[Transcription © SA Whittle-Bruce 2002]

Freiston,Lincolnshire

William White's History,Gazetteer and Directory 1842, pages 183-185

Freiston about 3 miles E. of Boston, is a pleasant, straggling village, bearing the names of Church-end and Altoft-end, the latter nearly a mile north of the church. Its parish has upwards of 1100 inhabitants, and about 5000 acres of land, including a fen allotment of 1019A.28p., lying from 3 to 4 miles north of the church, and the hamlets of FREISTON SHORE and Crane-end, on the shore of the great Wash, 5 miles E. by S. of Boston. At Freiston Shore, are two good hotels, pleasantly situated near the sea-bank. and much resorted to, in summer, by the people of Boston and other places, desirous of enjoying the salubrious exercise of sea bathing. for which here is ample accommodation, as well as suits of warm and tepid baths at the hotels. Here are nine fishing boats employed in catching herrings, shrimps, soles, sprats, oysters, &c. Henry Rogers, Esq., is lord of the manor of Freiston and Butterwick, anciently called the manor of Rooshall, but the soil belongs to many freeholders, most of whom are resident; and here are three smaller manors of Coupledyke Hall, Poynton Hall, and Peachy hall; the first of which is the seat and property of John Plummer, Esq., who took down the old hall a few years ago, when the present neat structure was built upon its site. After the Norman Conquest, ,Freiston was given to Guy de Croun, or Credon, with about 60 other lordships. He built a mansion here, and one of his descendents, Alan Croun, gave the advowson of the church to Crowland Abbey, and founded a Priory here, in 1114, for monks of the Benedictine order. At the dissolution, this priory was valued at £105.10s.9d. After being long held by the Crown, it was granted, about 1687, to the Dryden family. A house near the church is said to have been the prior's residence. The Church (St. James) is a large structure, exhibiting a mixture of Saxon, Norman, and other architecture, and its east end is supposed to have been part of the priory. The vicarage, united with that of Butterwick, is valued in K.B. at £16.11s.10d., and now at £380. The Rev, Thomas Homer,D.D., is the patron and incumbent. The tithes were commuted for an allotment of land, at the enclosure of the fens. The Wesleyan chapel at Freiston was built in 1838. The FRRE SCHOOL was built by subscription about fifty years ago, and is endowed with 2A. 20P. of land, given by John Holden, in 1723, and a yearly rent-charge of 20s., left by Benjamin Morfoot, in 1727, out of the Mill-croft, which is now part of the estate of John Linton, Esq. The land lets for £7.15s. and the master has also £9.10s. yearly out of the poor rates. The school is free to the children of all parishioners who do not rent tenements of £10 per annum. The TOWN'S ESTATE consists of 7 acres, purchased, in 1679, for £72.16s., town's money. It is now let for £21 a year, which is distributed among the poor in coals. The poor have 9A. 16P. of land, in the barney field, derived from the bequests of Benjamin Morfoot, John Anton, James Mann, Simon Guy, Wm. Swift, and other donors. Two acres of it are let for £5, and the remainder is let in small allotments to labourers, at the rate of £2. 6s. per acre. They have also 23A. 3R. 10P. in Freiston and Butterwick Ings, derived from the bequesta of Wm. Packharnis (in 1715) John Holden (in 1723) Thos. Truesdale (in 1694) and other donors. This land is let for £40 per annum. Near the church, on land left by Thomas Truesdale, 15 cottages have been erected by the parishioners, and they are occupied rent-free by poor families. The poor have likewise 5A. 3R. 28P. in Long-grove field, allotted, at the enclosure, in lieu of land left by William harwood and other donors, between 1715 and 1731. It is let for £9.11s. They have also £10.10s. yearly from 5A. 1P. of land, left by John Harland, in 1685; a rent-charge of £4 per annum, left by Mary Mason, in 1720; and one of £2, left by Roger Maners, in 1590