England Described, Treatise · County 21
Lincolnſhire.
A Very large Countrey, reaching The largeſt next Yorkshire.almoſt threeſcore miles in length, and carrying in ſome places above thirty miles in bredth: paſſing good for yeelding of Corn, and feeding of Cattel; well furniſhed and ſet out with a great number of Towns, and watered with many Rivers.
The Dioceſſe here is the largeſt of England.
After three Biſhopricks were taken out of it, it containeth four whole Counties, and parts of two, uſually thus expreſt, it had under it two Bs, two Hs, two Ls.
The whole Shire is divided into three It is well ſtored with all kind of proviſion, it abounds with fiſh and fowl.parts, whereof one is called Holland: a ſecond Keſteuen; and the third Lindſey.
Crowland or Croyland, a raw and muddy Land, as Ingulph the Abbot of The roof of the Church is richly guilt.this place interprets it, a Town formerly of good note among the Fenne-people. It is ſeated like unto Venice. In the MonethMonth of Auguſt, they have ſometimes ſpread a Net, and at once drawn three thouſand Mallards: and they uſe to term theſe Pools or watery Plots of theirs their Corn-fields. In regard of this their taking of Fiſh and Fowl, they paid yearly in times paſt to the Abbot three hundred pounds of our money, and after ſo much to the Crown.
Spalding a fair Town, encloſed round about with Riverets.
Boſton a famous Town, ſtanding on Mr John Fox the Authour of the Acts and Monuments was born here.both ſides of the River Witham, which hath over it a wooden Bridge of a great heigth, well frequented by means of a commodious Haven unto it: the Market place is fair and large, and the There are ſo many ſteps in the ſteeple from the bottom to the top as there are dayes in the years.Church maketh a goodly ſhew, as well for the beautifull building as the greatneſſe thereof: the Tower-ſteeple of it, which riſeth up to a mighty height, doth ſalute paſſengers and travellers a great way off, and giveth direction alſo to the Sailers.
In the Coat of Boſton for the Corporation there are three Crowns relating to the three Kingdoms, the Creſt a Ramme lying upon a Wool-ſack, the Ram ſignifying the great Sheep-walks in the fens round about, and the Wool-ſack, that it was a Staple-town. The Supporters of the Coat are two Maremaids, ſignifying, that it is a Port-Town.
Stanford, it was built of rough ſtone, whence it hath the name.
A Town well peopled, and of great reſort, endowed alſo with ſundry immunities, and walled about. It is At the George there is one of the faireſt Inns of England.beautified with ſeven Pariſh Churches, or thereabout, and ſheweth an old Hoſpital.
Belvoir or Beauvoir-Caſtle, ſo called of the fair Proſpect, mounted upon the top of a good ſteep Hill. It belongs to the Earl of Rutland.
The Vale of Bever, a very pleaſant place lieth under the Caſtle.
The Vale of Bevell barren of Wooll, is large and very plentifull of good Corn and Graſſe, and lieth in three Shires, Leiceſter, Lincoln, and much in Nottinghamſhire. Lelands Itinerary.
Grantham a Town of good reſort, adorned with a School built by Richard Fox Biſhop of Wincheſter, and with a fair Church, having a Spire-ſteeple of a mighty height.
Lincolne. This City is large, well Lincolnia.inhabited and frequented, it ſtandeth upon the ſide of an Hill, and thence hath its name from its ſituation, or becauſe it hath been a Colony.
There are fourteen Churches, the Minſter is a fair one, and in one of the Steeples there is a very great Bell rung The greateſt Bell of England.by ſixteen men, called great Tom of Lincoln.
Camden honourably mentions two learned Biſhops of Lincoln, Robert Groſthead, and his Maſter Thomas Cooper.
Wainfleet, it bred William Wainfleet Biſhop of Wincheſter a worthy Prelate, He was great with Henry the 6th, he built a Free-School at Wainflet, his name was Patten of the worſhipfull family of which he was deſcended.founder of Magdalen-Colledge in Oxford, a man that ſingularly well deſerved of learning.
Alford a Mercat Town.
Castor an ancient Caſtle.
Mercate-Raſin, ſo called of a Mercat there well reſorted unto.
Gainsborrow a Market Town ſtanding upon the River of Trent.
Grimsby an old Market Town. Here was Archbiſhop Whitgift born.
There are in this Shire ſix hundred and thirty *More than in Yorkshire.Pariſhes, thirty and one Hundreds, and thirty Market Towns.