The village and parish of Swallow lies in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, 4 miles east from Caistor and 10 miles south-west from Grimsby and covers just over 2,700 acres. For many years mainly a tenanted farming area it has now become a destination for those looking for a rural way of life in a picturesque area within the Wolds.
The name Swallow is generally agreed to derive from the old Norse word svel meaning to move dartingly, like the bird and does merit, an albeit brief, mention in the Doomsday Book where the village is recorded as Sualan.
In 1949, documented in The King’s England-Lincolnshire, Arthur Mee wrote: “SWALLOW – In a pretty Wold valley it lies, between Caistor and Grimsby, serene with it’s pond by the green, a delightful little avenue leading to one of its houses, and a tiny church on a high bank”.
The Church and the avenue remain, although the house (Rookery) is gone, and the high bank has been largely replaced by a retaining wall, The pond was filled in during the 1960s and the land sold to make a garden for Pond Cottage.
The Anglican Parish Church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It is not known when a church was first constructed here, but it is considered Norman and the Font dates from the 11th or 12th century. The church, which seats around 90, was partially rebuilt in 1868 and then thoroughly restored in 1883 with the church yard, which has been a burial site for over a thousand years, being extended in 1905.
There is an old rhyme told about the church: "You must pity poor Swallow People, who sold the bells to mend the steeple". This refers to the collapse of the steeple some time before 1663 which demolished the South Aisle. Although the South Aisle and the Lady Chapel, built in the 13th century, no longer exist, traces can be seen on the exterior of the south wall. As part of a group of seven parishes there is just one regular service a month on the third Sunday at 11.30am and new members to the congregation, whether permanent or just visiting for a day, are welcome. Unfortunately, the church is kept locked, but there is a key holder notice with a village map in the porch.
There have been various shops in Swallow over the years with the earliest recorded being at the forge in 1856, later becoming a post office in 1889. The blacksmith's business itself continued until well into the 20th century. There was also a tobacconist’s kiosk near Crossroads Cottages, the remains of which can be seen in a garden on Grimsby Road. Later, a combination shop and post office were situated in Chapel Lane but following a brutal robbery and assault on the post mistress in 1958 a new shop was opened in 1961 at the corner of Cuxwold Road and Chapel Lane. This sadly closed in 1976.
In 1953 the old public house, The White Hart, closed, being replaced by the much bigger Swallow Inn. After many name changes over the passing years it has recently returned to The Swallow Inn offering food and drink to villagers and passing trade.
Until 1949 the village was served by a parish pump near the entrance to the present playing field, although many houses had their own wells and Rookery Farm’s water was pumped by a windmill. In 1949 piped water came to the village, pumped from Barnoldby and then fed to Swallow by gravity from Beelsby Top. Electricity followed in 1950 but mains sewerage did not arrive until 1970, and mains gas later still.
Swallow Village Hall, opened in 1856 and until 1968 the village school, is available for events with prior booking. It has access which includes a ramped entrance and has toilets and kitchen facilities.
Cuxwold is the neighbouring village in the civil parish of Swallow. Its Grade II listed Anglican Church is dedicated to St. Nicholas and the lower part of the tower is 11th-century. The church has a Norman Font and its original Norman Arch opening to the nave with lancets in, and the organ, which was built in the late 1800’s by Thomas Casson, recognised as the father of modern pedal organs, has been fully restored. There are two memorials in the church, one to Lieutenant Sydney Bryant of the Royal Ulster Rifles, who died of wounds received in action at The Kangaw Bridgehead on 1st February 1945 and the other to Lieutenant Henry Thorold, 33rd (Duke of Wellington’s Regiment) killed at Inkerman on 5th November 1854. There is a further Grade II listed building in the village, Cuxwold Hall, built about 1860.
During WW1 Cuxwold was a class 2 night landing ground, situated just over half a mile from Cuxwold Church established to house a detachment from No 33 (Home Defence) Squadron while they were operating over North Lincolnshire. No 33 Squadron arrived in December 1916 and stayed until June 1919. The area contained two landing strips, both measuring 750 yards apiece and covered an area of 80 acres.
During the night of 24-25th September 1917, Zeppelin L46, likely attracted by the light coming from the flares marking out the landing ground, aimed most of its bomb load at the landing ground. However, as the bombs all fell in the surrounding fields no damage was caused. Following WW1 the landing ground was returned to farmland and no evidence remains of its former use.