Boston Lincolnshire

Boston (Lincolnshire) (contracted from Botolph's Town, St. Botolph having founded a monastery here in the seventh century) is a parliamentary and municipal borough in Lincolnshire, and is situated in a rich agricultural district on the estuary of the Witham, which divides the town into two parts, and is here crossed by an iron bridge. A leading feature in the town is the parish church of St. Botolph, with its tower, close on 300 feet high, which forms a landmark for miles round by land and sea. There is also a chapel, built by the citizens of Boston in America, to the memory of Thomas Cotton, a former vicar. The harbour accommodation has recently been greatly improved, ships of 2,000 tons being able to reach the centre of the town, and the commerce has correspondingly increased. Besides the railways, it has communication with Lincoln, Gainsborough, Nottingham, and Derby, by river and canals. Its manufactures embrace ropes, sails, agricultural implements, leather, bricks, etc. It was the birthplace of Fox, the author of the Book of Martyrs, and of Herbert Ingram, founder of the Illustrated London News.