Population 251 (2011) Sovereign state United Kingdom Local time Sunday 7:32 PM | OS grid reference TF083305 Civil parish Laughton | |
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Weather 11°C, Wind SW at 35 km/h, 81% Humidity | ||
Aslackby and Laughton is a civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 243, in 102 households. increasing slightly to 251 in 118 households at the 2011 census. It consists of the village of Aslackby, the hamlet of Laughton, and scattered farms.
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Map of Aslackby and Laughton, UK
Aslackby
Aslackby (/ˈeɪzəlbi/; 52°51′35″N 0°23′20″W) is a small village extending westwards from the A15 road between Rippingale and Folkingham, about halfway between Sleaford and Bourne.
Aslackby Grade I listed Anglican church is dedicated to St James. The chancel is Early English, largely rebuilt 1856, with the tower and nave, Perpendicular. The ecclesiastical parish is Aslackby, part of The Billingborough Group of the Lafford Deanery
There is a dining club, The Templars, for long-term residents, and a local history society.
History
The Aveland, a moat said to be the meeting place for the Wapentake of Aveland is in the parish. There is documentary evidence for a settlement called Avethorpe, from the Domesday survey onwards, but no actual location is known.
In 1164 the Knights Templar established a preceptory at Aslackby, from where their local estates were managed, and which resulted in high-status village buildings. However, with the transfer of the preceptory to the Hospitalers it was no longer needed, and little now remains.
In the 1940s, Folkingham Airfield was developed close to Temple Wood. It was from there that parts of Operation Market were flown.
Laughton
The hamlet of Laughton (52°52′20″N 0°23′58″W) lies less than 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north of Aslackby. West Laughton at its south-west is the site of a deserted medieval village (DMV).
Employment
Most work in the area remains agricultural, with further employment at an equestrian centre, a public house, and a metal tube manufacturing company. Commuting to Grantham, Sleaford or Bourne for work is common.
Lincolnshire preceptories
Until their disbandment in 1312, the Knights Templar were major landowners on the higher lands of Lincolnshire, where they had a number of preceptories on property which provided income, while Temple Bruer was an estate on the Lincoln Heath, believed to have been used also for military training. The preceptories from which the Lincolnshire properties were managed were: