At the moment I am not going to offer a history of the church other than to quote what Wikipedia has to say about it, viz.: “The church of St. Michael and All Angels was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. The church is in the Bassingham Group of seven churches. In 1998 the church added a seventh bell: the ship’s bell from HMS Bassingham, presented by her former commander after she was decommissioned. It hangs in a mahogany bell hood in the north aisle and is rung to signal the start of Sunday worship.”
A much more detailed chronology can be read in Rona Pounder‘s précis of ‘The Bassingham Story’ by Bill & Connie Wilson and Helen Ash.
Here, however, is a list of all of the Rectors (as per the folder available in the church itself):
| 1209-1218 | Roger de Bassingham |
| 1209-1218 | William de Monasteris clerk |
| 1298 Oct 1st | Hugh de Memthorp |
| 1303 Jun 12th | Nicholas de Gategonge clerk |
| 1319 Nov 5th | Stephen de Stokes |
| 1352 April 12th | John de Fandon appointed by Edward III; also James de Staunton appointed by the Pope |
| 1384 March 22nd | Thomas de Hasthorp |
| 1394 July 10th | Mathewe de Torkeseye |
| 1397 Sept 30th | John Adam |
| 1435 March 6th | John Bolton |
| 1451 Dec 9th | John Kyme |
| 1487 April 19th | John Butler |
| 1509 June 5th | Richard Fisher chaplain |
| 1539 Nov 27th | John Pryn |
| 1581 Dec 29th | Henry Vaux died 1591; John Barnes died 1612 |
| 1612 Dec 20th | John Marshall |
| 1617 Oct 8th | Joseph Phiper |
| 1644 | George Strafford ejected |
| 1646 July 26th | Christopher Reed intruded by Parliament; ejected at the Restoration |
| 1661 March 15th | James Metford |
| 1720 June 15th | Thomas Porter |
| 1725 Nov 17th | Elias Bishop |
| 1743 May 21st | Thomas Morton D.D. |
| 1761 Oct 13th | John Warneford B.D. |
| 1774 March 26 | Richard Skinner B.D. |
| 1796 May 3rd | William Newnham B.D. |
| 1832 May 15th | John W King B.D resigned |
| 1875 May 4th | Henry Calverly M.A. |
| 1879 Nov 14th | Charles F. Willis |
| 1896 Mar 27th | William A. Matthews |
| 1913 Mar | Arundell Leakey M.A. on exchange with Canon Matthews |
| 1925 – 1965 Jan 16th | Revd Theodore I. Pocock |
| 1966 Mar – 1973 Jan | Canon Colin Evans |
| 1975 Jul 12th – 1979 | Revd J. C. Owens |
| 1981 Apr 28th – 1985 Apr | Revd P. Byron Davies |
| 1987 Apr 4th – 1990 Jan | Revd B. M. Crowther Alwyn |
| 1990 Jul – 1991 Oct | Revd David Osborne |
| 1992 Nov 6th – 1996 Jul | Revd Ian Slater |
| 1997 May – 2001 Jan | Revd Michael Howes |
| 2001 Sep 17th | Revd Nick Buck |
| Revd Dee Freeman |
1904
This first postcard, a close-up exterior view of the church, is impossible to replicate today because it was taken from a position which is now the garden of “Yew Tree Cottage”, and a modern view would be very different anyway because the majority of the building would be obscured by the huge growth of the trees in the intervening period. Although addressed to a Mrs. Smith of Bassingham, this postcard was clearly never posted, but I can date it precisely to 1904 as I have seen an identical one franked 17th June 1904.
circa 1905
Here is another external view of the church taken from near the roadside, this time about 1905. The handwritten “Bassingham” at bottom left appears on several other postcards on this website and is thought to be indicative of postcards produced by local photographer Frederick Kennewell. Many of his postcards can be accurately dated to the 1900s-1910s.
circa 1910
This next postcard is yet another exterior view taken from either just inside the wall or over it. It is also another unused postcard so it is difficult to date it accurately.
The grammar and punctuation both leave a lot to be desired but I’m sure that you get the drift. 😉
circa 1910
Kennewell again, I believe, and this time from the other side of the river, with white geese on the Witham. This would be a view that would be repeated some thirty years later by renowned topographical photographer, Raphael Tuck.
It is exceedingly difficult to get a modern view from exactly the right place as we are greatly hampered by the greenery which has sprung up over the intervening century (and more!)
circa 1910
In 2023 I came across a montage of the church and surrounding area (below). The views are consistent with postcards shown above which suggest that this was issued around or before 1910.
1911
Two different postcards depicting an interior view of the church. The first – that belonging to John Brogan – comes from a postcard sent on 10th September 1911 from Bourne. 
The second postcard (below) is mine, and it shows a very similar view – as it should, considering that it is also a postally used card from 2nd January of that same year.
1914
1936
This postcard of the church taken from within the grounds of the churchyard was sent in 1936. Clearly there has been some further growth in the churchyard by this point.
circa 1942
This series of postcards – produced by the aforementioned Raphael Tuck – can be roughly dated to this year by reason of there being proof showing that the first recorded posting of one of these Bassingham postcards (that of the garage which was at No.1 High Street) was on 9th August 1942 which doesn’t, of course, rule out the possibility of an as yet undiscovered earlier posting. Several postcards featuring the village were produced, all identified by the code “BGHM”, of which these next two are BGHM.7.and BHGM.9. The first features a lonely fisherman enjoying a quiet and very possibly idyllic session on the river. 🙂
circa 1960s
Finally a postcard from around the 1960s or even later. This postcard was published by Judges Ltd. of Hastings and must date to no later than 1984 although my guess would be early 1960s. The photography is credited to Mrs. G. Taylor of Bassingham, so I am leaning towards her having been one of the ubiquitous Taylor family which has resided in the village for many, many years.
Church Bridge
The footbridge crossing the River Witham just beyond the Church has also been the subject of several photographers. Over time it has also changed its appearance, as you can plainly see here. The first postcard, with two young girls peering into the river, was postally used on 3rd September 1906.
The next postcard actually bears a 1908 postmark, but is clearly from the same photoshoot as the above because the same girls are there, sitting on the bridge.
In 2023 I found a another image of the church view with the bridge (above). The girl sitting on the bridge is holding an identical pose, and the tree masks the church tower in exactly the same way as the one in the 1906 postcard. It’s presented in a fancy, ornate mount and the handwritten “Bassingham” is identical in style to that seen on many of the village postcards from the 1900s-1910s, evidence that it was published by local photographer, Frederick Kennewell.
1942
This final postcard from the Tuck series of images is BGHM.10. and it shows how, back then, the fencing was extended beyond the actual crossing itself in order to afford greater safety. There is now a garden which backs onto the far bank of the river and so there is no public access to that area.
Bassingham Back Then... 