The Parts of Kesteven (/ˈkɛstəvən/or/kəˈstiːvən/) are a traditional division of Lincolnshire, England. This division had long had a separate county administration (quarter sessions), along with the two other Parts of Lincolnshire, Lindsey and Holland.
| Lincolnshire, Parts of Kesteven | |
|---|---|
 | |
| History | |
| • Created | 1889 |
| • Abolished | 1974 |
| • Succeeded by | Lincolnshire |
| Status | Administrative county |
| Government | Kesteven County Council |
| • HQ | Sleaford |
 | |
The word Kesteven is supposed to have derived from two root words: the Celtic *ceto- meaning wood (compare Modern Welsh coed) and the Old Norse stefna, a meeting place. The earliest record of the place-name is c1000 and was spelt Ceostefne,[1] developing into Ketsteuene by 1185.[2]
Historically, Lincolnshire was divided into wapentakes, hundreds and sokes.[3] The following made up Kesteven:
The three parts were given separate elected county councils in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888, and recognised as administrative counties.[4] Kesteven lies in the south-west of Lincolnshire. It includes the towns of:
Under the Local Government Act 1894 Kesteven was divided into a number of rural district and urban districts based on earlier sanitary districts:[5]
The urban districts and boroughs were:
Bourne Urban District was abolished in 1920, with Bourne becoming a parish in Bourne Rural District. Bracebridge became part of the county borough of Lincoln that same year, becoming associated with the Parts of Lindsey.
The rural districts were re-organised by a County Review Order in 1929, to create four new districts named after points of the compass:[6]
These separate county councils were abolished in 1974 and Lincolnshire (minus the northern part of Lindsey) had a single county council for the first time, although the names of the Parts survive in some of the names of district councils. Under the Local Government Act 1972, the four rural districts in Kesteven, along with the boroughs and urban district, merged into two district councils:[7]
52°55′00″N 0°38′00″W / 52.9167°N 0.6333°W / 52.9167; -0.6333