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Entry from White's Directory for 1842 |
BRIGG,
or GLANFORD BRIGG, is a neat, well-built,
and thriving market town, on the navigable
river Ancholme, in a broad level vale of
rich and well-drained marshes and cars,
bounded on the east and west by the woody
and highly cultivated acclivities of the
Wolds. It is a distant 10 miles S. by W.
of Barton, 9 miles W.N.W. of Caistor, 24
miles N. by E. of Lincoln, 16 miles S.S.W.
of Hull, and 10 miles S. of the Humber,
from which the Ancholme is navigable to
Bishop Bridge, 10 miles above Brigg, and
5 miles from Market Rasen; and by a branch
cut to Moorton, 3, 1/2 miles from Caistor.
The township and chapelry of Brigg is in
the parish and manor of Wrawby, and contains
nearly 2000 acres of land. Its population
amounted, in 1801, to 1327; in 1811, to
1361; in 1821, to 1674; in 1831, to 1780;
in 1841, to 1816; but the town extends into
three other parishes, and its total number
of inhabitants is about 2300, of whom about
430 are on the west side of the river, in
Broughton and Scawby parishes, and about
60 in the eastern suburb, which is Bigby
parish. The etymology of Glanford is unknown,
but it may perhaps be a corruption of Clamford,
from the clamps, or planks of timber, laid
down in ancient times across the ford and
its swampy approaches, where a good road
and strong stone bridge were subsequently
constructed. It is in some legal documents
and other writings called Glanford Briggs.
After the erection of the bridge, the town
obtained the name of Brigg. It was formerly
only a small fishing hamlet; but since the
improvement and the extension of the Ancholme
navigation, and the drainage of the cars
and marshes in the vale of that river, about
the commencement of the present century,
it has been continually increasing in trade,
commerce, buildings, and population. The
navigation was considerably improved in
1826, so as to admit vessels of 60 tons
burden as high as Bishop Bridge.
Much
business is done here in corn, coal, and
timber; and here are several corn mills,
two roperies, two tan and fellmongers'
yards and several malt kilns. The town
was formerly very extensively engaged
in dressing rabbit skins and fur, but
this trade has considerably declined since
the enclosure of most of the large warrens
of Lincolnshire. Several of the inhabitants
are owners of small trading vessels, and
packets sail daily with passengers to
Ferriby Sluice, to meet the Hull steamers.
The market, held every Thursday, is numerously
attended, and well supplied with corn
and all sorts of provisions. Here is also
a large fair for horses, cattle, and sheep,
on the 5th of August, and a hiring for
servants on the Friday before Old May-day.
Petty sessions are held once a fortnight,
and a court of requests for the recovery
of debts not exceeding £5, once
a month, at the Town hall, under which
is the butter market. Glanford Brigg Union,
for which a large Workhouse was built
here a few years ago, comprises fifty
parishes and townships. In the reign of
King John, a hospital was founded here
by Adam Paynel, subordinate to Selby Abbey,
but all traces of it disappeared many
years ago. In 1699, a small Chapel of
Ease was built in the town, chiefly at
the expense of four gentlemen, named Atkinson,
Jolland, Benson, and Dempster; three of
whom bequeathed property for the benefit
of a lecturer or curate, to be appointed
by the trustees of the Free School, and
to read prayers once a day, and preach
every Sunday, as assistant to the vicar
of Wrawby, who is virtually both patron
and incumbent of the curacy. The Lectureship
has generally been held by the head master
of the free school, and is now enjoyed
by the Rev. Charles Cotterill, B.A. The
endowment consists of a homestead and
about 30 acres of land, at North Kelsey,
let for £30 per annum, and mostly
derived from the bequest of George Jolland,
in 1712, and partly from the bequests
of Richard Benson and a Mr. Dempster,
about 1740.
This
chapel having been long too small for
the increasing population of the town,
a handsome church is now building by subscription
and a grant from the Church Building Society,
at the cost of bout £3000, in the
Gothic style, with a tower 82 feet high.
This handsome fabric is now in rapid progress,
and will be finished in 1842. The stone
was given by Sir John Nelthorpe, whose
lady laid the first stone, August 16th,
1841. The Independents and the Wesleyan
and Primitive Methodists have each a chapel
here, and the two latter were built in
1840. That belonging to the Wesleyans
is in lieu of the old chapel, now converted
into a school, and was opened January
1st, 1841. It is a large and handsome
building, in the Grecian style of architecture,
of white brick, with stone dressings.
The FREE SCHOOL was founded by Sir John
Nelthorpe, Bart., who, by will, in 1669,
directed his executors to build a "fair
school-house and dwelling-house upon his
closes, called the Town's-end closes,
at Brigg, and endow the intended school
with the said closes, and also with all
his lands and hereditaments at Horncastle,
West Ashby, Ulceby, and Fullsby; the Townsend
Closes, and the lands at Horncastle and
West Ashby, with one oiety of the estate
at Fullsby, to be for the maintenance
of the headmaster; the lands at Ulceby
to be for the support of the usher, and
the other moiety of the estate at Fullsby,
to be expended in providing lodgings,
diet, clothes, and books, for as many
boys of Legsby and Fullsby, as the income
would maintain in the said school, where
the founder directed that they should
be educated with the other scholars until
they have learnt to read and write, and
attained "good skill in arithmatic."
He further directed that all the children
of the inhabitants of Brigg, Wrawby, Messingham,
North Kelsey, Legsby, Ulceby, Fullsby,
West Ashby, Scalby; Broughton and Castlethorpe,
should be taught the Latin, (Greek and
Hebrew languages, "to write also
and arithmetic," and should have
their learning Gratis; and that all other
children sent to the said school from
other places, should be taught to read,
write, and cast accounts without any charge
whatever. The Earl of Yarborough, Sir.
C.J.Anderson, R.C.Elwes, Esq.,(lord of
the manor,) and T.G.Corbett,Esq., are
the acting trustees.
There
are two commodious dwelling-houses for
the master and usher, and two large school-rooms.
The number of scholars was, till recently,
limited to 80, but the ushers school being
now conducted on the national system,
130 boys were admitted. Beside the free
occupation of the Town's-end Closes (9A.
2R., worth £30 per annum,) the master
receives £200 yearly from the rents
of the estates at Fullsby, Horncastle,
and West Ashby, which are let for £239.
12s. per annum, of which £198 is
derived from the Fullsby estate, one half
of which ought to be appropriated in maintaining
poor boys of Fullsby and Legsby though
there has rarely been more than one boy
on this branch of the foundation. The
Usher's estate at Ulceby has been increased
by allotments awarded to it under an enclosure
act, passed in 1824, from about 50A.to
upwards of 175A., and from the yearly
value of £84 to £237, from
which, however, there has to be deducted
£157. 10s. per annum to pay the
interest of £3500 borrowed to pay
the enclosure expenses; so that the usher
only receives £60 per annum, and
the remaining £19. 10s. is retained
to pay for repairs,&c. The founder
also bequeathed a house at Gainsbro',
to pay the expenses of the school trustees,
and it is now let for £15 per annum.
William Thorold, about the year 1664,
left a yearly rent-charge of 40s., out
of two cottages here, for apprenticing
a poor boy. A Subscription Library was
established here about eight years ago;
and there is in the town an excellent
Brass Band, established by the Earl of
Yarborough, in connexion with his troop
of Yeomanry Cavalry.
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