Origins & Early Settlement
The area around Bonby lies in the Ancholme Valley and the foothills of the Lincolnshire Wolds. The valley and landscape were shaped by glacial melting about 10,000 years ago, leaving the terrain of hills, springs and valleys.
There is archaeological evidence of human activity through the Neolithic and Bronze Ages — for instance, flint tools and barrows (burial mounds) on the Wold above Bonby.
During Roman times and after, the area continued to be occupied. Romano-British villas and finds nearby (e.g., at Horkstow) which show the region was part of the wider Roman network.
The name: In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village appears as “Bundebi” (sometimes “Bunderbi” or similar), indicating its early record.
The suffix “-by” in Bonby is of Viking / Scandinavian origin, pointing to a settlement or farm in the Viking era (-by meaning “farm, village”).
Medieval Era
By the 12th century, the parish church (St Andrew’s Church, Bonby) had already been established. A document from Pope Alexander III on 8 March 1179 mentions a church building in Bonby.
There was a small monastic cell or priory: It was an alien priory (i.e., a cell belonging to a foreign mother-house) of the Benedictine priory of St Fromond Priory in Normandy.
Land ownership and manorial control: In the Domesday entry Bonby was held by Norman lords (Hugh son of Baldric, Ralf de Mortemer) after the Conquest.
The village suffered adversity in the 14th century: famine (1315–17), the Black Death (arriving in the region in 1349), and flooding from the Ancholme. By about 1374 the manor was reported as “waste and without buildings … land untilled”.
The monastic cell / priory’s status changed: With the war against France (Hundred Years’ War era) many alien priories lost their foreign allegiance. In 1403 the priory and rectory of Bonby were granted to the Carthusian order at Beauvale Abbey in Nottinghamshire.
Later History & Modern Times
The village remained small and largely rural: As of the 2011 census the population was 532.
Buildings: Much of the built-environment of Bonby dates from the last 200 years (19th & 20th centuries), though the church has medieval fabric.
Religious history: Methodism made an impact — for example, the Bonby South Primitive Methodist Chapel on Main Street was built in 1840 and closed in 1946.
Community & amenities: The village today has a village hall, playground, and is appreciated for its countryside views and peaceful character.
Landscape & environment: It is one of the “Low Villages” formerly called "Spring Line Villages" — a group of villages along the foot of the Wolds. Its hillside lanes and springs are notable features for walks and nature.
Key Features & Heritage Highlights
St Andrew’s Church: A Grade II listed building; important medieval heritage.
Springs & watercourse: The availability of water (springs, stream) shaped settlement in Bonby. The stream beside the manor and Carr Lane is mentioned as perennial.
Manorial and monastic traces: Though little remains visibly of the priory or manor buildings, the documentary record gives a strong sense of how Bonby fitted into medieval land-holding and ecclesiastical networks.
Archaeology: Fieldwalking and evaluations have found medieval and post-medieval remains (e.g., pottery sherds, ditches) around Church Lane and other areas.
Why it matters
Bonby is a good example of a small English rural village whose history reflects major themes: Viking/Anglo-Saxon settlement, Norman land reorganisation, medieval monastic presence, the impact of plague/famine/flood, and later rural continuity. Its relative modest size belies a rich layered history.