A Tiny History of Flimby

There has been an organised community at Flimby since at least the 11th century. In those days it was known as Flinbi but by the 12th century it had became variously known as Flemyngeby or Flemby. The prefix "Flem" is of Norse (Viking) origin and denoted the inhabitants of Flanders (Holland). At that time the Northwest of England was under extensive settlement by the Norse peoples (Vikings) so it seems that the Norse settlers thought of the villagers as of Dutch descent. Why they thought so is probably lost in the mist of time. But we can offer two suggestions. At this time many Dutch had fled their home country due to overcrowding in the wool and cloth industry. In consequence many settled in England where they found ample scope to continue their business. With many of these Dutch settlements scattered all over the British Isles it's a moot point whether the Norse knew Flimby's inhabitants were Dutch or thought they were Dutch because they were involved in the clothing trade.

It wasn't until early in the 18th century that the village became generally known as Flimby.
To be continued .....

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