George Bass.

George Bass was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet about 20 miles from Boston. His father died in 1777 when Bass was 6 and he and his Mother moved to Boston. He attended Boston Grammar School and later trained in medicine at the hospital at Boston. At the age of 18 he was accepted in London as a member of the Company of Surgeons, and in 1794 he joined the Royal Navy as a surgeon.

George Bass.

 

He arrived in Sydney on HMS Reliance on 7 September 1795. Also on the voyage was Matthew Flinders. Together with Flinders, he sailed more than 18 000 kilometres exploring the coastline of Australia and proved that Tasmania was an island. Soon after they arrived in Australia, Bass and Flinders explored the coastline south of Sydney in a tiny boat called the Tom Thumb. Bass who was 24, and Flinders who was only 21 were both very adventurous. Very few people would have had the courage to sail into the open sea in such a small boat. During this trip they explored the land south of Sydney and found land suitable for settlement.

Memorial in St. Botolphs church (The Stump).

 

In 1797 Bass left Sydney in a whaleboat. He took with him 6 sailors and 6 weeks' supply of food. Before reaching Western Port, he came across a party of 7 escaped convicts and promised to rescue them on his return. He then sailed on to Western Port on the southern coast of Australia. Strong winds forced him to stay here for nearly 2 weeks. Bass suspected that there must be a strait of water separating the mainland from Tasmania (then called Van Diemen's land). He rescued the convicts on his way back and sailed back to Port Jackson, after exploring 300 miles of previously unknown coastline. In 1798, Bass and Flinders set off in the Norfolk to sail around Van Diemen's Land. The Norfolk was the first boat to be built in the colony and was built by the prisoners on Norfolk Island. Bass and Flinders discovered and explored the Tamar River. They then spent another 3 weeks mapping the north coast of Tasmania before they sailed down the west coast. They sailed down the Derwent River where Hobart now stands and then set sail for Sydney. They had proved that Van Diemen's Land was an island by sailing right round it. Flinders named the strait, Bass Strait, after George Bass. The discovery of this strait meant that ships could save days when sailing to England, by sailing straight along the south coast, rather than right around the bottom of Tasmania. This was their last voyage together. Bass sailed from Sydney in 1803 to travel to South America. He disappeared and was never heard of again.

 

Bass lived for a time at the Crown and Anchor in London Road Boston, the pub is now demolished but this sign was saved and embedded in the wall at the site.

Goings on in Bargate

When I was young I remember sheep, pigs, cows and chickens being sold down Bargate but that has all gone now along with the sale of slaves and women, read on..........................................

In 1833 J.Martin, who was second master of the Grammar School, described the Boston May Fair of the 1400's as follows.

"In an open space adjoining Austin Friary, called Archery Ground, feats of truly English sport was celebrated in which all classes joined. Prize-fighting, or the science of defence, the professors of which were incorporated by royal patent, had its theatre near the archery ground. Preparations were also made for baiting a Bull on Bargate Common, as soon as the bustle of the beast mart had somewhat subsided. Throughout the whole of these scenes occasional booths presented themselves, on the outside of which was chalked in large characters "Wine, Ale, Sack."

The only revolting spectacle in the fair was the common exposure and sale of slaves, or villeins as they were called, a common practice in the times of which we write. These unfortunate beings were arranged, like beast in a stall, in a booth erected for the purpose just outside the Bar-gate, each one having an iron collar rivetted round his neck, on which was engraven his own name and that of his owner. The price of an ordinary slave was, in the year 1400, one mark, or 13s 4d."

 Mr. Walter Whyers, writing in 1934, says that at one time it was no uncommon practice for a man to put a halter around his wifes neck, lead her to the appointed spot in Bargate Green and sell her for half a crown. His father remembered an amusing story of one such sale. A man had taken his wife to Bargate Green, put the halter about her neck, and sold her to another man. As the wife-seller took the halter from his wife's neck he gave her a flick across the back with it and said, " You can now go, you - I've had enough of you." The buyer then took the matter in hand, and stripping off his coat said, " Keep your hands off her, she's mine now." He then gave the woman's former husband a sound thrashing.

Homes of our Forefathers

I came across an old book entitled “Homes of our Forefathers” which was printed in 1889. It was written by an American called Edwin Whitefield from Boston Massachusetts who visited Boston U.K. for the special purpose of “sketching and hunting up whatever there might be of interest in the Boston which gave its name to our own city” Below are the 21 sketches he made.

An old house in Archer Lane, off Wormgate. Now demolished.

The Bell Inn, on the site of the present Stump and Candle pub.

Blackfriars, now a theatre.

Burton Corner is at the junction of Sibsey Road / Wainfleet Road.

At the end of Wormgate, opposite the Stump.

Near the Stump, building is now vacant, its last use was a shop called "Spooky's"

Now demolished.

The Grammar school.

The Guildhall.

Better known as Gysors Hall, was next to the Magnet Tavern in South Square. Now demolished.

Formerly stood on the west side of the road leading to the sluice near the west end of North Street.
Tradition reports this building to have been erected with the stones taken from the church of St. John of Jerusalem; a stone in the northern gable of the house bore the date 1659, and the initials W.E.R.
Heron's Hall was taken down in 1811.(Pishey Thompson). Now demolished.

or HusseyTower as it is better known.

The caption for this picture said, "This is a portion of a large house which is believed to have been built by a Flemish merchant in the reign of Edward I. The initials E.R. (Edward Rex) are plainly marked on the gable."
I think this may be Pescod Hall.

Pishey Thompson says "The site of the hospital of St John was on the west side of Maud Foster or Bargate Drain, immediately opposite to Hospital Bridge. There is nothing remaining of the hospital, except an old house, called Jerusalem House, but which appears to have been built from the materials of the ancient hospital, rather than to have formed a portion of the original buildings". Now demolished.

Rochford Tower.

Shodfriars Hall.

The caption in the book said this house belonged to the Robinson family and Pishey Thompson says "There are several ancient brick houses in Stanbow Lane among others one which belonged to the Robinson family, formerly of great distinction and influence in this place. An immense open fireplace, and other marks of antiquity, yet remain in a room at the back of this house". Now demolished.

The Stump.

The ThreeTuns in the Market Place, Oliver Cromwell is said to have slept here the night before the Battle of Winceby in the English Civil war. Now demolished.

The old Town Bridge.

The White Horse, White Horse Lane, Now demolished.

Wormgate

Wormgate is one of the oldest streets in the town. Its shape reflects its close association with the river, which was straightened in the early 19th century.

In the medieval period Wormgate was home to businesses run by many of the local, and not so local, monastic houses who exported their produce from their estates through the town. Fountain Lane, which connects Wormgate to Strait Bargate, was named after Fountains Abbey as the monastery owned a warehouse there.
During the 18th and early 19th centuries many grand houses were built with elaborate architectural detailing, also during this period many properties were established as schools, continuing a tradition begun in the medieval period when the Grammar school was situated in Wormgate and run by the town guilds.

Above : The former Grammar School in Wormgate.

From the end of the 18th century Red Lion Street developed and was named after the Red Lion Inn that stood on Strait Bargate. Housing began to be built along the narrow alleys that ran off the streets and this reached its zenith in the late 19th century when numerous small dwellings were constructed in the gaps behind the terraces occupying the street frontages.
Wormgate has always been an important commercial area and many of the buildings were used as shops or warehouses throughout its history. Inns, taverns and pubs have also been a common feature; the Wormgate Inn can trace its origins back to the 16th century when it was known as the Dog and Duck and the Little Peacock Inn was originally a waggoner's inn, frequented by wagon drivers bringing in produce from the northern fens.
Excavations on the corner of Fountain Lane in 1989 (below) revealed medieval buildings that may have been owned by Fountains Abbey.