A Brief History of Tealby - Tealby Village Design Statement

A Brief History of Tealby
In the past the village has been known as Tavelesbi, Tauelesbi, Tauelebi and other variations. Recent study by the late Professor Kenneth Cameron suggests that "Tealby" is probably derived from the East Germanic tribal-name "Taifali" and the Old Danish word "by" meaning a farmstead or village. (Detachments of the Taifali are recorded in Britain in the early 5th century). Therefore, "Tealby" probably derives from the village of the Taifali people.

When the Domesday Book was compiled in 1085-6 there were 54 sokemen (peasant freemen), villeins (dependent peasants), and bordars (smallholders) in the village. This suggests that there were probably about 200 people in all. There were 15 mills on the River Rase plus the sites of 3 more. The river had a major influence on the village for the next 800 years, firstly for grinding corn and then from the early 17th century until about 1830, for paper-making. The chief raw material for making paper was cotton or linen rags imported from Europe.

All Saints Church, which dominates the village, dates from the 12th century. The Church is built of orange-brown Tealby ironstone, the oldest parts being the west doorway and the lower part of the tower. There are many interesting features, including the memorials to the Tennyson family. George and Mary Tennyson were the grandparents of Alfred Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate. In addition to the Church there are three former chapels. John Wesley visited and preached in the village on five occasions.

The main source of income in the parish, (3950 acres), has always been farming. Before 1792 one third of the parish was fenced and owned by the inhabitants. The other two thirds were farmed according to the open field system, administered by the Lords of the Manor, (Tealby had two). In 1792 the open fields were allocated to the inhabitants according to their common rights and then fenced.

In the first official census in 1801, there were 469 people. By 1841, the population had grown to 996, the number swollen by the people working to build Bayons Manor. The numbers then declined until 1901 (462). During the past 100 years the number has remained at 500 plus or minus about 50. Most of the older cottages in the village date from 1795-1840. They are built of local stone and have clay pantile roofs and Yorkshire sliding windows. There are only twenty houses existing today that were shown on the 1792-3 Enclosure Award Map.

Following the Enclosure in 1792-3, George Tennyson owned about one third of the land. He lived at the original thatched Bayons Manor until 1833, two years before his death. His second son, Charles, persuaded him to add a codicil to his will so that he could be called Charles Tennyson d'Eyncourt, and claim descendancy from Norman Barons. Charles was an MP for 34 years. After his father's death he took seven years to build the sixty-roomed Romantic Gothic styled Bayons Manor at enormous cost. Charles died in 1861. His descendants lived at Bayons until the Second World War. It was occupied by troops during the war and was sold in 1944. After many years of neglect it was finally blown up in 1964. So, in just 120 years, the Manor was built and destroyed. Its occupants, however, were a major influence on the village.

The school was built by Charles in 1856, the roof being modelled on Westminster Hall. In 1889 the school suffered a major fire caused by a faulty heating stove. The school was quickly rebuilt including the roof and is still in use today.

During the past 100 years there have been many changes in the village. At the beginning of the 1900's about 75 people would have relied on the farms for their livelihood. Many people were employed at Bayons Manor and others by local small businesses such as shops, carpenters, millwright, blacksmith, miller, baker etc. Most of the people lived in small cottages, many of which were owned by the Tennyson d'Eyncourt family. During the last 50 years employment in the village has declined; more of the residents are either retired or commute to work in the neighbouring towns. The type of housing has changed, with larger, new houses and extensions to the older cottages being built.

Except for two butchers which were established well over 100 years ago, the shops have all ceased trading although one has become a tea-room. The village has two pubs, one thatched and said to date back to 1367. The Wesleyan Chapel (1819) is now used as a graphic design studio. The old farm buildings belonging to Vale Farm have now been sensitively developed into holiday cottages.

Tealby is now a quiet rural village with a strong community spirit and many attractive attributes. It is in the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has a Conservation Area. The Viking Way, a long distance footpath from the Humber to Oakham in Rutland, passes through the village.