"BELVOIR, an extra-parochial liberty in the hundred of Framland, in the county of Leicester, extending also into the soke of Grantham, in the county of Lincoln, 6 miles S.W. from Grantham, 12 miles to the N.E. of Melton Mowbray, and 4 S. from Bottesford railway station. Belvoir Castle, the seat of the Duke of Rutland, stands on the top of a lofty hill at the extremity of the rich vale of Belvoir, over which it commands a fine prospect. The castle was founded by Robert de Todeni, a Norman noble, standard-bearer to William the Conqueror, who gave him, with many other lordships, that of Belvoir. In the reign of Henry III. it came to Robert de Roos, and in the reign of Henry VIII. passed by marriage into the family of Manners, who have held it ever since. The castle suffered materially during the wars of the Roses, and also during the civil war in the reign of Charles I. James I. was entertained here in 1603, on his way from Scotland to London, by Roger, the fifth earl. It was restored a second time in 1668. In 1814 George IV., then Prince Regent, visited Belvoir, and in remembrance of that visit, one of the towers is named Regent Tower. Alterations were projected in the interior, and were being carried on under the direction of James Wyatt, when, in 1816, a fire broke out and nearly destroyed the castle, excepting the outer walls, which are of freestone. The picture gallery and the grand staircase perished entirely, and the damage was estimated at £120,000. The restoration was completed by Matthew Wyatt, who has rendered the castle one of the finest palaces in England. The Regent's gallery is 127 feet in length, and is stored with valuable works of art. In the picture gallery are works by Nicolas Poussin, Claude, Rubens, Murillo, Reynolds, Gainsborough, &c. The eastern front of the castle is about 250 feet in length, and the ascent to it is by a noble fight of stone steps. Its name was derived from the fair prospect which lay around it. The view extends over the level country for 30 miles, and 174 towns and villages have been counted within the circle of its horizon. It is in the midst of a fine sporting country, and the Belvoir pack of hounds is celebrated. Near the castle, and below it, are some remains of a priory, also founded by Robert do Todeni, about 1076. It was dedicated to St. Mary, and was annexed to the abbey of St. Alban's. At the Dissolution its revenue was £130, and it was given to the Earl of Rutland. The mausoleum on Blackberry Hill was completed in 1828, when the remains of the late Duchess of Rutland, and those of several other members of the duke's family, were removed from the vault at Bottesford church to the mausoleum."

"BENNINGTON GRANGE, an extra-parochial liberty adjoining the parish of Long Bennington, in the wapentake of Loveden, in the county of Lincoln."

"BRIDGE-PIECE, an extra-parochial liberty in the parish of Frampton, wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, in the county of Lincoln, 2 miles to the S. of Boston."

"COLDSTEAD, an extra-parochial place, in the hamlet of Newbell, in the county of Lincoln, 4 miles W. of Wragby."

"COPPING SYKE, an extra-parochial place, partly in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, and partly in Horncastle soke, parts of Lindsey, in the county of Lincoln, 2 miles from Swineshead."

"DEEPING FEN, an extra-parochial place, partly in the wapentake of Ness, parts of Kesteven, and partly in the wapentake of Elloe, parts of Holland, in the county of Lincoln, near. Market Deeping. It is an extensive marsh, drained by powerful steam-engines. The inhabitants are exempt from all rates and taxes. The living is a deaconry in the diocese of Lincoln, value £210, in the patronage of the trustees of the late W. Stevenson, Esq."

"DIGBYS-WASH, an extra-parochial place in the wapentake of Elloe, parts of Holland, in the county of Lincoln, 22 miles N. of Spalding."

"DRAINAGE MARSH, an extra-parochial place in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, in the county of Lincoln, near Swineshead station."

"EAGLE HALL, an extra-parochial place in the higher division of the wapentake of Boothby-Graffo, parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln, 1 mile to the S.W. of Eagle village, and 9 S.W. of Lincoln."

"EAGLE WOODHOUSE, an extra-parochial place in the lower division of the wapentake of Boothby Graffo, parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln, 8 miles S.W. of Lincoln. It adjoins the parish of Eagle."

"FERRY CORNER, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county Lincoln, 1 mile S.W. of Swineshead."

"FORTY-FOOT BANK, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county Lincoln, a short distance from Swineshead."

"FORTY-FOOT BRIDGE, an extra parochial place, in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county Lincoln, a short distance from Swineshead."

"GIBBET HILLS, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county Lincoln, in the vicinity of Swineshead."

"GREENHILL, an extra parochial liberty in the wapentake of Corringham, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 4 miles N. of Gainsborough."

"GRIMBLETHORPE, an extra parochial place in the hundred of Louth Eske, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 6 miles W. of Louth. It adjoins the parish of Gaytok-le-Wolds."

"HARTS GROUNDS, (or Gibbet-hills), an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county Lincoln, 6 miles N.W. of Spalding. It is locally in the parish of Gosberton.

"HAUGH, an extra parochial place in the Marsh division of the hundred of Calceworth, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 2 miles W. of Alford. The land is chiefly arable. There is no village. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Lincoln, value £72. The church is dedicated to St. Leonard."

"HAVEN BANK, an extra parochial place in the hundred of Horncastle Soke, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 2 miles from Tattershall."

"HAVERHOLME PRIORY, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Flaxwell, parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln, 3 miles N.E. of Sleaford. It consists of an island formed by two branches of the river Slea, and was formerly the site of a priory of nuns and canons of the strict order of St. Gilbert of Sempringham, founded in 1139. Its revenue at the Dissolution was estimated at £88 5s. 5d., when the lands were given by Henry VIII. to the Clintons. It is at present laid out as an extensive and well-wooded park stocked with deer, the seat of the Countess Dowager of Winchilsea and Nottingham. The mansion is an old Tudor structure considerably modernised."

"HOLBECK, an extra parochial place in the hundred of Hill, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 3 miles N.E. of Horncastle."

"KIRTONHOLME, an extra parochial place adjoining the parish of Kirton-in-Lindsey, county Lincoln, 2 miles N.E. of Swineshead."

"LANGRICK-FERRY, an extra parochial place in the soke of Horncastle, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 2 miles from Tattershall."

"LANGTON WOODHOUSE, an extra parochial place in the W. division of the hundred of Wraggoe, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 2 miles S. of Wragby."

"LITTLEWORTH, an extra parochial village in the extra parochial area of Deeping Fen, county of Lincoln, 4 miles N.E. of Market Deeping. It situated in the vicinity of Deeping Fen, and is a station on the Great Northern line of railway."

"MAIDEN HOUSE, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Loveden, parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln, 7 miles N.W. of Sleaford."

"MERE-HOSPITAL, an extra parochial place in the liberty and city of Lincoln, county Lincoln."

"MORTON, an extra parochial place in the lower division of the hundred of Boothby-Graffo, parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln, 7 miles S.W. of Lincoln."

"NEWSHAM, an extra parochial place, in the E. division of the wapentake of Yarborough, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 8 miles N. of Caistor, and 9 N.W. of Great Grimsby. Here was formerly a Gilbertine priory, founded by Peter de Gousel in the reign of Henry II., which Bishop Tanner says was the earliest of the Præmonstratensian order established in England. Its site was given to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, at the Dissolution."

"NEWSTEAD, (or Newstead-on-ancholme), an extra parochial place in the S. division of the wapentake of Yarborough, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 1 mile S. of Glanford Brigg. There was formerly a Gilbertine priory, founded by Henry II. and given to the canons of Sempringham. Its revenue at the Dissolution amounted to £55 Is. 8d.

"NORTH-FORTY-FOOT-BANK, (or Fen Corner), an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county Lincoln, 9 miles W. by N. of Boston.

"ORFORD, an extra parochial place adjoining the parish of Binbrook St. Gabriel, in the S. division of the hundred of Walshcroft, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 1 mile N.W. of Binbrook, and 7 N.E. of Market Rasen. There was formerly a priory of Præmonstratensian nuns, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and founded in the reign of Henry III by William de Albini."

"PELHAM'S LANDS, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county Lincoln, near Fossdyke."

"RAKES-FARM, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county Lincoln, near Swineshead."

"REDHILL, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Corringham, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln."

"ROSEDALE, an extra parochial place, locally in the parish of Wickenby, wapentake of West Wraggoe, county Lincoln, 4 miles N.W. of Wragby. It is a meet for the Burton hounds."

"ROWLANDS MARSH, an extra parochial place in the soke of West Bolingbroke, county Lincoln, near Boston."

"ROYALTY FARM, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Kirton, parts of Holland, county Lincoln, near Swineshead, to which parish it is annexed for parochial purposes."

"SILT-PITS, an extra parochial place in the soke of Horncastle, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, near Horncastle."

"SOUTHORPE, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Corringham, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 6 miles N.E. of Gainsborough."

"SWINETHORPE, an extra parochial place in the higher division of Boothby-Graffoe wapentake, parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln, 7 miles S.W. of Lincoln. The Hall is situated in a park called the Jungles. The substratum contains coal of considerable thickness. Major Curteis is lord of the manor."

"TEMPLE BRUER, (or Temple Grange), an extra parochial place is the wapentakes of Flaxwell and Langoe, parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln, 6 miles N.W. of Sleaford. It is situated near the ancient Ermine Street. At a farm in the vicinity are the ruins of a Knights Templars' preceptory, founded before 1185, and subsequently given to the Hospitallers. At the Dissolution its revenues were valued at £184 68. 4d.

"THE PADDOCKS, an extra parochial place in the wapentake of Corringham, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln.

At the time of the Roman invasion Lincolnshire formed part of the territory of the Coritani, a kindred tribe with the Iceni. During the period of the occupation of Britain by the Romans, it was included in the division Flavia Cæsariensis, and was opened up by theconstruction of dykes and roads: of the former are the Fossedyke and Cardyke; of the latter, Ermine Street, the Fosse Way, and the Salt Way. The Roman towns were, Lindum, the modern Lincoln, situated at the intersection of the two great roads-the eastern branch of Ermine Street and the Fosse Way; Ad Abum, now Winteringham; Aquis, Alkborough; Banovallum, Horncastle; Brigæ, Bren-Broughton; Causennis, Ancaster; Duro Brivis, Tattershall; In Medio, Kirton-in-Lindsey; Margidunum, Willoughby, near Grantham; Pretorium, Broughton; Vainona, Wainfleet; and Verometum, Willoughby. Besides which, many other places, as Caistor, Gainsborough, Ludborough, Yarborough, &c., are only known to have been Roman stations from antiquities discovered on their sites. Under the Saxons it formed a dependency of the kingdom of Mercia, and was comprehended in the conquests of Edwin of Northumbria, under whose influence Christianity was introduced into this county by Paulinus. During the commotions which the ravages committed by the Danes created here in the reign of Ethelred I., Lincolnshire, with its numerous monastic establishments, suffered greatly. About the year 877 it appears to have fallen entirely into the power of the Danes, and, as part of the territory of the burgs of Stamford and Lincoln, to have been included in the Danelagh. In the civil war between Stephen and the Empress Maud, Lincolnshire was the scene of several important events. In 1141 Lincoln was besieged, and a battle was fought before its walls. Another battle subsequently occurred at the same place, by which the civil war between the adherents of the Dauphin and John was terminated. In the reign of Edward IV., 30,000 Lincolnshire men, under Sir Robert Wells, rose in rebellion against the king. They were defeated with great slaughter at the battle of ""Lose Coat Field,"" near Stamford, and their leader was slain. On the suppression of the monasteries in 1536, another insurrection broke out in this country. It commenced at Louth, and spread over Lincolnshire into Yorkshire, where the insurgents were commanded by Robert Aske; but at the approach of the king's forces they quietly dispersed. In the civil war between Charles I. and the parliament, Lincolnshire was the scene of numerous contests. In 1642, Colonel Cavendish, at the head of a body of royalists, took possession of Grantham capturing a large quantity of arms and ammunition, and demolishing the fortifications. In the same year Cromwell defeated the royalists near Grantham; General Cavendish gained a victory over the parliamentarians at Ancaster; and the parliamentarians took Gainsborough. In the following year, at the last-mentioned place, Cromwell defeated the royalists under General Cavendish, the latter losing his life in the engagement; and in the same year the royalists were again defeated at Horncastle. In 1644 Lincoln Castle and Cathedral were stormed by the parliamentary forces under the Earl of Manchester. In former times Lincolnshire was chiefly noted for its abundance of fish, wild fowl, and rabbits, owing to the wide extent of the fens and wolds, where all kinds of game were bred. When these became improved by drainage, it was equally celebrated for its grazing and its tillage; but has only of late years become a commercial county, though situated oil the sea, there having previously been a want of good havens. The principal harbours are, Gainsborough, which is rapidly increasing in foreign trade and shipbuilding; Great Grimsby, at the mouth of the Humber, where the extensive docks opened in 1850 render it a rapidly increasing rival to Hull; and Boston, near the mouth of the Witham, the approach to which has recently been much improved. The coast of Lincolnshire, which extends nearly in a half circle, being washed on the N.E. by the salt waters of the Humber, on the E. by the German Ocean, and on the S.E. by the Wash, is for the most part low and marshy-that portion of it which lies between the mouth of the Welland and that of the Nene requiring an embankment to protect it from the encroachments of the sea. Opposite Spurnhead light it swells into low cliffs, but again becomes marshy towards the Wash. The principal points along the coast are, Axholme island, at the mouth of the river Trent; Barton-on-Humber; New Holland, at the ferry to Hull; Stallingborough lighthouse; Great Grimsby docks; Cleethorpes watering-place, opposite Spurnhead light; Tetney haven; Saltfleet; Mablethorpe watering-place; Ingoldwell's point, the most easterly part of the county; Wainfleet, in Boston Deeps; the harbour of Boston, on the river Witham; Fossdyke Wash, where King John lost his baggage whilst crossing the Welland; and Crosskeys Wash, near the mouth of the river Nene. About half the county is in wolds and uplands, and the remainder in fens and marshes, which, since they have been drained, render it one of the richest counties in England. A great portion of the surface is below the sea-level, and consists for the most part of marsh or fen land, which was anciently covered by a vast forest. That part of the county which is bounded on the N. by a line drawn from Burgh to Tattershall, and thence to Bardney, and on the W. by another line drawn from Heckington to Offington on the Welland, belongs to the great fen country of England. To the W. of the Trent, surrounding the Isle of Axholme, is another tract of marsh land called Thorne Waste, or Thorne Level. In consequence of the excellent measures which have been adopted for the draining of the fens, little of this district remains in its original condition; but the drainage is constantly going on, and a grand scheme has been recently formed, under the name of the Great Level of the Wash, to embank the sands on the Wash, and render them fit for tillage, at the same time improving the havens and watercourses of South Lincolnshire. A range of chalk hills called the ""Lincolnshire Wolds,"" about 47 miles in length, and from 5 to 8 in width, runs from Barton-upon-Humber to Burgh; skirting the chalk along its entire length is a belt of greensand; W. of which the ironsand occupies a narrow strip of land; the two last formations form a range of hills running parallel to the Wolds from Market Rasen to the neighbourhood of Spilsby. The whole of the western side of the county to the S. of Lincoln is occupied by the lias formation; a bed of oolite occupies the country which lies between the lias and the fen district; the north-western corner of the county belongs to the New Red sandstone or red marl formation; gypsum occurs plentifully in this district. The mineral productions, as well as the geological formation, favour the' agricultural character of the county. In the Wolds limestone is quarried and burnt into lime, which forms an excellent manure; in the Isle of Axholme sulphate of lime, or gypsum, and plaster of Paris are obtained; and from the cliffs of the Humber a fine variety of chalk is procured for making into whiting. Around Ancaster are numerous quarries of freestone, and in various parts sandstone is quarried for building purposes. The soil is in general diluvial and alluvial, and in the fens is often of great depth. The principal rivers of Lincolnshire are, the Trent, Ancholme, Witham, and the Welland. The Trent, which is the great stream, after forming the boundary between the counties of Lincoln and Nottingham for 16 miles, flows northward past Gainsborough for 19 miles, almost entirely within the border of Lincolnshire, leaving the Isle of Axholme to the W. between it and the Don. The Trent having reached the Humber, takes an easterly direction, and these rivers flow in one very wide channel to the German Ocean, where the estuary is 7 miles across. Vessels of 150 tons can ascend with the tide as high as Gainsborough, where the river is crossed by a bridge. Both the Trent and Humber are navigable throughout for ships and steamers, and are connected by means of canals with all the chief rivers of England. The principal tributaries of the Trent in Lincolnshire are, the navigable Idle, or Bykerdike, which enters from Nottinghamshire, and falls into the river below Gainsborough on the left bank; the Old Thorne river, the New Idle river, and the New Thorne river. These two last are only cuts from the rivers after which they are named, but fall into the Trent. The Ancholme rises near the village of Spridlington, between Lincoln and Market Raisen, and being joined at Briggs by the Rase, becomes navigable; the greater part of its course, which is northerly, is then through an artificial channel about 20 miles long to the Humber at Barton. The streams which fall into it are small, being chiefly the drainage of the valley between the Wolds and the oolite or stonebrash hills. The Witham, next in importance to the Trent, rises near Thistleton, just within the border of Rutlandshire, and flows in a northerly direction through Grantham to Lincoln, where, having received the waters of the little river Brant, it becomes navigable for steamers. It then pursues an easterly course to Bardney Abbey, where it is joined by the united stream of the Langworth and SQuth Beck; then flowing S.E., it receives near Tattershall, on the left hank, the waters of the Bain, and on the right bank the Kyme Ean, or Sleaford river; from here it flows by an artificial cut to Boston, below which town it flows in its natural bed, which has recently been improved, into the Wash. The whole length of the Witham is nearly 80 miles, for about half of which it is navigable. The Welland rises in Northamptonshire, and touches the border of Lincolnshire just above Stamford, when it runs easterly to Crowland, forming for a short distance the boundary between Northampton and Lincoln shires. It then separates into two streams, one termed the Old Welland, running N.E. through Spalding to the Fossdyke Wash, the other, called the Shire Drain, proceeds easterly along the border of the county to Cross Keys Wash, at the mouth of the None. This river is navigable up to Stamford, both its branches flowing for a considerable distance in artificial channels. Another river called the Glen, which is also navigable for a distance of about 12 miles, falls into the Wash at the mouth of the Welland. Besides these principal rivers, there are many small streams falling into the numerous canals and dykes which intersect all parts of the county, intended chiefly for draining the land, but some of them are navigable, and even gigantic works, as the Cardyke and Fossedyke, mentioned above, as constructed by the Romans. The former is 60 feet wide, and near 40 miles in length, joining the Welland and Witham. It traverses the whole of South Lincolnshire from N. to S. The Fossedyke connects the city of Lincoln with the Trent; the South Forty-Foot is cut from the Glen to the Witham at Boston; the North Forty-Foot joins the Kyme or Sleaford river with the South Forty-Foot; the Stainforth and Keadley canal intersects the Isle of Axholme from the Don to the Trent; the Old and New Hammond Beck runs from the Welland near Spalding to the South Forty-Foot near Boston; the Sleaford navigation connects the town of Sleaford with the Witham, and the Louth canal renders that river navigable from Louth to the North Sea; the Grantham canal runs from that town to the Trent at Nottingham, also the Horncastle, Bourne, West Fen Catchwater, East Fen Catchwater, with numerous minor cuts, provincially termed learns, droves, becks, eaux, and dykes, which are too numerous to admit of distinct notice. River steamers ply inland from Hull and from Boston in communication with the great lines of ocean steam navigation. There are several ferries over the Humber, and a steam ferry from New Holland to Hull. The county is likewise traversed by several lines of railway. The Great Northern enters the county from Peterborough, the main line going through Grantham and Newark; on the E. it sends out a line through Spalding, Boston, Burgh, Louth, to Great Grimsby and New Holland; another branch diverges from Boston, by Tattershall and Lincoln, to Gainsborough, where it joins the Manchester and Sheffield line; a third branch diverges at Saxelby westward to the Manchester line: from the Midland railway at Nottingham a line goes to Lincoln, which is continued by Market Rasen towards Brigg and New Holland: in the northern part of the county a line comes from the Manchester, Stafford, and Lincolnshire railway through Gainsborough and Kirton to Brigg, where it forks in two directions, one to Great Grimsby, the other to Barton and New Holland on the Humber; there is also a branch of 22 miles from near Brigg to Market Rasen and Lincoln. Acts have been obtained for the construction of other lines and branches within the county, which will prove of considerable advantage, as direct communication is still wanting between the E. and W. The main roads are, the Hull, Barton, and Lincoln, which enters the county at Market Deeping, about 90 miles from London, and runs N. in a direct line for many miles along the old Roman road Ermine Street to the S. bank of the Humber, opposite Hull; the Louth and Boston road, which branches off from the above near Market Deeping, just before it enters Lincolnshire, bends eastward, passing by Spalding, Boston, and Spilsby, to Louth, whence it is continued along the coast to Great Grimsby; the Great North road enters the county at Stamford, and runs N.N.W. by Grantham into Nottinghamshire. Other roads lead from Lincoln to Wragby, and Horncastle to Tattershall, thence over the Wolds to Spilsby and Burgh; by Wragby to Louth and Saltfleet, or to Market Rasen, Caistor, and Grimsby; besides which there are numerous cross-roads, well constructed and maintained in excellent repair. Since the wolds and heaths have been enclosed, and the fens drained, many sources of wealth have declined, as the decoying of wild fowl, breeding geese for their quills and feathers, snaring rabbits for their skins, &c., but the ordinary employments of industry, chiefly agriculture, have so vastly increased, that the population has doubled since the commencement of the present century, and Lincolnshire now stands first of English counties in point of cultivation as well as in extent of surface. The soil varies greatly in different districts, the uplands being in general clayey, and the lowlands a sandy loam, enriched by bone-manure, fish, rape seed, and along the coast and tidal rivers by warping. This process, which is only the retaining of the water on the land a sufficient time to permit of the deposit of the sand and mud held in solution, in some instances produces almost a miraculous effect, by covering extensive tracts of poor land with a new soil of the finest quality, as the crops raised upon it clearly show. Besides creating a soil, the warping fills up all inequalities of surface, and gives to the land a natural power of production which cultivation and manuring cannot imitate. The Wolds, which were formerly bare chalk and sand hills, forming vast rabbit warrens, have within the present century been brought under tillage, and produce good crops. Lincoln Heath, once 40 miles long, is now all turnip land, let at £1 per acre. A great deal of corn is grown, chiefly wheat, which yields 44 bushels per acre, also barley, oats, beans, and in the low grounds hemp, flax, coleseed, and wood. The chief occupation, however, is in the fattening of beasts and rearing of sheep and horses for the London markets. Some of the pastures are so luxuriant that it is said two acres in summer will feed one bullock and seven sheep, and large quantities of oil-cake are imported for stall feeding. Horncastle fair is one of the greatest horse fairs in England, and is attended by the London dealers for the purchase of hunters, dray and carriage horses, which fetch very high prices, the Lincolnshire horses being celebrated for their size and power. The cattle are chiefly of a large short-horned breed, which are preferred for grazing, and some crosses of long-horns, the farmers paying more attention to breeding and fattening than to the dairy, although some excellent cheese is made of the Stilton kind. The sheep, which are a variety of the large Leicester breed, are remarkable for their long wool, yielding 6 to 9 lbs. per fleece, and if, as is said, there be two and a half millions of sheep within the county, the annual yield of wool cannot be less than 20,000,000 lbs. of long wool, a quantity nearly equal to the whole produce of New South Wales. The breed of pigs has been recently much improved by crossing, and immense numbers of geese are reared. The estates and farms are of small extent, the latter held on lease for 7 and 14 years; the farm buildings are middling, but not in accordance with the advanced state of husbandry, and the farm-labourers' cottages pretty comfortable. The chief difficulty the people have to contend with is the want of pure water-this first requisite of life being procured in the lower grounds only from wells and ponds, which are allbrackish. Although not so abundant as formerly, there are still a great variety of wild fowl and fish. The former include swans, geese, ducks, widgeon, moorhens, snipes, woodcocks, pheasants, partridges, teel, ruffs, peewits, terns, reeves, grebes, storks, herons, cranes, rails, coots, lapwings, and gotwits. The most plentiful sorts of fish are, eels, perch, carp, pike, chub, roach, tench, bream, dace, barbel, &c. The varieties of aquatic plants are numerous. The only manufactures carried on are ship-building, tanning, lime-burning, sack-weaving, rope and cord walks, hemp, woollens, carpets (chiefly at Louth), linen, silk-weaving, and lace, besides many steam flour, bone, and other mills, breweries, and malt-houses. Scarcely 10 percent. of the population live by trade and manufactures, whilst 16 per cent. are employed in agriculture, including farmers and graziers. The inhabitants are chiefly descended from the Angles, or Jutes, and Danes, as evidenced by the prevalence of the Danish terminations ""by"" and ""thorpe"" in the names of places, and the provincial accent of the common people. In some of the fenlands Dutch and French colonies of Protestant refugees were introduced by the undertakers who commenced the drainage of these fens in the reigns of Elizabeth and Charles I., but little trace of them now remain. Another evidence of the Danish element, derived from the time when Lincolnshire formed part of the Danelagh, is the substitution of ""wapentake"" for hundred in the territorial divisions of the county, and the changed names for the popular assemblies. For political purposes the county is separated into two divisions, N. and S. The former, usually designated parts of Lindsey, comprises the northern and eastern parts of the county above the river Witham, including 12 wapentakes, 3 hundreds, and 2 sokes. The S. division comprises parts of Holland in the S.E. part of the county, full of dykes and canals near the shore, and includes 3 wapentakes; also parts of Kesteven in the S.W., including 9 wapentakes and 1 soke. These are further divided into 630 parishes, 10 ecclesiastical districts, and 43 extra parochial places. The Isle of Axholme is part of Lindsey to the W. between the Trent and Don. The N. and S. divisions of Lincolnshire return two members each to parliament for the shire, Lincoln being the place of election for the former, and Sleaford, for the latter, or South Lincolnshire,; and the towns of Lincoln, Boston, Grantham, and Stamford, two each, besides Grimsby, which returns one member. Lincolnshire is governed by a lord-lieutenant, about 110 deputy-lieutenants, and 500 magistrates. It is in the Midland circuit, and the assizes are held at Lincoln, where is the county gaol. For ecclesiastical purposes the county forms part of the diocese of Lincoln, in the province of Canterbury, and constitutes the two archdeaconries of Lincoln and Stow. It is included within the Home Military district. Before the Norman accession, each of the three ancient divisions of the county, viz: Lindsey, Holland, and Kesteven, had its tithing reeve, and still has its separate magistrates, quarter sessions, clerks of the peace, and treasurers. For the further convenience of rating, it is divided into 14 Poor-law Unions and the like number of superintendent registries, with 17 new County Courts. The towns, 30 of which have markets, are neither very populous nor remarkable. Lincoln is a cathedral city, being the seat of a bishop, and is the county town. Boston, Great Grimsby, and Gainsborough are flourishing seaports. Other fair towns are, Stamford, which had a university and four colleges in the reign of Henry III., Horncastle, Louth, Grantham, Spalding, and Barton. The other market towns are, Bourne, Caistor, Glandford Brigg, Holbeach, Sleaford, Spilsby, Market Rasen, Alford, Bolingbroke, Market Deeping, Donnington, Epworth, Folkingham, Kirton, Sutton, Swineshead, Tattershall, Wainfleet, and Wragby. Besides these, there are 2,000 towns, villages, and hamlets. The chief seats are, Riseholme Palace, of the Bishop of Lincoln; Belton House, near Grantham, of Earl Brownlow; Belvoir Castle, of the Duke of Rutland; Burghley House, of the Marquis of Exeter; Glentworth, of the Earl of Scarborough; Brocklesby and Manby, of the Earl of Yarborough; Uffington Hall, of the Earl of Lindsey; Haverholm, of the Countess Dowager of Winchilsea; Nocton Park, of the Earl De Grey and Ripon; Grimsthorpe Castle, near Edenham, of Lord Willoughby D'Eresby; Buckminster, of Lord Huntingtower; Burton Hall, of Lord Monson; Little Grimsby, of Lord Beauclerk; Aswarby, of Whichcote, Bart.; Burgh Hall, of Crawford, Bart.; Caswick Hall, of Sir' J. Trollope, Bart., M.P.; Denton Hall, of Welby, Bart.; Easton Hall and Norton Place, of Cholmeley, Bart.; Lea Hall, of Anderson, Bart.; Normanby, of Sheffield, Bart.; Somerby, of Beckett, Bart.; Stubton Hall, of Neville, Esq., where is a heronry; Scrivelsby Court, of Dymoke, Bart.; Sysdon Hall, of Thorold, Bart.; Thurlby Hall, of Bromhead, Bart.; Bayons Manor, of the Hon. C. T. D'Eyncourt; Bloxholm Hall and Well Vale, of the Hon. R. C. N. Hamilton; Branston Hall, of the Hon. A. L. Melville, besides numerous mansions of private gentry. The antiquities are numerous and interesting, chiefly situated on the lines of the Roman roads Ermine Street, Fosse Way, Salt Way, and Tilbridge Lane, all of which traversed parts of the county. The capitol, Lindum, the modern Lincoln, is mentioned by Ptolemy as ""Aivcov"", and was evidently a British town before it was made a Roman station. The walls of the Roman encampment which occupied the summit of the bill, where now stand the cathedral and castle, enclosed an area of 1,200 feet by 1,300, nearly facing the cardinal points, with a gate on each side. Although time has almost levelled with the ground the ancient walls, one gate still remains, called ""Newport Gate,"" and is one of the most remarkable Roman remains in the kingdom, consisting of one central arch about 16 feet wide, flanked by two smaller arches now nearly choked up by the detritus of the old wall and accumulation of soil. Another portion of the wall, including an arch, is incorporated into the wall of the Norman castle, and is formed of large stones apparently piled together without cement. In 1739 a tesselated pavement, 13 feet below the present surface, was discovered here, also portions of glazed earthen conduit pipes, and various other antiquities, comprising hypocausts, stone coffins, a sarcophagus, earthen and glass urns, besides numerous coins of Nero, Vespasian, Julian, and Carausius. At Ancaster, supposed to be the station Causennæ mentioned by-Antonine, Roman coins have been found. At Winterton, or Winteringham, supposed to be Ad Abum mentioned by Richard of Cirencester, three tesselated pavements were found in 1747, also chimney stones and other antiquities, but these last were unfortunately not preserved. At Scampton, Denton, and Horkstow, tesselated pavements, Mosaics, and foundations of villas, have been found; one discovered in 1795 covered an area of 200 feet square, and comprised 40 chambers on the ground plan. At Roxby, Appleby, Broughton, Hibbaldstow, and Sandton, numerous antiquities have been met with, and on the banks of the Trent, a little to the W. of Stow, two Roman altars were found. In the same part of the county, near Gainsborough and Alkborough, are traces of Roman camps, and at the latter place a labyrinth formed of banks known as Julian's Bower. There are also traces of camps at Gedney Hill, near Holbeach, at Honington, near Grantham, at Yarborough, Caistor, South Ormsby, and Summer Castle camp, besides British or Danish camps at Barrow, Falkingham, Ingoldsby, Revesby, and Well. There are remains of Norman castles at Lincoln, Somerton, Tattershall, Torksey, and Moor Tower, and of monastic edifices at Thornton, where the Abbey church, gatehouse, refectory, and part of the octagonal chapter-house, are still standing; Croyland Abbey, with its curious triangular bridge: Barlings Abbey, where the rising began in 1536 under Prior Mackerel, and of which part of the walls and some fragments of columns remain; Bardney Abbey, Kirkstead Abbey, Revesby Abbey, Louth Abbey, and Tupholm; besides which there are priory ruins at Bullington, Burwell, Croxhill, Haverholm, now incorporated into a modern mansion, Sempringham, and Stamford. The Knights Templars had preceptories at Aslackby and Temple Bruer; of the latter, the tower of the church and a few vaults are all that remain. At Stamford and Tattershall were colleges, and at Spittal a hospital. The old hall at Gainsborough is an interesting specimen of ancient architecture, as are also the old houses of Morlaby, Belleau, and Pinchbeck. Of the other ecclesiastical edifices, including the cathedral of Lincoln, and the many churches in the Fens, which present a number of interesting features, no particular notice is here requisite, as they are described under the names of their respective parishes.

"ASWARDHURN WAPENTAKE, one of the subdivisions of the parts of Kesteven, in the county of Lincoln, bounded on the N. by Flaxwell and Langoe wapentakes, on the E. by the wapentake of Kirton, on the S. by the wapentake of Aveland, and on the W. by the wapentake of Winnibriggs and Threo. It contains the parishes of Asgarby, Aswarby, Aunsby, Burton-Pedwardine, Evedon, Ewerby, Great Hale, Haydor, Heckington, Helpringham, Howell, Ingoldsby, Kirkby-le-Thorpe, Quarrington, Scradington, Silk Willoughby, Old Sleaford, South Kyme, and Swarby. This wapentake comprises an area of 45,280 acres."

"AVELAND WAPENTAKE, one of the nine wapentakes or sub-divisions of the parts of Kesteven, in the county of Lincoln, bounded on the N. by the wapentake of Aswardhurn, on the E. by the wapentakes of Elloe and Kirton, on the S. by the wapentake of Ness, and on the W. by the wapentakes of Beltisloe Winnibriggs, and Three. It comprises the parishes of Aslackby, Billingborough, Bourne, Dembleby, Dowsby, Dunsby, Folkingham, Haceby, Haconby, Horbling, Kirkby Underwood, Laughton, Morton, Newton, Osbournby, Pickworth, Rippingale, Semperingham, Spanby, Swaton, Treckingham, Walcot, and Scott Willoughby. The wapentake extends over an area of 53,220 miles."

"BEDFORD LEVEL, an extensive tract of flat marshy ground, also called the Fens, on the eastern coast of England, comprising parts of the six counties of Lincoln, Northampton, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Norfolk, and Suffolk. It is situated to the south of the Wash, extending from the river Welland, in the south-east part of Lincolnshire, to Milton, in Cambridgeshire; and from Peterborough, on the river Nen, in Northamptonshire, to Brandon, on the little Ouse, in Suffolk. It is about 40 miles in length from N. to S., and the same in its greatest breadth. The Level is divided into three parts, the North, Middle, and South Levels. The first is the district lying between the rivers Welland and Nen; the second, that between the Nen and the old Bedford river; and the third, that which lies to the south-east of the old Bedford river. The area of the Level is estimated at about 400,000 acres. Above half of that area is comprised in the Isle of Ely. When the Romans invaded Britain, the whole of this district, it is believed, was a great marsh, and its surface was considerably lower than at present. Roman ways were formed across its site, one of which is still to be seen. Writers of the 12th century describe the Fens as being at that time a most fruitful and agreeable country, with lakes and many rivers, woods, and orchards. But in the following century it was all changed; for in the year 1236, on occasion of a fierce storm which lasted above a week, the sea broke in and spread destruction over the country. Similar calamities occurred several times in subsequent years; the natural drainage was stopped, and the whole district again became a morass. In some parts it was covered with stagnant water above ten feet deep, and boats were necessary for communication between the towns and villages. In the 15th century, the first attempts were made to drain the Fens. One of these was Bishop Morton's Cut, from Peterborough to Guyhern, 40 feet in width, and now forming part of the river Nen. After several other failures, the task was undertaken afresh in the reign of Charles I., by Francis, Duke of Bedford. A charter was granted to the company formed under the presidency of that nobleman, and in three years their proposed works were completed. It was in honour of this important undertaking for the drainage of the Fens that they have since been called the Bedford Level. Fresh works, however, soon became necessary, and in 1664 the company received a charter of incorporation, with all necessary powers and regulations for maintaining and improving them. They are styled the Corporation of Bedford Level, and consist of a governor, 6 bailiffs, 20 conservators, and a commonalty. The principal cuts formed under their management are, the Old and New Bedford Rivers, Bevil's River, Sam's Cut, Peekirk, South-eau, and other great drains, besides many smaller ones. The most important recent works are the following:-A new channel; 6½ miles long, for the outfall of the Nen, by which a larger area has been reclaimed, and the Wisbeach navigation much improved; a new communication opened between Lincolnshire and Norfolk by a bridge over that channel, and a long bank across the sands at Sutton Wash; a new drain for the waters of the North Level; a new cut, 11 miles long, for the drainage of the Middle Level; and works for the drainage of Whittlesea Mere. The cost of the Nen outfall was £200,000; that of the new drain for the North Level, £150,000. The Old and New Bedford rivers, which run parallel to each other, are 21 miles in length and 1 mile apart. The former is 70, the latter 100 feet wide. They extend from Earith in Cambridgeshire, to near Downham in Norfolk."

"BELTISLOE WAPENTAKE, one of the 9 wapentakes or subdivisions of the parts of Kesteven, in the county of Lincoln, situated in the southern division of the county, and bounded on the N. by the wapentakes of Winnibriggs and Three, on the E. by the wapentake of Aveland, on the S. by the wapentake of Ness and the county of Rutland, and on the W. by the soke of Grantham and the county of Leicester. It contains the parishes of Bassingthorpe, Bitchfield, Burton-Coggles, Little Bytham, Castle Bytham, Careby, Corby, Creeton, Edenham, Gunby, Irnham, Lavington, Skillington, Stainby, Swayfield, Swinstead, Witham-on-the-Hill, North Witham and South Witham, with part of the parish of Colsterworth. The wapentake extends over an area of about 63,470 acres."

"BOLINGBROKE SOKE, one of the 17 subdivisions of the parts of Lindsey, in the county of Lincoln, situated in the northern division of the county, and bounded on the N. by the hundred of Hill, on the E. by the wapentake of Candleshoe, on the S. by the wapentake of Skirbeck, and part of that of Kirton, and on the W. by the soke of Horncastle. This soke is in two divisions, east and west. The east division contains the parishes of Carrington, East Ville, Halton-Holegate, Hundleby, East Neal, Lusby, Mavis-Enderby, Midville, Raithby, Spilsby, Little Steeping, St. Peter Thorpe, Toynton All Saints, and Toynton St. Peter's. The west division contains the parishes of Asgarby, Bolingbroke, Frithville, Hagnaby, Hareby, West Neal, East Kirkby, Minningsby, Revesby, Sibsey, Stickford, Stickney, and West Ville. The soke extends over an area of about 56,980 acres."

"BOOTHBY-GRAFFO WAPENTAKE, one of the 30 wapentakes or subdivisions of the county of Lincoln, situated in the parts of Kesteven, in the south division of the county, and bounded on the N. by the wapentake of Lawress, on the E. by the liberty of Lincoln and the wapentake of Langoe, on the S. by the wapentake of Loveden, and on the W. by the county of Nottingham. It is in two divisions, higher and lower. The higher division contains the parishes of Boothby, Coleby, Harmston, Navenby, Skinnand, Swinethorpe, Welbourne, and Wellingore, with part of Eagle, and the extra-parochial district of Eagle-Hall. The lower division contains the parishes of Aubourn, Bassingham, Boultham, Carlton-le-Moorland, Doddington, North Hyckham, South Hyckham, Norton-Disney, North Searle, Skellingthorpe, Stapleford, Swinderby, Thorpe-on-the-Hill, and Thurlby, with part of Eagle, and the extra-parochial districts of Morton and Eagle Woodhouse. The entire wapentake comprises an area of about 56,250 acres."

"BRADLEY HAVERSTOE WAPENTAKE, one of the 30 wapentakes or subdivisions of the county of Lincoln, situated in the parts of Lindsey, and the north parliamentary division of the county, and bounded on the N. and E. by the German ocean; on the S. by the wapentakes of Washcroft, Ludborough, and Louth Esk; and on the W. by the wapentake of Yarborough. It contains the parishes of Ashby, Aylesby, Barneldby-le-Beck, Beelsby, Bradley, Brigsley, Cabourne, Clee, Great Coates, Little Coates, North Coates, Cuxwold, Fulstow, Grainsby, Grimsby, Ratcliffe, Hawerby, Healing, Holten-le-Clay, Humberstone, Ireby, Laceby, Marsh Chapel, Newton Wold, East Ravendale, Rothwell, Scartho, Swallow, Swinhope, Tetney, North Thoresby, Waith, and Waltham. The wapentake extends over an area of about 66,450 acres."

"CALCEWORTH HUNDRED, one of the 18 subdivisions of the parts of Lindsey, in the county of Lincoln, situated in the northern parliamentary division of the county, and bounded on the N.W. by the hundred of Louth Eske, on the E. by the German Ocean, on the S. by the wapentake of Candleshoe, and on the W. by the hundred of Hill. It is in two divisions The Marsh division contains the parishes of Aby, Anderby, Belleau, Calceby, Little Cawthorpe, Cumberworth, Gayton-le-Marsh, Hogsthorpe, Huttoft, Legbourne, Maplethorpe St. Mary, Maplethorpe St. Peter, Mumby, South Reston, Sutton-in-the-Marsh, Swaby, Theddlethorpe All Saints, Theddlethorpe St. Helen, South Thoresby, Tothill, and Trusthorpe, with the extra-parochial liberty of Haugh. This division comprises about 33,000 acres. The Wold division contains the parishes of Alford, Beesby-in-the-Marsh, Bilsby, Claxby, Farlsthorpe, Hannah, Maltby-le-Marsh, Markby, Rigsby, Saleby, Strubby, Ulceby, Well, Willoughby, and Withern. This division extends over an area of about 25,600 acres."

"CANDLESHOE WAPENTAKE, one of the 17 wapentakes or subdivisions of the parts of Lindsey, in the county of Lincoln, situated in the northern parliamentary division of the county, and bounded on the N. by the hundred of Calceworth, on the E. by the German Ocean, on the S. by the wapentake of Skirbeck, and on the W. by the hundred of Hill and the soke of Bolingbroke. It is in two divisions The Marsh division contains the parishes of Addlethorpe, Burgh-in-the-Marsh, Croft, Friskney, Ingoldmells, Northolme, Orby, Skegness, Wainfleet (All Saints), Wainfleet (St. Mary), and Winthorpe. The Wold division contains the parishes of Ashby, Braytoft, Candlesby, Dalby, Driby, Firsby, Gunby, Irby-in-the-Marsh, Partney, Scremby, Skendleby, Great Steeping, Sutterby, and Welton-in-the-Marsh. The entire wapentake spreads over an area of about 51,000 acres."

"CARRINGTON, a parochial chapelry in the eastern division of the soke of Bolingbroke, in the county of Lincoln, 8 miles to the N. of Boston, its post town. Before 1812, when it was made a parochial chapelry, Carrington was part of the parish of Helpringham. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Lincoln, value £86, in the gift of trustees."

"CORRINGHAM, a wapentake in the parts of Lindsey, in the N.W. portion of the county of Lincoln, contains the parishes of Corringham, Heapham, Section, Scotter, Lea, Kirton-in-Lindsey, Southope, Pilham, Gainsborough, Blyton, Grayingham, Laughton, Northope, Springthorpe, and parts of Manton and Willoughton, comprising 46, 250 acres. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry of Stow."

"EAST-VILLE, a parochial township in the parts of Lindsey, soke of Bolingbroke, county Lincoln, 5 miles S. of Spilsby, and 12 N.E. of Boston. It is a railway station on the Boston and Great Grimsby branch of the Great Northern railway. The township of East-Ville is situated in the East Fen, and, on occasion of a very extensive drainage of fen lands, was, with six other townships, formed into a chapelry, not dependent on any parish. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Lincoln. The church is a modern structure, to which is attached a National school."

"ELLOE, a wapentake in the parts of Holland, county Lincoln, It is situated in the S.E. part of the county, adjoining the counties of Cambridge and Norfolk, and contains the parishes of Cowbit, Crowland, Fleet, Gedney, Holbeach, Moulton, Pinchbeck, Spalding, Long Sutton, St. Mary Tydd, Weston, Whaplode, and parts of Deeping Fen, comprising an area of about 148,500 acres."

"FLAXWELL WAPENTAKE, one of the 31 subdivisions of Lincolnshire, in the parts of Kesteven, near the middle of the county. It is bounded on the N. by the wapentake of Langoe, on the E. and S. by the wapentake of Aswardhurn, and on the W. by the wapentake of Loveden. It includes the parishes of Anwick, Ashby-de-la-Laund, Bloxholm, Brauncewell, Cranwell, Digby, Dovington, Leasingham, North and South Rauceby, Rowston, Ruskington, New Sleaford, and part of Temple-Bruer, embracing an area of about 37,400 acres."

"FRITH-VILLE, (or West Fen), a parochial chapelry and township in the W. division of the soke of Bolingbroke, parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, 4 miles N. of Boston, its post town. This district was created into a separate liberty in 1812, when the drainage of about 14,000 acres in Wildmore Fen, and in the East and West Fens, was carried into effect. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Lincoln, value £82. The church is a modern brick edifice. Mount Pleasant is a village in the vicinity, where the Wesleyans have a chapel, and there is a National school.

"GARTREE WAPENTAKE, one of the 31 subdivisions of Lincolnshire. It is situated in the central part of the county, and bounded on the N. by the wapentake of Ludborough, on the E. by the hundred of Hill, on the S. by the soke of Horncastle, and on the W. by the wapentake of Wraggoe. It includes the parishes of Asterby, Baumber, Belchford, Bucknall, Cawkwell, Dalderby, Donington-on-Bain, Edlington, Gantby, Goulceby, Hemingby, Horsington, Kirkby-on-Bain, Kirkstead, Langton Martin, Minting, Ranby, Seamblesby, Scrivelsby, Market Stainton, Stenigot, Great Sturton, Stixwould, Tattershall, Thornton, Waddingworth, Wispington, and Woodhall, comprising an area of about 54,000 acres. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln."

"GRANTHAM SOKE, one of the 31 subdivisions of the county Lincoln, situated in the parts of Kesteven, and south-eastern part of the county. It is bounded on the N. by the wapentake of Winnibriggs and Threo, on the E. by the wapentakes of Ashwardhurn-and Aveland, on the S. by the wapentake of Beltisloe, and, on the W., by the county of Leicester, and includes the parishes of Barkston, Belton, Braceby, Colsterworth, Denton, Great Gonerby, Grantham, Harlaxton, Londonthorpe, Great Ponton, Sapperton, and part of South Stoke, comprising nearly 30,000 acres."

"HILL, a hundred in the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, contains .the parishes of Ashby Puerorum, Aswardby, Bag Enderby, Brinkhill, Claxby Pluckacre, Fulletby; Greatham, Hagworthingham, Hameringham, Harrington, Langton, South Ormsby, Oxcombe, Salmonby, Sausthorpe, Scrafield, Somersby, Tetford, Walmsgate, Winceby, and Worlaby, comprising about 25,000 acres. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln."

"HORNCASTLE, a soke in the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, contains the parishes of West Ashby, Coningsby, Haltham-upon-Bain, Horncastle, Langrick Ville, Mareham-le-Fen, Mareham-on-the-Hill, Moorby, Roughton, Thimbleby, Thornton-le-Fen, Toynton (High and Low), Wilksby, and Wood Enderby, comprising about 24,780 acres. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln."

"HUMBER, a large river of the N.E. of England, dividing the counties of Lincoln and East Riding of Yorkshire, and being the outlet of the rivers Ouse and Trent. It has an average breadth of 1½ mile down to Hull, which stands on its northern bank, and 2 to 6 miles down to Great Grimsby."

"ISLE OF AXHOLME, a river island constituting the western division of the wapentake of Manley, parts of Lindsey, in the county of Lincoln. It forms the north-western extremity of the county, and lies on the borders of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. It is bounded on the E. by the river Trent, and was enclosed formerly by the rivers Don, Torne, and Idle. It contains the following seven parishes: Althorpe, Belton, Crowle, Epworth, Haxey, Luddington, and Owston. Two of these, Crowle and Epworth, are market towns. Haxey, formerly called Axel, and once the chief town, has given name to the district. This tract of country was in the earliest times covered with forest, and subsequently (it is not known when) became a marsh. After various attempts and failures, the task of draining and reclaiming it was undertaken and successfully accomplished in the reign of Charles I., by a skilful and energetic Dutchman, named Cornelius Vermuyden, whose compensation was to have been one-third part of the lands recovered. Many Dutch and French Protestants came over and established themselves in the neighbourhood, between whom and the natives unhappy contentions soon arose, which grew into ruinous lawsuits, and terminated after a long period by a decree awarding to each party their own share of the lands. The island is very fertile, and is divided into very small farms. It contains gypsum and beds of peat. A castle formerly stood at Haxey, belonging to the Mowbrays, which was demolished in 1174. Milwood Park was a seat of the same family, near which was established a Carthusian monastery. This district is about 18 miles in length from N. to S., and varies in breadth from 3 to 5 miles. It comprises an area of about 46,000 acres.

"KIRTON, a wapentake in the parts of Holland, county Lincoln. It contains the parishes of Algarkirk, Bicker, Donington, Fosdyke, Frampton, Gosberton, Harts Grounds, Kirton, North Forty Foot Bank, Pelhams Lands, Quadring, Surfleet, Sutterton, Swineshead, Wigtoft, Wyberton, and part of Skirbeck, comprising 71,660 acres."

"LANGOE, a wapentake in two divisions, in parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln. The first division contains the parishes of Billinghay, Kirkby Green, Timberland, and part of South Kyme, comprising an area of 20,990 acres. The second division contains the parishes of Blankney, Dunston, Metheringham, Nocton, Potter-Hanworth, Scopwick, and Washingborough, comprising an area of 33,080 acres."

"LAWRESS, a wapentake in the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, contains the parishes of Aisthorpe, Barlings, Brattleby, Broxholme, Burton, Buslingthorpe, North and South Carlton, Dunholm, Faldingworth, Fiskerton, Friesthorpe, Greetwell, St. Margaret, St. Mary Magdalene, Nettleham, St. Paul, Repham, Riseholme, Saxelby, Scampton, Scothern, Snarford, Sudbrooke, West Thorpe, Welton, Cherry-Willingham, and part of Torksey, comprising an area of 46,570 acres."

"LOUTH ESKE, a hundred in the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln. It is situated in the north-eastern part of the county, and is bounded on the N. by the wapentake of Beadley Haverstoe, on the E. by the German Ocean, on the S. by the hundred of Calceworth, and on the W. by the wapentake of Ludborough. There are two divisions called respectively Marsh and Wold. The former includes the parishes of Alvingham, Castle-Carlton, Conisholme, Grainthorpe, Grimoldby, Manby, Preston, Saltfleetby, Skidbrooke, North and South Somercotes, and Yarborough; the latter division has the parishes of Authorpe, Burwell, Calcethorpe, North and South Cockerington, North and South Elkington, Farforth, Gayton-le-Wold, Hallington, Haugham, Keddington, Kelstern, Louth, Muckton, Raithby-cum-Maltby, Ruckland, Stewton, Tathwell, Welton-le-Wold, Withcull, and East Wykeham-comprising an area of about 70,000 acres."

"LOVEDEN WAPENTAKE, one of the subdivisions of the parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln. It is situated in the western part of the county, and is bounded on the N. by the liberty of Lincoln and wapentake of Boothby Graffo on the E. by the wapentake of Langoe, on the S. by the wapentake of Winnibriggs and Threo, and on the W. by the county of Nottingham. It includes the parishes of Ancaster, Beckingham, Grange and Long Bennington, Bant Broughton, Carlton-Scroop, Caythorpe, Claypole, Dry Doddington, Fenton, Foston, Fulbeck, Hough-on-the-Hill, Hougham, Leadenham, Marston, Normanton, Stragglethorpe, Stubton, and Westborough, comprising an area of about 47,340 acres. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln."

"LUDBOROUGH, a wapentake or subdivision of the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, situated in the north-eastern part of the county. It is bounded on the N. by the wapentake of Bradley Haverstoe, on the E. by the hundred of Louth Eske, on the S. by the hundred of Hill, and on the W. by the wapentake of Walshcroft, and includes the parishes of Covenham (St. Bartholomew and St. Mary), Brackenborough, Fotherby, Little Grimsby, Ludborough, North Ormsby, Utterby, and Wyham-cum-Cadeby, comprising an area of about 12,600 acres."

"MACARONY, (or South Channel), in the Wash, off the coast of Lincoln. It lies between Hook Hill and Roger's Sands, and is the nearest approach to Boston.

"MANLEY, a wapentake in three divisions, East, North, and West, situated in the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln. The East wapentake contains the parishes of Bottesford, Broughton, Frodingham, Hibaldstow, Messingham, Redbourne, Scawby, Waddingham, and part of Manton, comprising an area of 46,990 acres. The North wapentake contains the parishes of Appleby, Alkborough, Burton-on-Stather, Flixborough, West Halton, Roxby-cum-Risby, Whitton, Winteringham, and Winterton, comprising an area of 33,980 acres. The West wapentake contains the parishes of Althorpe, Belton, Crowle, Epworth, Haxey, Luddington, Owston, Wroot, and part of Misson, comprising an area of 50,690 acres."

"MARSH, a division of the wapentakes of Calceworth, Candleshoe, and Louth Esk, county Lincoln, which see."

"NEN, (or Nyne), a river of county Northampton, rises at Chapel Well, near Naseby, and passing through part of Cambridgeshire, falls into the Cross Keys Wash, near Sutton St. Mary, in Lincolnshire.

"NESS, a wapentake in county Lincoln. It contains the borough of Stamford, and the parishes of Barholme, Baston, Braceborough, Carlby, Market and West Deeping, Greatford, Langtoft, Stowe, Tallington, Thurlby, Uffington, and part of Fen-Deeping, comprising an area of 29,790 acres. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln."

"PARTS OF HOLLAND, a division of county Lincoln, comprising the wapentakes of Elloe, Kirton, and Skirbeck, with the towns of Boston, Crowland, Donnington, Holbeach, St. Mary Sutton, and Swineshead. It takes its name from the South Holland Dyke, by which, with numerous other canals, it is drained into the Wash, and from which it has been reclaimed. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln.

"PARTS OF KESTEVEN, a division of county Lincoln, contains the wapentakes of Aswardhurn, Aveland, Beltisloe, Boothby Graffo, Flaxwell, Langoe, Loveden, Ness, Winnibriggs; also the boroughs of Grantham and Stamford, and the market towns of Bourne, Corby, Folkingham, Market-Deeping, and Sleaford, comprising altogether about 445,550 acres. It constitutes with the parts of Holland the S. electoral division of Lincolnshire, returning two members to parliament for the county.

"PARTS OF LINDSEY, comprises the northern division of county Lincoln, and returns two members to parliament. It contains, besides the city of Lincoln, the wapentakes of Aslacoe (East and West), Bradley-Haverstoe, Candleshoe, Corringham, Gartree (North and South), Lawress, Ludborough, Manley (East, West, and North), Washcroft (North and South), Well, Wraggoe (East and West), Yarborough (East, North, and South), the hundreds of Calceworth, Hill, Louth-Eske, the sokes of Bolingbroke (East and West), and Horncastle, comprising 962,000 acres.

"SKIRBECK, a wapentake in parts of Holland, county Lincoln, contains the parishes of Boston and the parishes of Benningham, Butterwick, Fishtoft, Frieston, Leake, Leverton, Wrangle, and part of Skirbeck; comprising an area of 30,880 acres, exclusive of Boston."

"THE WOLDS, two districts so called, one in county Lincoln, the other in East Riding county York.

"VICTORIA, a new district in course of being reclaimed from the Wash, between counties Norfolk and Lincoln (which see)."

"WALSHCROFT, a wapentake in two divisions, North and South, in the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln; the former contains the parishes of Claxby, South Kelsey, Kingerby, Kirkby-cum-Osgodby, Newton-by-Toft; Normanby-on-the-Wolds, Owersby, West Raisen, Thornton-le-Moors Toft-next-Newton, Usselby, and part of Caistor, com prising an area of 26,810 acres;, and the latter, the parishes of Binwood St. Gabriel and St. Mary, Croxby, Linwood, Market and Middle Raisen, Stainton-le-Vale, Tealby, Thoresway, Thorganby, Walesby, and North Willingham; comprising an area of 30,420 acres."

"WELL, a wapentake in the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, contains the parishes of Burton Gate, Kettlethorpe, Knaith, Marton, Newton-on-Trent, Stow, Upton, Willingham, and part of Torksey; comprising an area of near 20,000 acres."

"WINNIBRIGGS AND THREO, a wapentake in the parts of Kesteven, county Lincoln, contains the parishes of East and West Allington, Barrowby, Boothby-Pagnell, Grantham, Honington, Little Poulton, Ropsley, Sedgebrook, Somerby, Stroxton, Syston, Welby, Wilsford, Woolsthorpe, Wyvill, and parts of Haydor and South Stoke, comprising 37,270 acres, exclusive of Grantham."

"WRAGGOE, a wapentake in the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, divided into East and West; the former contains the parishes of Barkwith East and West, Benniworth, Biscathorpe, Burgh-on-Baine, Hainton, Hatton, Kirmond-le-Mire, Langton-by-Wragby, Ludford Magna and Parva, Panton, Sixhills, Sotby, and Willingham South; and the latter the parishes of Apley, Bardney, Goltho, Holton-Beckering, Langton-Woodhouse, Legsby, Lissington, Rand, Snelland, Stainfield, Stainton-by-Langworth, Torrington East and West, Tupholme, Wickenby, and Wragby, comprising together 58,800 acres. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry and diocese of Lincoln."

"YARBOROUGH, a wapentake in three divisions in the parts of Lindsey, county Lincoln, distinguished as East, North, and South; the first, or East division, contains the parishes of Brocklesby, Croxton, Habrough, East Halton, Immingham, Keelby, Killingholme, Kirmington, Limber Magna, Riby, and Stallingborough; the second, or North, contains Barrow-on-Humber, Barton-on-Humber, Bonby, Elsham, South Ferriby, Goxhill, Hockstow, Saxby, Thornton-Curtis, Ulceby, Wootton, and Worlaby; and the third, or South division, Barnetby-le-Wold, Bigby, Cadney, Grasby, North Kelsey, Melton Ross, Nettleton, Searby, Somerby, Wrawley, and part of Caistor, besides the town of Glandford Brigg; together comprising 76,870 acres."

"MAREFIELD, a township in the parish of Tilton, hundred of Gartree, county Lincoln (formerly Leicester), 7 miles S. of Melton- Mowbray."

Search the GENUKI Gazetteer. [Click the Gazetteer link at the top of any page, not the search box which searches GENUKI pages.] 
The GENUKI Gazetteer covers the whole of England, Wales and Scotland and can be searched by place-name (or part of a place-name) or Ordnance Survey Grid Reference (six-figure, eg NZ183848). If there are multiple place-names matching the name you enter, you will initially be presented with a drop-down list of the matching place-names with their distances and bearings from London, England.

The GENUKI Church Database. [Click the Churches link at the top of any page, not the search box which searches GENUKI pages.]
This covers the whole of the UK and includes facilities for listing other churches and parishes within any specified distance of the parish church.

• The Vision of Britain site provides: A vision of Britain between 1801 and 2001. Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions. 
  - read the guide to searching places, units and locations 
  - check the sources on which this excellent site is based
• The downloadable PARLOC program is available from Dave & Chris Bennett's site.
• The Open Domesday project enables you to locates places (and their details) from the Domesday book.

GENUKI Gazetteer maintenance - Ireland

Basic information

All the Irish Civil Parishes and Townlands appear in the gazetteer, but for many we do not have an actual location. So as a starting point it uses the centre of the county when we have no location. Where we have a parish location we use that as a starting location for the townland. All very approximate but it helps guide reasearchers to the appropriate area and as we add locations it gets nearer and nearer to the real value. So most of this work is to achieve that. There is also other documentation describing how it is achieved.

• The status of each county section can be seen on the statistics page which helps identiy the amount of work required for each county.
• Details of the format of the source files and basic techniques are described in the Gazetteer maintenance page.
• Work already mostly done on developing the Irish counties is a useful adjunct.

Work required

The starting point for each county is to take a look at the Parishes column on the statistics page. If you hold the mouse over the numbers it explains what they represent. We want to get to the stage where there is just single number here where we've created a web page for each parish. If there is a name other than Phil Stringer in the Maintainers column then somebody is already working on this county.

In the end we want to get to the stage where there is nothing in the Approx column, and nothing in the No links column but it is easiest to do some of the tasks in a particular order.

Exact location for parish

In the Approx column, if there is a number marked Parishes with an approximate location this is the simplest one to resolve first. It is those parishes that had a location in our original data and location should be nearly right. Click the number for the names of the parishes, and click each name to see a page with links to online maps. Select This place shown on a Google map. Zoom the map appropriately and drag the icon to where you think the centre of that place is. You then have the correct value to go the csv file and can change the Approx field (column C)from Y to N. If you find the Google map does not take you to a place and ther is none nearby on the map, then perhaps then perhaps an error was made in the past. So use the instructions in the next step for finding the centre location of the parish.

Parishes where we need a location

These can be identified in the Parishes column, and are labelled Civil parishes for we don't yet have a location. Click the number and see the list of names. Click a name to take you to links to online maps, the ones in the south are much easier to do.

• North - the Irish Times site is your friend as it shows where they all are on a map. It is not always easy to relate this to the modern Google map as it does not show place names. But you need to open a Google map in another browser tab and pan it and move the marker to then centre of the area shown on the Irish Times. You then have the centre location of the parish.
• South - follow the link to the Irish Ordnance survey site. Use the search menu on the right, and select the county and then Historic parishes. That shows you a historic map of the parish along with its boundaries. Pan the map until the red cross is in the centre of the parish. Don't pan it again on subsequent clicks as it changes the location that you've just found!. I find it best then to go to the 'Preview map series' menu on the right and select 'Wind report' it changes to a modern map which is much easier to relate to the Google map. Zoom, without, panning so that you can see place names that you can relate to a Google map that you've open in another tab. So look at that the OS map with one eye and move the marker on the Google map to the same location. You then have the centre location of the parish.

Cut and paste the location (Lat/Lon) into column B in the csv file for that parish entry. Change the Approx field (column C) from Y to N. Now for all the townlands without a location in this parish, change the Approx field (column C) to P, and add the parish centre location to column B. This makes the most significant improvement to the gazetteer.

Places with no location at all

As updated versions of the csv file are updated the entries that need attention in the statistics file thankfully drop. At this point the Places with no location at all in the Approx column should now have disappeared. If not it is worth fixing these now as there will be very few left for this county. Sometimes you may see Market Town in column K with the name of a description in column L. Search the gazetteer for this place to read the description. It may tell you this is also a parish. If so copy column L into column L for the parish where it is missing and then you can probably just delete the duplicate Market Town entry. For others a Google search can help identify it and lead to a location.

Townlands with a parish centre location

We are now getting to the more tedious work, but once done it makes it much more useful for researchers. In the Approx column there is probably a significant number entitled Places with a parish location. This gives list of all the names which can be clicked to link to maps, such as Google centred on the parish centre, the value in that entry in the csv file. However going through this alphabetically can be slow and it isn't as easy to spot mistakes.

The easiest method I've found is to look in the csv file at all the entries in a parish, the smaller parishes being easier. Use the gazetteer to search for the entry for the parish and ask it to display all the places in the parish on a Google map. There will be townland names on the Google map which should match the ones you need to find. If none match then the parish location may be wrong! There do seem to townlands in other parishes with the same name as actual parishes. In the rare event that this has happened, then fix the parish centre location as described above. Drag and drop the marker on the map to find the location of the townlands and change the location field in the csv file and also change the Approx to N.

Start with the ones where we already have an approximate location as they show up reasonably easily to start with. Then compare the unknown townland names nearby on the Google map with the csv file. Where they match, drag and drop and you have another answer. Google does at times have two identical names close by. I tend to use the one in the larger font as that seems to be the older one. If both are the same size I drag to point mid-way between.

So what about the townlands that don't seem to be on the Google map? Well we can go to the Irish OS site and search for the townland and see where it is on the map. Be careful that the one you get is the one you want as there can be multiple townlands with the same name. Again a useful check is to look at adjacent ones on the map and see if they are in that parish in the cav file. The Irish OS technique can only be used for counties in the South as it doesn't have the countties and townlands in the search menu for the north. If it is a county in the North try the map provided by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. We haven't found a way to link into a location so you will need to zoom and pan to the parish location and then search for townland names. There does seem to be better coverage than Google, and it appears to have more accurate locations.

There will be some very small townlands that the Irish OS site doesn't have in the menu. If it is an island, then browse the Irish OS 6" historic map for the parish and pan and zoom across the wet areas. It is easy to find island names there. For tiny townlands that aren't islands, try a Google search as somebody may have described the location. Otherwise you are left with panning the historic 6".

There is also a technique that will find the townlands plotted on a Google map. Go to https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@?dg=dbrw&newdg=1 and put the place and county in the search bar. It normally finds it and shows a marker on a map with a rough outline of the townland. What you want is the location of the marker. So right click next to the marker and a menu will appear. Select What's here? and the lat/lon is placed in the search bar. I tend to compare that with other places in the parish to make sure it is nearby and so the right one.

In the larger parishes I find it useful to put in a framework of townlands, upload the csv file, and wait for the nightly update. Things are then clearer on the map the next day. There is less clutter and it is easier to finds ones that still need doing. You need to zoom in for Google to make some visible.

The remaining places with approximate locations

That ones that are left with approximate locations come from the CIA World Fact Book. Some will be duplicates of existing places, some geographic features and some places smaller than townlands. So take each one in the list, and select nearby places on a Google map.

• Look at nearby places marked on the map, and if a duplicate, remove it from the csv file.
• I look at all Cross Roads and tend to remove any that match the name of a nearby townland. If it is a new name check on the Irish OS map and zoom in when it usually becomes visible. You then know the exact location and can drag/drop the Google marker. It is also useful loohing at the historic 6" to see which parish it was in, and put that name in the Parish field. The CIA didn't always get the spelling right, so make any adjustments that are needed.
• If it is a named bridge, then I keep these setting the exact location, and filling in the Parish name.
• Then any small places I treat in a similar way.

It is during this phase that the towlands with parish boundaries running through them become visible as we have two or more markers at the same spot. Zoom in to make it clearer and perhaps drag one to the side to check the names and the parishes.

We only want the user to be presented with a single place at that location. We don't multiple gazetteer entries for any of these as we are trying to specify where they are, not to document an administrative hierarchy. But we can do our best to tell the user that it is in multiple parishes. So for the first entry for the townland put the names of the parishes it lies in, in the parish field separating the names with a colon ':' character (without quotes). Then delete the entries from the other parishes. We then have a single place listing all the parishes it is in.

Gotchas

There do seem to be some parishes split across counties. If you find one, get in touch with Phil as he has devised a technique to handle it but has not yet implemented it.

The Post Office's Postcode Finder

The Post Office no longer supports their postcode finder tool. Instead they advise: for the most up-to-date address and postcode details, please use your preferred mapping service such as Google Maps or Apple Maps, or use a search engine.

• The GENUKI Gazetteer covers the whole of England, Wales and Scotland and can be searched by place-name (or part of a place-name) or Ordnance Survey Grid Reference (six-figure, eg NZ183848). If there are multiple place-names matching the name you enter, you will initially be presented with a drop-down list of the matching place-names with their distances and bearings from London, England.
• A Gazetteer of British Place Names provided by the Association of British Counties. This comprehensive place-name index for Britain lists more than 50,000 places and gives the Ordnance Survey grid reference, the ancient or geographical County, and current local government information for each place name. There is comprehensive coverage of alternative spellings (including Welsh and Gaelic versions) and detailed notes specifically aimed at historians and genealogists. Appendices relate present day registration districts to local government areas and list those places which lay in a different "registration county" to their ancient County in the 19th century.
• The GB1900  Project - a crowd-sourced historical gazetteer based on the 1:10560 Ordnance Survey mapping of Great Britain
• GENUKI Church Database provides an online Parish Locator covering the whole of the UK. This includes facilities for listing other churches and parishes within any specified distance of the parish church.
• UK Placename Finder from Popular Archaeology includes details of 160,000 UK places.
• The archived copy of the BBC Domesday Project Reloaded website provides a method of searching the contents of the original BBC Domesday Gazetteer disk - a huge crowd-sourced description of the UK, dating from 1986 - by using the TNA Discovery Catalogue's results filtering facility.

Some historical gazetteers:

Lewis, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of England. 4 vols. London: S. Lewis and Co., 1831

Southall, Humphrey; Aucott, Paula; Fleet, Christopher; Pert, Tom; Stoner, Michael. GB1900: engaging the public in very large scale gazetteer construction from the Ordnance Survey “County Series” 1:10,560 mapping of Great Britain. Journal of Map & Geography Libraries, Vol. 13, No. 1, (2017), p. 7-28. [PDF]

Wilson, John M. The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. Six Volumes. Edinburgh, Scotland: A. Fullerton, 1870

The National Gazetteer: A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands. Virtue and Co., London (1868) 3 vols. [Full text - vol 1 (A-E), vol. 2 (F-M), vol. 3 (N-Z)]

Gazetteer of the British Isles. Edinburgh, Scotland: John Bartholomew and Sons, Ltd., 1966.