Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire, maritime county in E. of England, bounded N. by Yorkshire, from which it is separated by the Humber; E. by the North Sea; S. by Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk; and W. by Notts, Leicestershire, and Rutland; greatest length, N. to S., 75 miles; greatest breadth, E. to W., 45 miles; area, 1,767,879 ac., pop. 469,919. Lincolnshire is the second largest co. in England. For a very long time it has been divided into 3 "parts" - namely, the Parts of Lindsey, the Parts of Kesteven, and the Parts of Holland. Generally speaking the land is flat and low, especially on the coast, which in some parts requires an embankment to check the encroachments of the sea. The Wolds, or Chalk Hills, in the NE., are about 47 miles long and 6 miles broad. Most of the co. is watered by the rivers Trent, Witham, Ancholme, and Welland, with their tributaries. The co. is intersected by an intricate network of canals and dykes, the latter being cut for the purposes of drainage. The soil is varied and generally fertile, being especially rich in pasture, upon which splendid breeds of oxen, horses, and sheep are reared. (For agricultural statistics, see Appendix.) The coast fisheries, especially at Grimsby, are of immense value. Inland the inhabitants are mostly employed in agriculture. Shipbuilding, cordage and net mfr., and machine-making are carried on. Lincolnshire is divided into 3 divisions, viz., the Parts of Holland, the Parts of Kesteven, and the Parts of Lindsey, and comprises 31 wapentakes, hundreds, liberties, and sokes, 757 pars, and 4 parts of pars., the parl. and mun. bors. of Boston, Grantham, Great Grimsby, and Lincoln (1 member each), and the mun. bors. of Louth and Stamford (part). It is almost entirely in the diocese of Lincoln. For parliamentary purposes the county is divided into 7 divisions - viz., West Lindsey or Gainsborough, North Lindsey or Brigg, East Lindsey or Louth, South Lindsey or Horncastle, North Kesteven or Sleaford, South Kesteven or Stamford, and Holland or Spalding, each division returning 1 member; the representation of Lincolnshire was increased from 6 to 7 members in 1885.


(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "maritime county"   (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 2nd order divisions")
Administrative units: Lincolnshire AncC
Place: Lincolnshire

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