colvilles, Earls of Hereford, and John of Gaunt’s descendants.
• The castle was burned again during the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century and fell into ruin.
  🕯️ Religious and Cultural Life
• The Church of St James dates back to the 12th century, with a long chancel and Norman features.
• May Day celebrations, banned during the Puritan Commonwealth, were revived in 1660. The village’s maypole was famously repurposed as a ladder in the church tower.
  ✈️ Wartime Memory
• On 19 November 1942, a Halifax bomber (BB209 NP-G) crashed near Stocken Hall Farm, close to the village. All seven crew members survived.
• Morkery Wood, nearby, was used as a bomb dump during WWII.
  🏫 Modern Life
• The village once had a charity school (1860–1988), two pubs, a surgery, and a cabinetmaker.
• Today, Castle Bytham is a quiet, welcoming community with deep historical roots.

Historic Farms of Castle Bytham
🏚️ Castle Farm (Glen Road)

• The Barn at Castle Farm, located at 4 Glen Road, is a Grade II listed building, officially protected for its architectural and historical significance.
• It reflects traditional Lincolnshire farm architecture, with stone walls and timber framing.
• The barn is part of the original Castle Farm complex, likely built on land once associated with the medieval castle estate.
• Its listing in 1986 confirms its importance as a surviving rural structure from earlier centuries.
  🏡 School Farmhouse
• School Farmhouse is another Grade II listed property, dating from the 17th century, with alterations in the early 19th century.
• Built from coursed limestone rubble with Collyweston slate roofing, it features stone gable stacks and ashlar detailing.
• It was part of a working farmstead, with attached barns and outbuildings, and is located within the village conservation area.
• The name suggests a link to the former Castle Bytham Charity School, which operated nearby from 1860 to 1988.

The Hermit of Holywell — A Lost Sacred Spring
What we know:

• Just outside Castle Bytham, near the hamlet of Holywell, there was once a sacred spring believed to have healing properties.
• In medieval times, it was a pilgrimage site, and local lore speaks of a hermit who lived nearby, offering blessings and herbal remedies.
• The spring’s waters were said to cure ailments of the eyes and skin.
• Though the spring is now overgrown, its name survives in the landscape — and in whispers.

The Forgotten Grave in Morkery Wood
What we know:

• Deep in Morkery Wood, there are reports of a solitary gravestone, weathered and half-buried.
• Some say it belonged to a woodcutter who died in a storm; others claim it marks the resting place of a deserter from the Napoleonic Wars.
• No official record confirms the identity — but the stone exists, and locals have passed down stories for generations.

The Seamstress Who Hid a Library
What we know:

• In the 19th century, a woman known only as “Miss Eliza” ran a small sewing shop near the church.
• She was also a self-taught scholar, and kept a hidden collection of books — rare for a working-class woman at the time.
• After her death, villagers discovered volumes of poetry, astronomy, and Latin texts hidden in a false wall.
• Some of her books were donated to Stamford’s library; others vanished.

The Horse That Walked Home Alone
What we know:

• During World War I, a local farmer’s horse was requisitioned by the army and sent to France.
• Months later, the horse returned to Castle Bytham on its own, thin and scarred but alive.
• It was recognized by its markings and lived out its days in the village.
• The story became part of local folklore — a symbol of loyalty and survival.