Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for LOUTH

LOUTH, a town, a parish, a sub-district, and a district, in Lincolnshire. The town stands on the river Ludd, the Louth canal, and the East Lincoln railway, at the E foot of the Wolds, 25 miles E N E by E of Lincoln It was anciently called Luda, probably from the river Ludd. It had, so early as 1139, a Cistertian monastery, called De Parcolude, founded by Bishop Alexander, and subordinate to Fountains abbey; and it was afterwards distinguished for other monastic houses. It took an active part, in 1536, in the rebellion called "the Pilgrimage of Grace; ''and some of its leading men, including its vicar, then fell victims to public justice. So many as 754 of its inhabitants were carried off by plague in 1631. Philip, bishop of Ely, was a native; and Eachard the historian was long a resident. The site and the environs are favourable to health. A stratum of clay or chalk marl, fully 70 feet in depth, slopes from the wolds beneath the town to the sea; extends several miles to the N and to the S; and is incumbent on a stratum of gravel, whence supplies of water are obtained by artesian wells. Hills of hard chalk, capped by an argillaceous soil, afford shelter on the W and the S; and a wooded plain lies on the E. The town is upwards of a mile in length, neat and well built; and has a number of streets, rather irregularly disposed, but well paved and airy. The town hall and police station, in Eastgate, is a pleasing large edifice, of brick and stucco, erected in 1854; and contains a spacious and lofty assembly-room; but stands in a crowded locality, closely impacted with other buildings, and approached through narrow streets. A market-house, with a brick tower, was founded in Aug. 1866. The sessions-house and house of correction, for a division of the county, was erected in 1826-7; and is a commodious building, with a fine Roman-Doric-portico.Part of it is a county police station; and the house of correction has capacity for 65 prisoners. The corn-exchange was built in 1853, at a cost of about £6,000; has a stone front; and is neat and convenient. The savings' bank, in Eastgate, was built in 1860; and is in the decorated pointed style, of brick with stone dressings. The railway station is a very handsome structure. Public subscription, news, and billiard rooms are in the corn market, and are well supplied with newspapers. A mechanics' institution is in Upgate; includes a well supplied reading-room; and has a library of about 5,000 volumes. The ancient monasteries and two ancient churches have disappeared. St. James' church is fine later English; comprises nave, aisles, and chancel, with lofty tower and spire; has a seven-light E window, with remarkably beautiful tracery; and was restored partly in 1846, more extensively in 1869. The ante-church, at the W end, contains a beautiful recent canopied monument, in Caen stone, to W. Alison, Esq. The tower is of four stories, and crowned by four octagonal turrets. The spire was blown down in 1634, and restored by Turner; it rose originally to the height of 360 feet from the ground, and rises now to the height of 288 feet; and it is octagonal and crocketted, and is supported by flying buttresses. Trinity church was originally a brick structure of 1834, with an octagonal tower; but was rebuilt in 1866; and is now a structure of Ancaster stone, in the early English style, comprising nave, aisles, and chancel, with NW tower. St. Michael's church was built in 1863; is in an Italianized variety of the first pointed style, exteriorly of stone, interiorly of polychromatic brick; and has a Galilee porch, an elaborate reredos, and a bell-turret. There are chapels for Independents, Baptists, Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, United Free Methodists, and Roman Catholics. The free grammar school was funded by Edward VI.; acquired handsome and spacious new buildings in 1869; is associated with alms houses for twelve poor women; has an endowed income of about £1,150; and gives a gratuitous classical education to all the children of the parish. The commercial school was funded in 1676, by Dean Mapletoft; and has an endowed income of about £145. A national school for boys is in Westgate; a boys', girls', and infants' school, in one group, is near Trinity church; a mixed school, under a mistress, is in S. Michael-street; a national school for girls and infants is in Enginegate; a British school for boys and girls is in Kidgate; a Church of England free evening school, established in 1856, and attended by about 240 adults and young persons, is in Northgate; and a Wesleyan school, a neat brick edifice of 1858, is in New-market. The workhouse stands on the N side of the town: was erected in 1837, at a cost of £6,000; and has capacity for about 300 inmates. The amount of endowed charities, including that for the schools, is about £1,678. The new cemetery lies on the London road; was formed in 1854; comprises about 10 acres; and contains two chapels, for respectively Churchmen and Dissenters. The town has a head postoffice,† a telegraph station, two banking offices, and four chief inns; and is a seat of petty sessions, quarter sessions, and county courts, and a polling-place. A weekly market, chiefly for corn, is held on Wednesday; another weekly market is held on Saturday; markets for sheep are held on every Friday in spring and autumn; a fat stock market, at Quarry-hill, is held on every alternate Friday throughout the year; and fairs for sheep, cattle, and horses are held on 30 April, the Friday before 18 Sept., the Friday before 28 Oct., and 23 Nov. There are a carpet manufactory; several tanneries, iron foundries, and agricultural implement manufactories; and establishments for malting, brewing, rope-making, bone-crushing, limeburning, and brick-making. The town was chartered by Edward VI.; and is governed, under the new act, by a mayor, 6 aldermen, and 18 councillors. Real property in 1860, £40,113; of which £103 were in quarries, and £625 in gas-works. Pop. in 1861,10,560. Houses, 2,400. A railway to Lincoln was authorized in 1866.

The parish contains also the township of Louth Park. Acres, 3,620. Real property, £41,691. Pop., 10,667. Houses, 2,423. The head living, or that of St. James, is a rectory, and the livings of Trinity and St. Michael are vicarages, in the diocese of Lincoln. Value of St. James, £600;* of Trinity and St. Michael, each £200. * Patron of St. James and of Trinity, the Bishop of Lincoln; of St. Michael, the Rector of Louth.—The sub-district contains also the parishes of Legbourne, Little Cawthorpe, Muckton, Burwell, Ruckland, Worlaby, Oxcombe, Farforth, Haugham, Tathwell, Raithbycum-Maltby, Withcall, Hallington, Stewton, Keddington, Brackenborough, Little Grimsby, Fotherby, Utterby, North Elkington, South Elkington, and Welton-le-Wold. Acres, 38,555. Pop., 14,442. Houses, 3,190.—The district comprehends also the sub-district of Withern, containing the parishes of Walmsgate, Swaby, South Thoresby, Belleau, Aby, Saleby, Beesby-in-the-Marsh, Hannah, Trusthorpe, Mablethorpe-St. Mary, Mablethorpe-St. Peter, Maltby-le-Marsh, Strubby, Withern, Gayton-le-Marsh, Tothill, Authorpe, Reston, and North Reston, and the extra-parochial tract of Haugh; the sub-district of Binbrooke, containing the parishes of Stenigot, Donington-upon-Bain, Biscathorpe, Gayton-le-Wold, Burghupon-Bain, South Willingham, Hainton, Ludford-Magna, Ludford-Parva, Calcethorpe, Kelstern, Binbrooke, Wyham-with-Cadeby, and North Ormsby, and the extraparochial tracts of Grimblethorpe and East Wykeham; the sub-district of Saltfleet, containing the parishes of Alvingham, North Cockerington, South Cockerington, Grimoldby, Manby, Little Carlton, Great Carlton, CastleCarlton, Theddlethorpe-St. Helen, Theddlethorpe-All Saints, Saltfleetby-All Saints, Saltfleetby-St. Clement, Saltfleetby-St. Peter, Skidbrook-with-Saltfleet-Haven, South Somercotes, North Somercotes, and Conisholme; and the sub-district of Tetney, containing the parishes of Yarborough, Covenham-St. Mary, Covenham-St. Bartholomew, Grainthorpe, Marsh-Chapel, North Coates, Tetney, Fulstow, Ludborough, North Thoresby, Grainsby, Waith, and Holton-le-Clay. Acres, 170,708. Poorrates in 1863, £18,319. Pop. in 1851,33,402; in 1861, 34,711. Houses, 7,409. Marriages in 1863,235; births, 1,195,-of which 108 were illegitimate; deaths, 660,-of which 241 were at ages under 5 years, and 18 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 2,659; births, 11,544; deaths, 6,810. The places of worship, in 1851, were 81 of the Church of England, with 13,339 sittings; 1 of Independents, with 610 S.; 5 of Baptists, with 1,450 s.; 52 of Wesleyan Methodists with 8,660 s.; 23 of Primitive Methodists, with 3,296 s.; and 2 of Roman Catholics, with 380 s. The schools were 37 public day-schools, with 2,838 scholars; 75 private day. schools, with 1,419 s.; 68 Sunday schools, with 3,377 s.; and 3 evening schools for adults, with 49 s.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town, a parish, a sub-district, and a district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Louth CP/AP       Louth SubD       Louth RegD/PLU       Lincolnshire AncC
Place names: LOUTH     |     LUDA
Place: Louth

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