Waithe

Waithe is a small civil parish in East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, beside the A16 between Holton-le-Clay and North Thoresby. The hamlet sits on land once crossed by a ford called wæd in Old English. In 1086 the Domesday Book recorded Wade with thirty households and half a ploughland under Siward Barn. Traces of a deserted medieval village appear as earthworks and pottery from the 13th to 18th centuries. The parish once covered 780 acres of fertile land, farmed in a four-field system of wheat, oats, turnips and barley.

The Grade I listed church of St Martin stands in the centre of Waithe. James Fowler of Louth rebuilt the church in 1861, keeping the Early English nave arcades and tower of an earlier Saxon cruciform building. A Grade II listed water mill from 1813 still marks the edge of the settlement. In 1872 the incumbent lived at Grainsby while serving both parishes. The parish also sent one person to almshouses at Ashby cum Fenby.

Visitors find a quiet lane leading to the redundant church of St Martin. Inside, plain Early English arches and a sturdy Saxon tower remain from the original building. Outside, the churchyard holds weathered gravestones and a single yew. A short walk north brings the 1813 water mill with its overshot wheel and weatherboarded machinery. The surrounding fields stretch away under wide Lincolnshire skies, unchanged in outline since the 19th century.