St. Martin’s is hidden in a wood off the A16 between North Thorseby and Holten le Clay. The church is primarily Victorian and dates from James Fowler’s 1861 rebuilding. However, the central tower, connecting with the nave to the W and the chancel to the E, is of the late 11thc.

Domesday Book lists Algar as lord in TRE and Ilbert of Lacy as lord in 1086, when tenant-in-chief was Odo of Bayeux. Waithe was taxable at 2.7 geld units. No church is mentioned. In 1203 the advowson of the church was confirmed as belonging to the nearby abbey of Humberston, a house of Benedictine monks of the order of Tiron.

By 2002 the church had fallen into a state of dereliction and was declared redundant. In 2005 a major conservation project was initiated and St. Martin’s is now under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Everson and Stocker also date the capitals in the late 11thc, and have summarized the competing histories which seek to explain the building sequence of this tower in relationship to the nave and chancel. The question remains as to whether or not this was originally a standard Lincolnshire type W tower.