| Mavis Enderby | |
|---|---|
 Church of St Michael, Mavis Enderby | |
  Mavis Enderby Location withinLincolnshire | |
| OS grid reference | TF361663 |
| • London | 115 mi (185 km) S |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Spilsby |
| Postcode district | PE23 |
| Police | Lincolnshire |
| Fire | Lincolnshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Mavis Enderby is ahamlet andcivil parish in theEast Lindseydistrict ofLincolnshire, England. It lies in theLincolnshire Wolds, 4.5 miles (7 km) east fromHorncastle.
An early reference may be seen in 1349 when both parts of the name appear to end in "by", i.e. Maleby Senderby[1] A later spelling, 1430, may be "Malvyssh Enderby"[2]
Mavis Enderby had a peal of bells named after it, called The Brides of Enderby,[3] which is mentioned inJean Ingelow's poemThe High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire 1571: in the poem, the ringing of the Enderby bells is the generally recognised signal of approaching danger to the neighbouring countryside: "Came down that kindly message free, the Brides of Mavis Enderby".
An extract from the poem is at the head ofRudyard Kipling's short story,At the Pit's Mouth.[4]
Douglas Adams used the name "Mavis Enderby" in his spoofThe Meaning of Liff dictionary "of things that there aren't any words for yet". Adams assigned meanings to placenames based on what he imagined them to mean, Mavis Enderby, becoming "The almost-completely-forgotten girlfriend from your distant past for whom your wife has a completely irrational jealousy and hatred".
Mavis Enderby was also used as the name of a character inHelen Fielding'sBridget Jones's Diary.[5]
Theparish church is dedicated toSt Michael. It ismedieval (14th/15th centuries) withVictorian restorations byJames Fowler in 1875 and C. Hodgson Fowler in 1894. It is built ofgreenstonerubble, withashlar dressings and roofs inWelsh andWestmorland slate. A re-sited 11th-centurySaxon grave slab stands in the doorway of the tower and a remnant of a 14th-century churchyard cross is located in the graveyard.[6]
Media related toMavis Enderby at Wikimedia Commons
