WEST DEEPING
West Deeping in 5 objects by Maggie Ashcroft
This coin, a ‘quinarius’ dates from the short reign of Emperor Allectus (AD 293-296). It’s one of many Roman coins found in the village over the years – not surprisingly, as the Romans were in the area for over 350 years. During the Boudican revolt in AD 60/6, King Street is known to have been a route for the 9th Legion between their campaign base at Longthorpe and their fortress at Ancaster, near Lincoln. The inhabitants of the Romano-British farmstead, on the site of Rectory Farm at West Deeping, would no doubt have been using Roman coinage. By the end of the 3rd century AD, under its usurper emperors like Allectus, Britain was a breakaway state from the rest of the Roman Empire. By AD 410 we had been left to fend for ourselves against Saxon invaders.
This 19th-century waterwheel, at Molecey’s Mill on Stamford Road, is still working thanks to several restorations by past and present owners. The watermill was one of four first recorded in 1086 for King William I’s ‘Domesday’ survey and had many changes of owner before John Molecey installed this ‘undershot’ wheel for his flourmill. It was probably not long after its design was invented by the French engineer, Jean Victor Poncelet, in 1823. West Deeping Mill near the church dates back to pre-Norman times too, but sadly no longer has its wheel.
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The font in St Andrew’s Church is said to date back to the 1300s, the time of Edward III and his son the Black Prince. Its octagonal basin has a heraldic shield carved into each face, thought to represent local families – wealthy landowners and patrons of the church. Many antiquarians and heraldic experts over the years have tried to identify all eight shields, but only agree on the Wakes, the Clares (founders of Deeping St James Priory) and the Beauchamps (whose daughter was Lady Margaret Beaufort). Internet resources have proved useful in checking out the rest of the shields – watch out for a future article!
