An article submitted by Chris Holtom
The present village lies near the site of an earlier Iron Age settlement.
The Romans appear to have maintained a "way station" on the Roman Road to Ancaster to the west of the village. A Roman burial was found when the gas main was laid in the 1990s and the site is now registered with the Lincoln Museum. Roman and medieval pottery sherds from early to 4th century are found in the village and over a large area mainly to the west of the village. A fine bronze bowl (now in the Nottigham museum) was found in 1975 which is dated to the late Roman period.
Stukely reports, referring to Stainfield that "here has been a considerable town,probably Roman, which by some antiquarians has been supposed to be Causennis, or as Richard of Cirencester calls it, Corricennis" In the 18th century a chalybeate spa was recorded in land belonging to Spa Farm and another spring nearby had properties that "acted as an astringent and was good for the eyes". A water bottling company once existed at Stainfield House and there are large brick water tanks still there with a complex arrangement of pipes to collect the spring water.
In the mid 19th century the village had up to 36 houses and a population exceeding 200. Several of these houses used to be in the field to the south west of the cross roadsaccording to a map of 1790, but they were probably made of wood, leaving little evidencenow. Lord Aveland built a school for 80 children in the vallage in 1866 and the average attendance shortly after that date was 47.
The village has been called many names such as Steinwhett, Steinfleit, Stenwhyett, Stenflett - these are just a few. The likely meaning is "stony field" and the originof the name may perhaps derive from the roman foundations which were constantly hit by ploughs over the years.
Chris Holtom