The Car Dyke Parishes Group consists of seven rural villages scattered over a ten mile radius centered roughly on the village of Walcott. The largest of the villages within the group is Billinghay where the spire of St. Michaels stands above the fen.

To the right we see a copy of the Doomsday record for Billinghay and this gives an idea why the locals call the place "Billingher" as in years gone by it was spelled "Belingei". The record reads...

In Billinghay, Svein had 12 carucates of land taxable. Land for 4 ploughs, Walechelin, the archbishop's man, and the two sons of Svein 2 ploughs. 3 villagers and 15 freedmen who have 4 ploughs. Meadows, 16 acres, 3 site for fisheries. Value before 1066 £4.00; now the same and 5s (shillings) more.

Svein, referred to was the Anglo-Saxon lord holding the land at the time of the Norman Conquest. The very next entry, you see is the entry for Walcott, another village in the parish.