Heritage trails
Do you know the history of Bracebridge Heath? Follow the heritage trails around the village and learn about buildings and features along the way.
Trail route 1
A circular route starting and finishing at The Homestead.
Distance 2.7km (1¾ miles)
Time: Allow 1 to 1½ hours.
The origins of St John's Hospital
In 1845 it became compulsory for authorities to build asylums for in their words ‘pauper lunatics.’ (The County Asylum Act and the Lunatics Act of 1845.)
Kesteven, Lindsey, Holland, Lincoln and Grantham joined together and formed a committee to provide one asylum, which they wanted built near Lincoln. The following pages show the transcript from their ‘Lincolnshire County Lunatic Asylum Minute Book from 1844 – 1848’ which is kept at the Lincolnshire Archives. Most of the work seems to have been co-ordinated by Kesteven Clerk to the Peace Mr Maurice P Moore, who seems to have been in charge of the minute book.
Their advertisement for land on which to build an asylum only had one applicant, a Mr Allsop (Appendix 1) who had recently bought the Red Hall Farm Estate on the death of the previous owner widow Ann Gibbeson in 1845. He offered two fields and a road to the Committee (Appendix 2). The account that follows shows how the committee came to acquire the land for £4000 in April 1848.
St John’s Hospital Cemetery
The first burial was 1855, the last in November 1957. The cemetery was extended twice, in 1887 and 1917.
Two record books of burials can be found in the Lincolnshire Archives covering 1855 - 1888 and 1920 -1957 when the cemetery was closed to new burials. Records covering the 1887 extension and some burials from the 1917 extension are missing. If anyone can help with information regarding the missing records please get in touch with Lincolnshire Archives or the Clerk to Council.
All documents and information has been written by Cllr Sue Manders on behalf of Bracebridge Heath Parish Council.
