About the village

Witham on the Hill's early history 

• The village is first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, confirming its long history.
• The name "Witham" comes from the Anglo-Saxon words "wīg" (a willow) and "ham" (a homestead or village), indicating it was a village by a willow tree.
• Historically, Witham-on-the-Hill has been a settlement with a rich past, dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. 
  

   

Medieval and later periods

• The village is home to a set of medieval stocks and whipping post, now protected by a tiled canopy, which were used to punish minor offenders.
• The parish church, St. Andrew's, dates back to the 15th century, with its spire rebuilt in 1738.
• In 1750, Witham Hall was erected, and it was the seat of the lord of the manor, Major General William Augustus Johnson, in 1841. 

Modern history

• A major fire in 1775 destroyed the inn, vicarage, and other buildings.
• In 1857, the current Parish Hall was built as a village school.
• The Six Bells Pub was built in 1905 and is now a Grade II listed building.
• In 1959, Witham Hall was purchased and converted into a preparatory school, which remains operational today.
• In 2002, GM rapeseed trials were conducted at West Farm

The village is between the east and west tributaries of the River Glen, and despite its name, is not on the top of its 'hill', which reaches a peak 1 mile (1.6 km) west towards Careby. It is approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the A6121 Bourne-Stamford road. To the west is Little Bytham, and to the east are Manthorpe and Toft. The predominant landowner in the area is the Grimsthorpe Estate.
The civil parish covers a large area, extending north into Grimsthorpe Park and Dobbins Wood where it meets the boundary of Edenham, and the boundary with Toft with Lound and Manthorpe is mostly along the A6121. Manthorpe were once part of the civil parish.

St. Andrew's Church

The parish church is dedicated to Saint Andrew. The tower and steeple were re-built in a medieval revival style by the Stamford architect George Portwood in 1737–38. A very useful information page is here, containing history, photographs and other miscellaneous items. 

• 12th Century: The church has its origins in this period, with early Norman architecture visible in the south aisle and porch.
• 14th Century: Significant rebuilding occurred, likely in 1356, and features include 14th-century wall paintings above the chancel arch, dating to around 1380.
• 15th Century: Much of the church's current structure was built during this century.
• 1736: The original tower collapsed, an event local legend attributes to a bell-ringing session where the ringers had taken a break at a nearby inn.
• 1738: The tower was rebuilt by architect George Portwood, who also installed a new clock.
• 1874: The church was restored.
• 1912: Further restoration took place, which included the installation of the oak rood screen.
• 1994: The clock installed in 1738 was restored by Derick Brown. 

• Norman architecture: Elements from the 12th century include the south aisle and the arch and doorway of the south porch.
• 14th-century wall paintings: Located above the chancel arch.
• Tower and spire: Rebuilt in 1738 and topped with distinctive ornamental urns.
• Clock: The church has had a clock for over 400 years. The current clock was installed in 1862.
• Rood screen: An oak rood screen from 1912 is a notable interior feature.
• West front: Features a large five-light west window.
• South porch: An elegant semi-circular arch with an image niche above. 

The Parish Hall

This was the former school with the school house being located next door.  https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1240074?section=official-list-entry gives details of both buildings. 
White’s Directory 1872 has “The present school and master’s house were built in 1847. The master teaches 30 free scholars, and has also a yearly rent-charge of £4 out of Rag Marsh, near Spalding, left by one Thompson”.

In 1930 Kelly’s Directory had “The old school room, erected in 1847, is now used as a reading room, as well as for technical instruction and parish meetings”.

Squared rock faced ashlar with smooth ashlar quoins and dressings, slate roofs with stone coped gables and crested ridge tiles To the school is a gabled C13 style bellcote. The school is single storey, 4 bay front, with plinth, stepped buttresses and inscribed eaves cornice "Train up a child, in the way he should go, when he is old, he will not depart from it". 4 paired cast iron latticed and bordered windows with cusped ogee ashlar heads.

The School House

The house is T plan of 2 storey, 3 bay front, the left hand bay is advanced and separately gabled.

Central planked door, set in a chamfered pointed surround and gabled with angle buttresses, above a blank trefoil, flanked by 3 light windows.

To the first floor a single 2 light window. All windows have chamfered mullions, cornices, cast iron latticed bordered casements. To the right a square date panel inscribed AD 1847 in Roman numerals.

The Village Stocks

The villages features these medieval stocks and whipping post which were erected in the 17th century.  The first photo below was taken circa 1920 by Ashby Swift of Bourne and  the second shot was by an unknown cameraman in 1954. Standing under a canopy of Collyweston Slates which is a fissile limestone from Jurassic period, it is named after the village which lies at the centre of the area where the slate is quarried. 
 

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, swearing or being drunk could get you in a lot of trouble. In fact, it could see you whipped up against a post or locked into a stock by your feet while locals would throw rotten food and stones at you as public humiliation and entertainment were integral aspects of justice at the time.

In Lincolnshire, many of the locations where these punishments were handed out are still intact today and owe their existence to a law passed in 1351 that made it a requirement for every township to provide and maintain a set of stocks.

The pain and embarrassment one would feel being punished for petty crimes in this way made stocks a successful deterrent to many.

Thankfully, the gruesome punishments were phased out in the 18th century and it is thought that the last time the stocks were used in the UK was in 1872 in Newcastle Emlyn. 
  

The National Directory of Village Lock-ups has an entry in the section Stocks, Pillories and Whipping Posts and identifies those that either still remain or were in place in Lincolnshire with the directory referencing other stocks and whipping posts existing or having existed in Alvingham, Cleethorpes, Folkingham, Swineshead, Scrivelsby, Pinchbeck, and Threekingham.

Witham Hall Preparatory school

The village has a co-educational preparatory school, Witham Hall, which marked its 60th year in 2019. The hall is a Grade II listed building, dating from c1730 but has been extended several times.
 

The hall was once owned by descendants of Archdeacon Robert Johnson, the founder of Oakham and Uppingham Schools, including Lieutenant-General William Augustus Johnson MP.

The nearest state primary school is on Creeton Road in Little Bytham and Secondary schools are located in Bourne.

The Six Bells Public House

History

The current Six Bells pub in Witham-on-the-Hill was built in 1908 to replace the Black Dog Pub which was closed down by the local squire in the early 20th century because it was too close to the estate stables. The new pub was intentionally built on the edge of the village, and its license was transferred to its new location in 1908. The current building is Grade II listed and was designed by architect A. N. Prentice. 

• The Black Dog was the original village pub, located opposite the gates of Witham Hall.
• In the early 20th century, the squire, Walter Fenwick, closed the Black Dog.
• The Six Bells was built at the end of the village to keep its patrons (the grooms from the stables) away from the temptation of the estate.
• The pub's license was officially transferred to the new building in 1908.
• The name "Six Bells" refers to the bells in the nearby St. Mary's Church. While the church initially had six bells, it was augmented to eight bells in 1932