Kesteven

Lincolnshire, Parts of Kesteven
The arms of Kesteven County Council
History
• Created	1889
• Abolished	1974
• Succeeded by	Lincolnshire
Status	Administrative county
• HQ	Sleaford

The Parts of Kesteven (/ˈkɛstəvən/ or /kəˈstiːvən/) are a traditional subdivision of Lincolnshire, England. This subdivision had long had a separate county administration (Quarter Sessions), along with the other two parts, Lindsey and Holland.

Etymology

The word Kesteven is supposed to have derived from two root words: the Celtic ced meaning wood (cf. Modern Welsh coed) + the Old English stefna, a meeting place. The earliest record of the place name is from about 1000CE (in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire) and was spelt 'Ceostefne', developing into 'Ketstevene' by 1194. The first element is an old district name derived from the Old British word 'ceto': a wood, and the second from the Old Norse, 'Slefna': a meeting-place, so suggesting a district with a common meeting place.

Administrative areas

Local Government Act 1888

The three parts were given separate elected county councils in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888, and recognised as administrative counties. These separate county councils were abolished in 1974 and Lincolnshire (minus the northern part of Lindsey) had a single county council for the first time, although the name survives in the districts of North Kesteven and South Kesteven. Kesteven lies in the south-west of Lincolnshire. It includes the towns of:

• Bourne
• Bracebridge
• Grantham
• Market Deeping
• Sleaford
• Stamford

Kesteven was historically divided into the wapentakes of Aswardhurn, Aveland, Beltisloe, Boothby Graffoe, Flaxwell, Langoe, Loveden, Ness, and Winnibriggs and Threo. Grantham and Stamford were administered separately.

Local Government Act 1894

Under the Local Government Act 1894 Kesteven was divided into a number of rural district and urban districts based on earlier sanitary districts:

• Bourne Rural District
• Branston Rural District
• Grantham Rural District
• Branston Rural District
• Claypole Rural District
• Sleaford Rural District
• Uffington Rural District

The urban districts and boroughs were:

• Bourne
• Bracebridge
• Grantham (borough)
• Ruskington
• Sleaford
• Stamford (borough)

Bourne urban district was abolished in 1920, with Bourne becoming a parish in Bourne Rural District. Bracebridge became part of the county borough of Lincoln that same year, becoming associated with the Parts of Lindsey.

Local Government Act 1929

The rural districts were re-organised by a County Review Order in 1929, to create four new districts named after points of the compass:

• East Kesteven Rural District
• North Kesteven Rural District
• South Kesteven Rural District
• West Kesteven Rural District

Local Government Act 1972

Most recently, in 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the four rural districts, along with the boroughs and urban district, merged into two district councils:

• North Kesteven District Council - A merger of North and East Rural Districts and Sleaford Urban District
• South Kesteven District Council - A merger of South and West Rural Districts and the boroughs of Grantham and Stamford

Coat of Arms

Kesteven County Council received a grant of arms in 1950.

Barony

The barony Baron Kesteven existed from 1868 until 1915. Former Prime Minister (and Kesteven native) Margaret Thatcher took 'of Kesteven' as the territorial designation for her peerage.

See also

• Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
• The Baroness Thatcher, of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire
• Parts of Lindsey
• Parts of Holland