The parish of Caythorpe and Frieston is situated in the County of Lincolnshire on the East Coast of England at approximately 53°1'36"N 0°36'21"W. The City of Lincoln (Roman Lindum) is some 15 miles to the north.
The origin of the name Caythorpe is possibly derived from the Old Norse, Kati's (a Viking personal name) outlying farmstead/hamlet (ON.thorpe). Caythorpe's Saxon name was believed to be "Kari-torp" meaning the settlement of the 'happy man'. It is not unusual for Old English and Viking elements to be intermingled reflecting the interesting mixture of peoples settling in the area. The Domesday Book entry in 1086 refers to the village of "Catorp." By then it was a settlement held by a Norman lord, Robert de Vesci, had two churches, a hall and a park, and was the proud owner of half a mill, which it shared with 'Fristun'. A map of 1576 shows the village name as 'Cathorpe', and eventually, after a few more spelling changes, it became 'Caythorpe'.
Location Map
The parish of Caythorpe and Frieston is situated in the County of Lincolnshire on the East Coast of England at approximately 53°1'36"N 0°36'21"W. The City of Lincoln (Roman Lindum) is some 15 miles to the north.
click here to see where the Parish is situated within the county.
Street Map of Caythorpe and Frieston
Map of village showing conservation areas
Arnhem Connections
Caythorpe's connection with the battle for the bridges at Arnhem
Veterans marching towards St vincents Church, Caythorpe for the annual Arnhem service
Caythorpe, 216 Signals Regiment and the Battle for Arnhem 1944
During 1944 the 1st Airborne Signals Regiment was formed with approximately 450 men all ranks. The first major battle they became in engaged in was, Operation Market Garden, the battle for the bridges of Arnhem. The regiment was based in and around Caythorpe for training prior to the operation; Holy Cross House (now Holy Cross Gardens) was the Headquarters, the village hall served as a billet and work shops for the blacksmith and boot repairer and the NAAFI was in the upstairs room at the back. Officers and men were billeted in local houses and in Caythorpe Court.
After the war a few survivors of the operation started visiting Caythorpe on the anniversary of Arnhem, to visit the Church and remember lost Comrades. As time passed by the event became officially recognised and the 1st Airborne Signals Regiment modern day equivalent, 216 Signals Regiment, now visit annually and hold a memorial service for all comrades lost in Arnhem and other conflicts since.
During the Regiment’s service in Aden their camp was called St Vincent’s and this tradition has been carried on in other conflicts. Today when talking to the younger members of the Regiment they consider Caythorpe to be the spiritual home of the 216 Regiment and over the years the Village has always welcomed the Regiment and combine their annual visit with a Gala Weekend.
Traditionally the departed comrades and ranks have been given refreshments upon their departure after the church service on the Sunday. For a number of years, because of the closure of Caythorpe Court, members of the Regiment and old comrades held the Regimental Dinner in Lincoln. However, this proved to be unsatisfactory and six years ago the village hall committee offered to host the dinner and the departure luncheon. This was felt to have reinforced the ties that the Regiment has with the village and is now an annual event on the village calendar.
please visit our archives to view old photographs of the villages