Editing Boston, Lincolnshire

{{Short description|Town and port in Lincolnshire, England}}
{{About|the town in Lincolnshire|the district|Borough of Boston|other uses|Boston (disambiguation)#United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox UK place
 | type                     = [[Market town]]
 | static_image_name        =  {{multiple images|border=infobox|perrow=1/2/2/1|total_width=270px
 | image1 = BostonStump.JPG
 | caption1 = View of [[St Botolph's Church, Boston|St Botolph's Church Tower]]
 | image2=  Georgian houses on London Road - geograph.org.uk - 968973.jpg
 | caption2= London Road
 | image3=  Maud Foster Windmill - External View - geograph.org.uk - 2233520.jpg
 | caption3= [[Maud Foster Windmill]]
 | image4= Boston Magistrates Court - geograph.org.uk - 427049.jpg
 | caption4= [[Boston Sessions House|Sessions House]]
 | image5 = Boston Library - geograph.org.uk - 427057.jpg
 | caption5 = [[County Hall, Boston|The Library]]
 | image6 = Boston Stump view - SE - geograph.org.uk - 990612.jpg
 | caption6 = View of the Town Centre
   }}
 | country                  = England
 | official_name            = Boston
 | coordinates              = {{coord|52.974|-0.0214|type:city(35,000)_region:GB-LIN|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
 | label_position           = right
 | population               = 45,339
 | parts_type               = Areas of the town<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston (Lincolnshire, East Midlands, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastmidlands/lincolnshire/E63001952__boston/ |website=www.citypopulation.de |access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref><br />(2021 census BUASD)
 | p1                       = [[The Haven, Boston|Boston Port]]
 | p2                       = [[Skirbeck]]
 | p3                       = [[Wyberton]]
 | population_ref           = ([[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 Census.Ward]])<ref name="key" />
 | shire_district           = [[Borough of Boston|Boston]]
 | shire_county             = [[Lincolnshire]]
 | region                   = East Midlands
 | constituency_westminster = [[Boston and Skegness (UK Parliament constituency)|Boston and Skegness]]
 | post_town                = BOSTON
 | postcode_district        = PE21
 | postcode_area            = PE
 | dial_code                = 01205
 | os_grid_reference        = TF329437
 | london_distance_mi       = 100<!-- straight line per MOS&nbsp;– constant and comparable with other place distances -->
 | london_direction         = S
 | area_total_km2           = 18.42
}}

'''Boston''' is a [[market town]] and [[inland port]] in the [[Borough of Boston|borough of the same name]] in the county of [[Lincolnshire]], England. It lies to the south-east of [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]], east of [[Nottingham]] and north-east of [[Peterborough]]. The town had a population of 45,339 at the 2021 census,<ref name="key">{{cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/cities/england/boston |title=Census 2021 Key Statistics, Urban areas in England and Wales |website=citypopulation.de |date=24 March 2023}}</ref> while the borough had an estimated population of 66,900 at the [[Office for National Statistics|ONS]] mid-2015 estimates.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2015 |title=Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-2015 |date=23 June 2016 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |format=Excel |access-date=5 November 2016}}</ref> [[The Haven, Boston|The Haven]] in Boston flows about 5 miles away to the [[Lincolnshire coast]] at [[The Wash]], a bay between Lincolnshire and [[Norfolk]].

Boston's most notable landmark is [[St Botolph's Church, Boston|St Botolph's Church]], colloquially referred to as 'The Stump', the largest [[parish church]] in England,<ref name=":0">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4403100.stm |title=Church sells bits of Boston Stump |date=3 November 2005 |access-date=18 August 2009 |work=BBC News}}</ref> which is visible from miles away across the flat lands of Lincolnshire. Residents of Boston are known as Bostonians. Emigrants from Boston named several other settlements around the world after the town—most notably [[Boston]], Massachusetts, then a British colony and now part of the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Street and Place Names |url=https://guides.bpl.org/streetnames |access-date=12 March 2025 |website=Boston Public Library |at=Common Name Origins}}</ref>
{{anchor|Toponymy|Etymology}}

==Toponymy==
[[File:EB9 Boston 1.png|right|thumb|200px|Boston's [[coat of arms]]: ''Sable, three crowns paly Or''{{Sfnp|''EB''|1878}}]]

The name ''Boston'' is said to be a contraction of "[[Saint Botolph]]'s town",{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} "stone" or "''{{lang|ang|tun}}''" ([[Old English]], [[Old Norse]] and modern [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] for a [[Hamlet (place)|hamlet]] or [[farm]]; hence the Latin ''villa Sancti Botulfi'' "St. Botulf's village").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Lincolnshire/Boston |website=Key to English Place-Names |access-date=31 July 2016 |title=Key to English Place-names}}</ref>
The name ''Botulfeston'' appears in 1460, with an alias "Boston".<ref>Plea Rolls of the court of Common Pleas: CP40/797; second entry up from the bottom; lines 1 and 2</ref>

==History==

===Early history===
The town was once said to have been a [[Roman Britain|Roman]] settlement, but no evidence shows this to be the case.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} Similarly, it is often linked to the [[monastery]] established by the [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] [[monk]] [[Saint Botolph|Botolph]] at "Icanhoe" on the [[River Witham|Witham]] in AD&nbsp;654 and destroyed by the [[Viking invasions of England|Vikings]] in 870,{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} but this is doubted by modern historians. The early medieval geography of [[The Fens]] was much more fluid than it is today, and at that time, the Witham did not flow near the site of Boston. Botolph's establishment is most likely to have been in [[Suffolk]]. However, he was a popular [[missionary]] and [[saint]] to whom many churches between [[Yorkshire]] and [[Sussex]] are dedicated.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

The 1086 [[Domesday Book]] does not mention Boston by name,{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=290}} but nearby settlements of the tenant-in-chief Count [[Alan Rufus]] of Brittany are covered. Its present territory was probably then part of the grant of [[Skirbeck]],{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=290}} part of the very wealthy manor of Drayton, which before 1066 had been owned by [[Ralph the Staller]], [[Edward the Confessor]]'s [[Earl of East Anglia]]. Skirbeck had two churches and one is likely to have been that dedicated to St Botolph, in what was consequently Botolph's town. Skirbeck {{crossref|({{Gbmapscaled|TF339433|200|map}})}} is now considered part of Boston, but the name remains, as a church parish and an electoral [[ward (country subdivision)|ward]].

The order of importance was the other way round, when the Boston quarter of Skirbeck developed at the head of [[The Haven, Boston|the Haven]], which lies under the present Market Place. At that stage, The Haven was the [[Tide|tidal]] part of the stream, now represented by the Stone Bridge Drain{{crossref|&nbsp;({{Gbmapscaled|TF347490|200|map}})}}, which carried the water from the East and West Fens. The line of the road through Wide Bargate, to [[A52 road|A52]] and [[A16 road (England)|A16]], is likely to have developed on its marine silt levees.{{citation needed|date=August 2009}} It led, as it does now, to the relatively high ground at Sibsey{{crossref|&nbsp;({{Gbmapscaled|TF350500|200|map}})}}, and thence to [[Lindsey (government district)|Lindsey]].

The reason for the original development of the town, away from the centre of Skirbeck, was that Boston lay on the point where navigable tidal water was alongside the land route, which used the [[Last glacial period|Devensian]] terminal [[moraine]] ridge at Sibsey, between the upland of East Lindsey and the three routes to the south of Boston:
* The coastal route, on the marine silts, crossed the mouth of Bicker Haven towards [[Spalding, Lincolnshire|Spalding]].
* The [[Sleaford]] route, into [[Kesteven]], passed via Swineshead{{crossref|&nbsp;({{Gbmapscaled|TF237402|200|map}})}}, thence following the old course of the River Slea, on its marine [[silt]] [[levee]].
* The Salters' Way route into Kesteven, left Holland from [[Donington, Lincolnshire|Donington]]. This route was much more thoroughly developed, in the later Medieval period, by Bridge End Priory{{crossref|&nbsp;({{Gbmapscaled|TF148361|200|map}})}}.

The [[River Witham]] seems to have joined The Haven after the flood of September 1014, having abandoned the port of Drayton, on what subsequently became known as Bicker Haven.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} The predecessor of Ralph the Staller owned most of both Skirbeck and Drayton, so it was a relatively simple task to transfer his business from Drayton, but Domesday Book in 1086 still records his source of income in Boston under the heading of Drayton, so Boston's name is not mentioned. The Town Bridge still maintains the preflood route, along the old Haven bank.

===Growth===
After the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest]], Ralph the Staller's property was taken over by [[Alan Rufus|Count Alan]].{{sfnp|Morris|1986|loc=Landowner 12, §67}} It subsequently came to be attached to the Earldom of [[Richmond, North Yorkshire]], and known as the Richmond Fee. It lay on the left bank of The Haven.

During the 11th and 12th centuries, Boston grew into a notable town and port.<ref>{{harvp|Morris|1979|page=101}}.</ref> In 1204, [[John Lackland|King John]] vested sole control over the town in his [[bailiff]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=290}} That year{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} or the next,{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=290}} he levied a "fifteenth" tax (''{{lang|fr|quinzieme}}'') of 6.67% on the moveable goods of merchants in the ports of England: the merchants of Boston paid £780, the highest in the kingdom after London's £836.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}{{sfnp|Thompson|1856|loc=Div. VIII}} Thus, by the opening of the 13th century, Boston was already significant in trade with the continent of Europe and ranked as a port of the [[Hanseatic League]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Guide to Boston |publisher=Ed J Burrow & Co Ltd |author=Borough of Boston |page=13 paragraph 1}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite book |title=A Short History Of Boston |year=1986 |publisher=Guardian Press of Boston |edition=4th |editor=H. W. Nicholson |page=2}}</ref> In the thirteenth century it was said to be the second port in the country.<ref>J.B.Priestley ''English Journey'' 1934 p.373 "When Boston was a port of some importance-and at one time, in the 13th century, it was the second port in the country..."</ref> [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] named it a [[staple port]] for the [[wool trade]] in 1369.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=290}} Apart from wool, Boston also exported [[Sea salt|salt]], produced locally on the [[Holland, Lincolnshire|Holland]] coast, [[Cereal|grain]], produced up-river, and lead, produced in [[Derbyshire]] and brought via [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]], up-river.

A quarrel between the local and foreign merchants led to the withdrawal of the Hansards{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} around 1470.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=290}} Around the same time, the decline of the local guilds{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=290}} and shift towards domestic [[weaving]] of English wool (conducted in other areas of the country){{citation needed|date=January 2016}} led to a near-complete collapse of the town's foreign trade.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911|p=290}} The silting of the Haven only furthered the town's decline.

[[File:Blackfriars Arts Centre October 2004.JPG|thumb|Blackfriars Arts Centre]]At the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] during the [[English Reformation]], Boston's [[Dominican Order|Dominican]], [[Franciscan]], [[Carmelite]], and [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] friaries—erected during the boom years of the 13th and 14th centuries—were all expropriated. The [[refectory]] of the Dominican friary was eventually converted into a theatre in 1965 and now houses the [[Blackfriars Arts Centre]].

Henry VIII granted the town its charter in 1545{{sfnp|Thompson|1856}} and Boston had two Members of Parliament from 1552.

===17th and 18th centuries===
[[File:Pilgrim Fathers Memorial.JPG|thumb|150px|right|[[Pilgrim Fathers Memorial]]]]
The staple trade made Boston a centre of intellectual influence from the Continent, including the teachings of [[John Calvin]] that became known as [[Calvinism]]. This, in turn, revolutionised the Christian beliefs and practices of many Bostonians and residents of the neighbouring shires of England. In 1607, a group of [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|pilgrims]] from [[Nottinghamshire]] led by [[William Brewster (pilgrim)|William Brewster]] and [[William Bradford (Plymouth governor)|William Bradford]] attempted to escape pressure to conform with the teaching of the [[Anglicanism|English church]] by going to [[Netherlands|the Netherlands]] from Boston. At that time, unsanctioned emigration was illegal, and they were brought before the court in the [[Boston Guildhall|Guildhall]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Pilgrims in Boston |url=https://www.boston.gov.uk/article/21323/The-Pilgrims-in-Boston |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=Boston Borough Council}}</ref> Most of the pilgrims were released fairly soon, and the following year, set sail for the Netherlands, settling in [[Leiden]]. In 1620, several of these were among the group who moved to [[New England]] in the ''[[Mayflower]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Doyle |first=Ben |date=16 July 2014 |title=History of The Pilgrim Fathers in Lincolnshire |url=https://lincolnshire.org/lincolnshire-pilgrim-fathers/ |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=Lincolnshire.org}}</ref>

Boston remained a hotbed of religious dissent. In 1612, [[John Cotton (Puritan)|John Cotton]] became the Vicar of St Botolph's <ref name=":2">{{cite web |date=17 September 2023 |title=John Cotton &#124; Puritan Minister, Massachusetts Bay Colony &#124; Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Cotton |access-date=10 October 2023 |website=britannica.com}}</ref> and, although viewed askance by the Church of England for his nonconformist preaching, became responsible for a large increase in Church attendance. He encouraged those who disliked the lack of religious freedom in England to join the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony|Massachusetts Bay Company]], and later helped to found the city of Boston, Massachusetts, which he was instrumental in naming. Unable to tolerate the religious situation any longer, he eventually emigrated himself in 1633. <ref name=":2" />

At the same time, work on draining the fens to the west of Boston was begun, a scheme which displeased many whose livelihoods were at risk. (One of the sources of livelihood obtained from the fen was fowling, supplying ducks and geese for meat and in addition the processing of their feathers and down for use in mattresses and pillows. Until 2018, the feathery aspect of this was still reflected in the presence of the local bedding company named Fogarty.<ref name="LL_Fog">{{cite news |last1=Morrow |first1=Daniel |title=Fogarty name to continue despite job losses from Boston firm |url=https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/lincoln-news/fogarty-name-continue-despite-job-2237888 |access-date=18 July 2020 |work=Lincolnshire Live |date=20 November 2018}}</ref>) This and the religious friction put Boston into the [[Roundhead|parliamentarian]] camp in the [[English Civil War|Civil War]], which in England began in 1642. The chief backer of the drainage locally, [[Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey|Lord Lindsey]], was shot in the [[Battle of Edgehill|first battle]] and the fens returned to their accustomed dampness until after 1750.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History and Heritage of Boston – Lincolnshire Pride |url=https://www.pridemagazines.co.uk/lincolnshire/highlights/the-history-and-heritage-of-boston/05-2018 |access-date=10 May 2025 }}</ref>
[[File:Boston sunset.jpg|Boston sunset|thumb|150px|right]]
The later 18th century saw a revival when the Fens began to be effectively drained. The [[Act of Parliament]] permitting the embanking and straightening of the fenland Witham was dated 1762. A sluice, called for in the act, was designed to help scour out The Haven. The land proved to be fertile, and Boston began exporting cereals to London. In 1754, the first financial bank was opened,<ref>{{cite web |title=Banking in Boston |url=https://bostonstory.co.uk/chapters/21-30/26-bostons-banks/boston-banks.html |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=bostonstory.co.uk}}</ref> and in 1776, an act of Parliament allowed watchmen to begin patrolling the streets at night.{{citation needed|date = March 2016}}

===Modern history===
In the 19th century, the names of Howden, a firm located near the Grand Sluice, and Tuxford, near the Maud Foster Sluice, were respected among engineers for their steam road locomotives, threshing engines, and the like. Howden developed his business from making steam engines for river boats, while Tuxford began as a miller and millwright. His mill was once prominent near Skirbeck Church, just to the east of the Maud Foster Drain.{{citation needed|date = March 2016}}

The railway reached the town in 1848, and it was briefly on the main line from London to the north. The area between the [[Black Sluice]] and the railway station was mainly railway yard and the railway company's main depot. The latter facility moved to [[Doncaster]] when the modern main line was opened. Boston remained something of a local railway hub well into the 20th century, moving the produce of the district and the trade of the dock, plus the excursion trade to [[Skegness]].

Boston once again became a significant port in trade and fishing in 1884, when the new [[Dock (maritime)|dock]] with its associated [[Wharf|wharves]] on The Haven were constructed. It continued as a working port, exporting grain, fertiliser, and importing timber, although much of the fishing trade was moved out in the interwar period.{{citation needed|date = March 2016}}

At the beginning of the [[First World War]], a number of the town's trawlermen, together with some from [[Grimsby]], were taken prisoner after their ships were sunk by German raiders in the North Sea. Their families did not know what had happened to them until late September 1914. The men were taken to [[Sennelager]] camp, then on to [[Ruhleben POW camp]], where most remained until repatriated in 1918. A full report of their homecoming is in the ''Lincolnshire Standard'' newspaper, January 1918. During the war the port was used by hospital ships and some 4,000 sick or wounded troops passed through Boston.<ref name="cwgc1">[http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/41400/BOSTON%20CEMETERY] CWGC Cemetery Report, Boston Cemetery.</ref> The town was bombed by a [[Zeppelin]] on 2 September 1916, injuring three adults and killing a child.<ref name=Hurt>{{cite book |last=Hurt |first=Fred |title=Lincolnshire and Newark in the Wars |year=1994 |publisher=W.J. Harrison, Lincoln |pages=133–134}}Chapter – Zeppelins WWI.</ref>

The first cinema opened in 1910, and in 1913, a new town bridge was constructed. Central Park was purchased in 1919, and is now one of the focal points of the town. Electricity came to Boston during the early part of the century, and electrical [[street light]]ing was provided from 1924.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.localhistories.org/boston.html |title=A History of Boston |website=localhistories.org |access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref>

During the [[Second World War]], 17 residents of the borough were killed by enemy air raids.<ref>[http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/4004307/BOSTON%20MUNICIPAL%20BOROUGH] CWGC Cemetery Report, Boston Municipal Borough.</ref> A memorial in [[Boston Cemetery]] commemorates them.<ref name=cwgc1/>

The Haven Bridge, which now carries the two trunk roads over the river, was opened in 1966, and a new dual carriageway, John Adams Way, was built in 1976–8 to take traffic away from the town centre. A shopping centre, named the Pescod Centre, opened in 2004, bringing many new shops into the town.

== Healthcare ==
Boston Cottage Hospital opened in 1871,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/a508ca08-5a6e-4665-a139-a768f3f010a9 |title=Boston General Hospital |publisher=National Archives |accessdate=31 October 2018}}</ref> was rebuilt in the 1960s,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1431794/Sir-George-Grenfell-Baines.html |title=Obituary: Sir George Grenfell-Baines |date=3 June 2003 |newspaper=The Telegraph |accessdate=31 October 2018}}</ref> and is now called the [[Pilgrim Hospital]], having been officially opened by [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne]] on 23 June 1977.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.gov.uk/PlanningDocs/BBC/B-12-0022/22_das.pdf |page=3 |title=Design and access statement |publisher=Boston Council |accessdate=31 October 2018}}</ref> The hospital is currently building a new Emergency Department extension next to the current one, costing £35&nbsp;million and doubling the current department in size.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

==Transport==

===Railway===
[[Boston railway station]] is a stop on the [[Poacher Line]]; [[East Midlands Railway]] operates a generally hourly service between {{rws|Nottingham}}, {{rws|Grantham}} and {{rws|Skegness}}.<ref>{{cite web |work=East Midlands Railway |title=Timetables |date=2 June 2024 |access-date=26 August 2024 |url= https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/timetables |quote=}}</ref> These services are run by the Class 170, 158 or the older Class 156 trains.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

The railways came to Boston in 1848, following the building of the [[East Lincolnshire Railway]] from {{rws|Grimsby}} to Boston and the simultaneous building of the [[Lincolnshire Loop Line]] by the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]], which ran between {{rws|Peterborough}} and {{rws|York}}, via Boston, {{rws|Lincoln}} and {{rws|Doncaster}}. This line was built before the [[East Coast Main Line]] and, for a short while, put Boston on the map as the GNR's main locomotive works before it was relocated to Doncaster in 1852.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Railway Town |url=https://bostonstory.co.uk/chapters/31-40/31-boston-as-a-railway-centre-1848/railway-town.html |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=bostonstory.co.uk}}</ref>

Boston was the southern terminus of the East Lincolnshire Line to {{rws|Louth}} and Grimsby, until its closure in 1970.<ref>{{cite news |date=9 October 2017 |title=Looking back on the closure of the East Lincolnshire railway |url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/in-your-area/looking-back-closure-east-lincolnshire-562464 |access-date=10 May 2025 |work=Grimsby Live |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

===Buses===
Bus services in the area are operated predominantly by [[Stagecoach East]], [[Stagecoach East Midlands]] and Brylaine Travel. Key routes link the town with Lincoln, Skegness and Spalding.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Bus Services |work=Bus Times |date=2024 |access-date=26 August 2024 |url= https://bustimes.org/localities/boston |quote=}}</ref>

==Politics==
[[File:West Street, Boston (geograph 3779697).jpg|thumb|The [[Municipal Buildings, Boston|Municipal Buildings]] in West Street, completed in 1904]]
Boston residents voted strongly (75.6%) in favour of [[Brexit|leaving the European Union]] in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 UK referendum on EU membership]], the highest such vote in the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=EU referendum results |date=24 June 2016 |publisher=The Financial Times Ltd. |url=https://ig.ft.com/sites/elections/2016/uk/eu-referendum/ |access-date=25 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The most conservative place in Britain |url=https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/04/10/the-most-conservative-place-in-britain |url-access=subscription |access-date=15 April 2025 |work=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

===Boston Borough Council===
In the 2019 Borough elections, the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] were confirmed as the majority party on [[Borough of Boston|Boston Borough Council]] with 16 of the 30 seats, followed by independents with 11.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://moderngov.boston.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=PARTY&VW=LIST&PIC=0 |title=Your Councillors |date=10 September 2020 |access-date=10 September 2020}}</ref>

In May 2007, a [[single-issue politics|single-issue]] political party, the [[Boston Bypass Independents]] campaigning for a [[Bypass (road)|bypass]] to be built around the town, took control of the council when they won 25 of the 32 council seats,<ref>{{cite news |title=Bypass group wins race for Boston |date=4 May 2007 |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/6603565.stm |access-date=21 January 2008}}</ref> losing all but four of them in the subsequent election in 2011.

===Governance===
Boston received its charter in 1546.<ref>{{cite book |last=Moore |first=Walter |title=Boston (Lincolnshire) and Its Surroundings: With an Account of The Pilgrim Fathers of New England |publisher=Franklin Classics Trade Press |date=11 November 2018 |isbn=9780353402041 |pages=25–26}}</ref> It is the main settlement in the [[Borough of Boston|Boston]] local government district of Lincolnshire, which includes the unparished town of Boston and 18 other [[civil parish]]es.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Registration District |url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/boston.html |access-date=24 July 2022 |website=ukbmd.org.uk}}</ref> The borough council is based in the [[Municipal Buildings, Boston|Municipal Buildings]] in West Street.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://heritage-explorer.lincolnshire.gov.uk/Monument/MLI98391  |title= Municipal Offices, West Street, Boston|publisher=Lincolnshire Heritage Explorer| access-date=12 May 2024}}</ref>

===Borough Council wards===
As of 2015, Boston Borough council consisted of 30 members:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=7800&p=0 |title=Boston Borough Council |access-date=12 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816205330/http://www.boston.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=7800&p=0 |archive-date=16 August 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*Coastal Ward elects two councillors
*Fenside Ward elects two councillors.
*Fishtoft Ward elects three councillors.
*Five Villages Ward elects two councillors.
*Kirton & Frampton Ward elects three councillors.
*Old Leake & Wrangle elects two councillors
*Skirbeck Ward elects three councillors.
*Staniland Ward elects two councillors.
*Station Ward elects one councillor.
*St Thomas Ward elects one councillor.
*Swineshead & Holland Ward elects two councillors.
*Trinity Ward elects two councillors.
*West Ward elects one councillor.
*Witham Ward elects two councillors.
*Wyberton Ward elects two councillors.
{{div col end}}

=== Lincolnshire County Council divisions ===
In 2017, six county council divisions existed for the Borough of Boston, each of which returned one member to Lincolnshire County Council:
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
* Boston Coastal
* Boston North
* Boston Rural
* Boston South
* Boston West
* Skirbeck
{{div col end}}

=== UK Parliament ===
The town is part of [[Boston and Skegness (UK Parliament constituency)|the Boston and Skegness parliamentary constituency]], currently represented by Reform UK chairman, [[Richard Tice]].

==Demography==

According to the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 Census]], the population of Boston is around 70,500. This is 9.1% higher than the 64,600 reported in the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 Census]]. This was a higher percentage of growth than the 6.6% national average for England during the same period.<ref name=":0" /> Much of this population growth is due to high levels of immigration to the town, especially from eastern Europe. The 2021 Census states that 23.6% of Boston's population was born outside of the UK. 5.6% of the population of Boston was born in [[Lithuania]] and 5.4% was born in [[Poland]]. This is the highest proportion of Lithuanians anywhere in the UK and the second highest number of Poles, behind [[Slough|Slough, Berkshire]].<ref name=":1" /> Polish is the main language of 5.68% of the inhabitants.

==Arts and culture==

Boston has historically had strong cultural connections to [[Netherlands|the Netherlands]], and Dutch influence can be found in its [[architecture]].<ref name="Brexitland versus Londonia">{{cite news |title=Brexitland versus Londonia |date=2 July 2016 |newspaper=Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21701540-britain-increasingly-looks-two-countries-divided-over-globalisation-brexitland-versus |access-date=2 July 2016}}</ref>

===Landmarks===
[[File:The Church of St Botolph, Boston - geograph.org.uk - 588116.jpg|thumb|left|[[St Botolph's Church, Boston|''The Stump'']], viewed from the Market Place: The statue of the journalist and politician [[Herbert Ingram]] is in the left foreground.]]
The [[parish church]] of Saint Botolph is known locally as Boston Stump and is renowned for its size and its dominant appearance in the surrounding countryside.

The Great Sluice is disguised by railway and road bridges, but it is there, keeping the tide out of the Fens and twice a day, allowing the water from the upland to scour the Haven. Not far away, in the opposite direction, was the boyhood home of [[John Foxe]], the author of ''[[Foxe's Book of Martyrs]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Foxe |url=https://bostonpreservationtrust.org.uk/blue_plaques_trail/john-foxe/ |website=Boston Preservation Trust |access-date=23 October 2024}}</ref>

The Town Bridge maintains the line of the road to Lindsey and from its western end, looking at the river side of the Exchange Building to the right, it is possible to see how the two ends of the building, founded on the natural levees of The Haven, have stood firm while the middle has sunk into the infill of the former river.{{citation needed|date = March 2016}}

From 1552, Bostonians used to have their jail near the Stump (about where the red car in the photograph is located). This is likely to be where the [[Scrooby]] [[Pilgrims]] were imprisoned in 1607.

There is a statue of [[Herbert Ingram]], founder of ''[[The Illustrated London News]]'', in front of the Stump. The statue was designed by [[Alexander Munro (sculptor)|Alexander Munro]] and was unveiled in October 1862. The allegorical figure at the base of the monument is a reference to Ingram's efforts to bring the first piped water to the town. He was also instrumental in bringing the railways to Boston. Born in nearby Paddock Grove, son of a butcher,<ref>The Oxford Book of National Biography&nbsp;– September 2004, quoted on [http://www.iln.org.uk/iln_years/earlyhistiln.htm The Early History of The Illustrated London News]</ref> he was also MP for [[Boston (UK Parliament constituency)|Boston]], from 1856 until his death in 1860, in a shipping accident on [[Lake Michigan]].<ref>{{cite news |title='Waiting for the Waves to Give Up Their Dead,' |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=2 October 2020 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/history/ct-opinion-flashback-lady-elgin-disaster-20201002-pvqiulx5vvbqdbjol32c3wnnry-story.html}}</ref>

[[File:MaudFosterWindmill.JPG|thumb|right|150px|Maud Foster Mill]] 
The seven-storeyed [[Maud Foster Windmill|Maud Foster Tower Windmill]], completed in 1819 by millwrights Norman and Smithson of [[Kingston upon Hull]] for [[Isaac Reckitt|Issac]] and Thomas Reckitt, was extensively restored in the late 1980s and became a working mill again. It stands next to the drain after which it is named, and is unusual in having an odd number (five) of sails.

The [[Boston Guildhall|Guildhall]] in which the Pilgrim Fathers were tried was converted into a museum in 1929. The cells in which the pilgrims are said to have been held at the time of their trial are on the ground floor. After a major refurbishment during which the museum was closed for several years, it reopened in 2008.

The [[Pilgrim Fathers Memorial]] is located on the north bank of The Haven a few miles outside the town. Here at Scotia Creek, the pilgrims made their first attempt to leave for the [[Dutch Republic]] in 1607.{{citation needed|date = March 2016}}[[File:Hussey Tower, Boston, Lincs - geograph.org.uk - 62845.jpg|left|thumb|Hussey Tower]]

The ruined [[Hussey Tower]] is all that remains of a medieval brick-fortified house, built in 1450, and occupied by [[John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford]] until he was executed in the wake of the [[Pilgrimage of Grace|Lincolnshire Rising]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hussey Tower |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-486443-hussey-tower-boston |publisher=britishlistedbuildings.co.uk |access-date=8 March 2011}}</ref> {{convert|2|mi|0}} east, Rochford Tower is another medieval tower house.<ref>{{cite PastScape |mnumber=353869 |mname=Rochford Tower |access-date=14 June 2011}}</ref>

In Skirbeck Quarter, on the right bank of The Haven, is the Black Sluice, the [[outfall]] of the [[South Forty-Foot Drain]].{{citation needed|date = March 2016}}

The [[Prime Meridian]] passes through the eastern side of Boston, marked by the fairly modern, suburban Meridian Road ({{mmukpc|PE21|0NB}}), which straddles the line after which the road was named.<ref>{{cite web |title=Location of Greenwich Meridian marker: Lincolnshire, Boston |url=http://www.thegreenwichmeridian.org/tgm/location.php?i_latitude=52.975371&i_type=%7C%20all%20markers%20%7C |website=www.thegreenwichmeridian.org |access-date=23 October 2024}}</ref>

The annual Boston May Fair has been held in the town since at least 1125. This fair is held during the first week of May, and is one of the few remaining fairs in the country still held in the town centre. By tradition, the fair was officially opened by the mayor at midday on 3 May, although this date has varied in recent years.

The Haven Gallery, opened in 2005, was closed to the public in 2010 in a cost-cutting measure by Boston Borough Council.<ref>{{cite news |date=22 May 2013 |title=College art to take over Boston gallery |pages=6 |work=Boston Target |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=UKNB&req_dat=4EAB8751BB8C40518A44137F01A68E7C&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F146767F5023D1308 |url-access=subscription |access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref>

[[Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre|Blackfriars]] is a theatre and arts centre<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackfriarsartscentre.co.uk/ |title=Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre |website=blackfriarsartscentre.co.uk}}</ref> that was formerly the refectory of the Benedictine friary, built in the 13th century and once visited by King Edward I.

[[Frampton Marsh]] and Freiston Shore are two nature reserves, managed by the [[RSPB]], which lie on [[The Wash]] coast on either side of the mouth of The Haven.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/frampton-marsh/ |title=Frampton Marsh |website=rspb.org.uk |publisher=The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/freiston-shore/ |title=Freiston Shore |website=rspb.org.uk |publisher=The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref>

The [[Boston Preservation Trust]] has recently extended its Blue Plaque Trail to include a total of 27 examples (as of 2024) of significant heritage to the town and its place in the world.  The 2024 additions include:
*Lindum House, the former home of Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Sir George Gilbert Scott |url=https://bostonpreservationtrust.org.uk/blue_plaques_trail/sir-george-gilbert-scott |website=Boston Preservation Trust |access-date=23 October 2024}}</ref>
*Scott House (Boston Workhouse entrance building), designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott<ref>{{cite web |title=Scott House |url=https://bostonpreservationtrust.org.uk/blue_plaques_trail/scott-house |website=Boston Preservation Trust}}</ref>
*The Arbor Club<ref>{{cite web |title=The Arbor Club |url=https://bostonpreservationtrust.org.uk/blue_plaques_trail/the-arbor-club |website=Boston Preservation Trust |access-date=23 October 2024}}</ref>
*The Warehouse, former home and workshops of [[Mary Farmer]] and [[Terry Moores]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The Warehouse |url=https://bostonpreservationtrust.org.uk/blue_plaques_trail/the-warehouse/ |website=Boston Preservation Trust |access-date=23 October 2024}}</ref> {{Open Plaques|plaqueid=68778}}

==Local economy==

Boston's most important industries are food production, including vegetables and potatoes; road haulage and logistics companies that carry the food; the Port of Boston, which handles more than one million tons of cargo per year including the import of steel and timber and the export of grain and recyclable materials; shellfishing; other light industry; and tourism. The port is connected by rail, with steel imports going by rail each day to Washwood Heath in Birmingham, and the port and town are also connected by trunk roads including the A16 and the A52.

Boston's market<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/business/lcc-services-for-business/economic-regeneration/regeneration-projects/public-realm-programmes/boston-market-place-refurbishment/ |title=Refurbishment of Boston Market Place |access-date=6 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106120004/http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/business/lcc-services-for-business/economic-regeneration/regeneration-projects/public-realm-programmes/boston-market-place-refurbishment/ |archive-date=6 January 2015}}</ref> is held every Wednesday and Saturday<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3782 |title=Boston Market |first=Council Offices |last=(Mr) SKDC Details |date=26 January 2012 |access-date=6 January 2015 |archive-date=6 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106122741/http://www.boston.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3782 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in one of England's largest marketplaces, with an additional market and outside auction held on Wednesdays on Bargate Green.

The Town has many local and national stores. Pescod Square shopping centre, located in the centre of town, houses several branded stores including Next, HMV, Waterstones and Wilko. Other big name stores in Boston include New look, Sports direct, Dunelm, TKMAXX and boots. There are several supermarkets, a Tesco and Asda, an Aldi and 2 Lidls. Several Lincolnshire coops are located around the town and both Sainsburys (inside Dobbies Garden Center) and Morrisons (in the town center) have a small presence. In 2021 a new department store opened in the Town centre called Rebos, filling the hole Oldrids and Downtown left when they vacated their Bargate department store in 2020, after 216 years of service, and moved to a new site on the outskirts of town.

{{citation needed|date = January 2015}}

In late 2013, a £100 million development was announced for the outskirts of town on the A16 towards Kirton. This development, named the Quadrant, is split in two phases. Phase one consists of a new football ground for [[Boston United F.C.]], 500 new homes, retail and business outlets, and a possible supermarket. This development also includes the beginning of a distributor road that will eventually link the A52 Grantham Road and the A16 together. Phase two, still in the development stage, consists of a possible second new marina, more new homes, and retail units.

== Crime ==
In 2016, Boston was named as the most murderous place in [[England and Wales]].<ref>{{cite web |date=22 January 2016 |title=The most murderous place in England and Wales may surprise you |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/boston-lincolnshire-most-murderous-place-england-and-wales-home-office-figures-reveal-a6828571.html |access-date=15 September 2020 |website=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=23 January 2016 |title=Do you live in this town? It's the murder capital of England and Wales |url=https://metro.co.uk/2016/01/23/do-you-live-in-this-town-its-the-murder-capital-of-england-and-wales-5640004/ |access-date=15 September 2020 |website=Metro}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Boston named '˜most murderous' town in England and Wales |url=https://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/news/boston-named-most-murderous-town-england-and-wales-801974 |access-date=15 September 2020 |website=bostonstandard.co.uk |date=22 January 2016}}</ref>

==Health==
In the mid-2000s Boston was shown to have the highest obesity rate of any town in the United Kingdom, with one-third of its adults (31%) considered clinically obese. Obesity has been linked to social deprivation.<ref>{{cite news |first=Helen |last=Carter |title=Lincolnshire: home of the porker? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/medicine/story/0,,1920152,00.html |newspaper=The Guardian |date=12 October 2006 |access-date=30 July 2007 |location=London}}</ref>

==Sport==
{{more references|section|date=April 2023}}
===Rugby===
The Princess Royal Arena is located on the Boardsides, just outside Boston, and is the home of [[Boston RFC (England)|Boston Rugby Football Club]]. The club was established in 1927 by Ernst Clark, who had an interest in providing activity for boys.

===Football===
The town has two nonleague football clubs. The more senior [[Boston United F.C.|Boston United]], nicknamed the Pilgrims, plays in the [[National League (division)|National League]] following promotion in 2024. The stadium is currently located on York Street in the centre of the town and has an approximate capacity of 6,200. Boston United moved out of their former ground, York Street, for the 2020–21 season, to the Jakeman's stadium on the outskirts of town.<ref>[https://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/sport/football/aim-give-them-best-ground-we-can-boston-united-chairman-david-newton-hopes-fans-will-be-pleasantly-surprised-new-jakemans-community-stadium-2909167 Boston Standard, 9 July 2020, "The aim is to give them the best ground we can!"...] retrieved 27 July 2020</ref> The town's second club, [[Boston Town F.C.|Boston Town]], nicknamed the Poachers, plays in the [[United Counties Football League]]. Its home games are played at their stadium on Tattershall Road, on the outskirts of Boston.

===Rowing===
Boston Rowing Club, near Carlton Road, hosts the annual {{convert|33|mi|km|abbr=out}} [[Boston Rowing Marathon]] each year in mid-September. Crews from throughout the world compete, starting at [[Brayford Pool]] in Lincoln, and finishing in times from three to six hours.

===Speedway===
Speedway racing was staged at a stadium in New Hammond Beck Road in the 1970s and 1980s. The Boston Barracudas raced in the British League Division Two, (now the Premier League) and in 1973 won the League and the Knock-out Cup, with one member winning the League Individual Championship.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}} After the New Hammond Beck Road Stadium was sold for redevelopment in 1988, attempts to secure a new venue in the 1990s failed. A team, known as Boston, raced in the Conference League at King's Lynn.

An advert for a speedway meeting on Thursday 16 July at the greyhound track in Shodfriers Lane in 1936 appeared in The Guardian on 10 July 1936. Other sources now confirm this was a grass track venue.

===Swimming===
Boston Amateur Swimming Club holds galas and open meets, including the Boston Open, and two yearly club championship events. It trains at the Geoff Moulder Swimming Pool.

===Sailing===
Witham Sailing Club is based on the banks of the Witham, with its own clubhouse.

== Media ==
Boston has two weekly newspapers, the ''Boston Standard''<ref>[https://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/ Boston Standard]</ref> and the ''Boston Target''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://local.reachsolutions.co.uk/brands/target-series/ |title=Boston Target |access-date=1 February 2021 |archive-date=6 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206213030/https://local.reachsolutions.co.uk/brands/target-series/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''[[Boston Standard]]'' (previously ''[[Lincolnshire Standard]]'') was founded in the 19th century and has been the main newspaper. The ''Boston Target'' is owned by [[Local World]], and is ''Boston Standard''<nowiki/>'s main rival.

The town is served by a community radio station, [[Endeavour FM]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston's 107 Endeavour FM &#124; About Us |url=https://www.endeavourfm.co.uk/about |access-date=8 January 2021 |website=endeavourfm.co.uk}}</ref> It had previously been called Endeavour Online and Stump Radio, set up as a collaboration between [[Blackfriars Arts Centre]] and [[Tulip Radio]], which first started broadcasting in 2006 on 107 FM.

==Education==

===Secondary schools===
[[Boston Grammar School]] an all-male selective school, is on Rowley Road. Its female counterpart, [[Boston High School]] is on Spilsby Road. Both schools have sixth forms open to both boys and girls. [[Haven High Academy]] is on Marian Road, and another campus on Tollfield Road – it was created in 1992 on the site of Kitwood Girls' School following its merger with another [[secondary modern school]], [[Kitwood Boys School|Kitwood Boys' School]]. The town previously also had a Roman Catholic secondary school, St Bede's in Tollfield Road (now the Tollfield Campus operated by Haven High Academy), but this was closed in 2011 following poor exam results.

=== Colleges ===
[[Boston College, Lincolnshire|Boston College]] is a predominantly [[further education]] [[College#Further education|college]] that opened in 1964 to provide A-level courses for those not attending the town's two [[grammar school]]s. It currently has three sites in the town. It also took over the site of Kitwood Boys' school in Mill Road following the school's merger with Kitwood Girls' School in 1992, but this was closed in 2012, with the buildings subsequently demolished and housing built on the site.

===Independent schools===
St George's Preparatory School is the only independent school in the town. Established in 2011, it is housed in a Grade II listed building, the former home of the town architect William Wheeler, and caters for the 3–11 year age group.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saintgeorgesprep.co.uk/ |title=Welcome to St George's Preparatory School, Boston |publisher=St George's Preparatory School and Little Dragons Nursery |location=Boston, Lincolnshire |access-date=19 June 2012}}</ref>

==Notable Bostonians==
=== Politics ===
[[File:Herbert Ingram.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Herbert Ingram, 1860]]
* [[Anthony Irby (died 1625)|Anthony Irby]] (1547–1625) lawyer and politician<ref>[http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/irby-anthony-1547-1625 The History of Parliament Trust, IRBY, Anthony (1547–1625)] retrieved 17 January 2018</ref> sat in the House of Commons for Boston variously from 1589 to 1622
* [[William Ellis (solicitor-general)|William Ellis]] (1609–1680) lawyer,<ref>[http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1660-1690/member/ellys-%28ellis%29-william-1607-80 The History of Parliament Trust, ELLYS (ELLIS), William (1607–80)] retrieved 17 January 2018</ref> judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons for Boston and Grantham variously between 1640 and 1679
* [[Herbert Ingram]] (1811–1860) journalist and politician, founder of ''[[The Illustrated London News]]''<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Ingram, Herbert |volume=29 |short=x}}</ref>
* [[William Garfit]] (1840–1920) banker and Conservative politician,<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-william-garfit/index.html Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by William Garfit] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> MP for [[Boston (UK Parliament constituency)|Boston]] 1895 to 1906
* [[Fred Maddison]] (1856–1937) trade unionist<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-fred-maddison/index.html Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by Fred Maddison] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> and Liberal politician
* Sir [[Walter Liddall]] (1884–1963) Conservative MP<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/sir-walter-liddall/index.html Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by Sir Walter Liddall] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> for [[Lincoln (UK Parliament constituency)|Lincoln]] from 1931 to 1945
* [[John McNair (British politician)|John McNair]] (1887–1968) socialist politician<ref>[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-57710;jsessionid=D82D8A319BBEE67CA755E063D7BCA112 Who Was Who, McNAIR, John] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref>
* [[David Ward (British politician)|David Ward]] (born 1953) Liberal Democrat politician,<ref>[https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/24946/david_ward/bradford_east#profile TheyWorkForYou, David Ward, Former MP, Bradford East] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> MP for [[Bradford East (UK Parliament constituency)|Bradford East]] 2010 to 2015
* [[Robin Hunter-Clarke]] (born 1992) UKIP<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-30136166 BBC News, 20 November 2014, Boston and Skegness UKIP vote...] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> politician
[[File:Memorial to Bishop Simon Patrick in Ely Cathedral.jpg|thumb|140px|Memorial to Bishop Simon Patrick in Ely Cathedral]]

=== Church ===
* Sir [[Thomas Dingley]] (executed 1539) Catholic martyr<ref>{{cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Ven._Sir_Thomas_Dingley |volume=04 |short=x}}</ref>
* [[Simon Patrick]] (1626–1707) theologian<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Patrick,_Simon |volume= 20 |short=x}}</ref> and bishop
* [[Joseph Farrow]] (1652–1692) nonconformist<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Farrow, Joseph |volume=18 |short=x}}</ref> clergyman
* [[Andrew Kippis]] (1725–1795) nonconformist clergyman<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Kippis, Andrew |volume=31 |short=x}}</ref> in Boston (1746 to 1750) and biographer
* [[John Platts (Unitarian)|John Platts]] (1775–1837) Unitarian minister<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Platts, John |volume=45 |short=x}}</ref> and author, a compiler of reference works
* [[John James Raven]] (1833–1906) cleric and headmaster,<ref>{{cite DNB12|wstitle=Raven,_John_James |short=x}}</ref> known as a writer on [[campanology]]

=== Public service ===
[[File:Picture of John Westland Marston.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|John Westland Marston]]
[[File:Janet Lane-Claypon 1907.jpg|thumb|140px|Janet Lane-Claypon, 1907]]
* [[Richard Weston (treasurer)|Sir Richard Weston]] (1465–1541) courtier and diplomat,<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Weston, Richard (1466?-1542) |display=Weston, Richard (1466?–1542) |volume=60 |short=x}}</ref> Governor of Guernsey
* [[John Foxe]] (1516/17–1587) historian<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Foxe,_John |volume= 10 |short=x}}</ref> and [[martyrologist]] 
* [[Edmund Ingalls]] (ca.1598–1648) emigrated to Salem in 1628 and founded [[Lynn, Massachusetts]]
* [[John Leverett]] (1616–1678/9) colonial magistrate,<ref>{{cite DCB |url=https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/leverett_john_1E.html |first=George |last=Woodcock |volume=1 |first2=C. Bruce |last2=Fergusson |title=Leverett, John |access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref> merchant, soldier and governor of the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]]
* [[George Bass]] (1771–1803 presumed) naval surgeon<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Bass, George |volume=03 |short=x}}</ref> and explorer of Australia
* [[John R. Jewitt]] (1783–1821) an armourer in Canada,<ref>{{cite DCB |url=https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/jewitt_john_rodgers_6E.html |volume=6 |title=Jewitt, John Rodgers |access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref> wrote memoirs of his captivity by local indigenous people
* [[James Richardson (explorer)|James Richardson]] (1809–1851) explored Africa,<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3485 Works by James Richardson, Project Gutenberg] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> published his travel notes and diaries 
* [[Frederick Flowers]] (1810–1886) police<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Flowers, Frederick |volume=19 |short=x}}</ref> magistrate.
* [[John Conington]] (1825–1869) classical scholar<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Conington,_John |volume= 06 |short=x}}</ref>
* [[William Henry Wheeler]] (1832–1915), [[civil engineer]] architect, inventor and [[antiquarian]]
* Major [[Walter George Burnett Dickinson]] (1858–1914)<ref>[https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/75199159/DICKINSON,%20WALTER%20G%20B CWGC Archive Online, Commonwealth War Graves Commission] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> veterinary surgeon
* [[Arthur James Grant]] (1862–1948) historian<ref>[https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F35397 UK National Archives, Archival material relating to Arthur James Grant] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref>
* [[Arthur Callender]] (1875–1936) engineer and archaeologist,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=W |last2=Uphill |first2=E |title=Who Was Who in Egyptology, 2nd edition |page=50 |publisher=Egypt Exploration Society, London |year=1972 |isbn=0856981257 |oclc=470552591}}</ref> assisted [[Howard Carter]] in excavating Tutankhamun's tomb
* [[Janet Lane-Claypon]], Lady Forber (1877–1967) physician<ref>[http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/3/5560/313.full.pdf British Medical Journal, 29 July 1967, Obituary Notices] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> and [[epidemiologist]]
* [[Hedley Adams Mobbs]] (1891–1970), architect and [[philatelist]]
* [[Joseph Langley Burchnall]] (1892–1975) mathematician, introduced [[Burchnall–Chaundy theory]]
* Air Vice-Marshal [[Arthur Lee (RAF officer)|Arthur Lee]] (1894–1975) senior{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} RAF officer and autobiography writer
* [[Henry Neville Southern]] (1908–1986) [[ornithologist]]<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1987.tb03209.x/pdf | doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1987.tb03209.x | title=H. N. Southern | journal=Ibis | date=1987 | volume=129 | pages=281–282 }}</ref>
* [[Victor Emery]] (1934–2002) specialist<ref>[http://history.bgsalumni.org/index.php/Victor_Emery The Old Bostonian Association, Victor Emery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504225642/http://history.bgsalumni.org/index.php/Victor_Emery |date=4 May 2018 }} retrieved 4 May 2018</ref> on [[superconductors]] and [[superfluidity]]
* [[Richard Budge]] (1947–2016) coal mining entrepreneur<ref>[https://www.brighouseecho.co.uk/news/king-coal-mining-mogul-richard-budge-dies-aged-69-1-8020106 Brighouse Echo, 18 July 2016, King Coal mining mogul....] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201183048/https://www.brighouseecho.co.uk/news/king-coal-mining-mogul-richard-budge-dies-aged-69-1-8020106 |date=1 December 2017 }} retrieved 19 January 2018</ref>
* [[John Cridland]] (born 1961) former Director-General of the [[Confederation of British Industry]], Chair of [[Transport for the North]]
* Sir [[Jonathan Van-Tam]]  (born 1964), Deputy [[Chief Medical Officer for England]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in England|COVID-19 pandemic]]

=== Arts and writing ===
[[File:Jean Ingelow by Elliott & Fry, London.jpg|upright=0.65|thumb|Jean Ingelow]]
[[File:10.9.10BrianBollandByLuigiNovi.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Brian Bolland, 2010]]
[[File:Courtney Bowman - Elle Woods.png|thumb|upright=0.65|Courtney Bowman, 2022]]
* [[John Taverner]] (c1490–1545) composer<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Taverner Encyclopædia Britannica, John Taverner] retrieved 16 January 2018</ref> and organist
* [[Pishey Thompson]] (1784–1862) publisher<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Thompson, Pishey |volume=56 |short=x}}</ref> and antiquarian writer
* [[George French Flowers]] (1811–1872) composer<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Flowers, George French |volume=19 |short=x}}</ref> and musical theorist, promoted [[counterpoint]]
* [[John Westland Marston]] (1819–1890) dramatist<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle=Marston, John Westland |volume=36 |short=x}}</ref> and critic
* [[Jean Ingelow]] (1820–1897) poet<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Ingelow,_Jean |volume= 14 |short=x}}</ref> and novelist
* [[Elizabeth Jennings (poet)|Elizabeth Jennings]] (1926–2001) poet<ref>[http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=6383 Poetry nation No 5 1975, The Poetry of Elizabeth Jennings] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref>
* [[Barry Spikings]] (born 1939) film producer,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0818731 IMDb Database] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> incl. 1978 film, ''[[The Deer Hunter]]''
* [[Pamela Buchner]] (born 1939) actress
*[[Mary Farmer]] (born 1940 Newbury, Berkshire – Died 2021 Boston, Lincolnshire) UK-based designer and weaver of tapestries and rugs<ref>{{cite news |last1=Farmer |first1=Mary |last2=Moores |first2=Terry |title=Old warehouse a home of arts |publisher=The Boston Standard |date=21 November 1985}}</ref>
* [[Dusty Hughes (playwright)|Dusty Hughes]] (born 1947) playwright<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1097366 IMDb Database] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> and director, writing for both the theatre and television
* [[Brian Bolland]] (born 1951) comics artist<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2082787 IMDb Database] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> produced most of his work for [[DC Comics]]
* [[Alan Moulder]] (born 1959) record producer,<ref>[http://www.polymathperspective.com/index.php?p=3286 The Polymath Perspective, Assault & Battery 2 Studios: Alan Moulder] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> mixing engineer and audio engineer
* [[Hilary McKay]] (born 1959) writer<ref>[https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/hilary-mckay British Council, Literature, Hilary McKay] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> of children's books
* [[Wyn Harness]] (1960–2007) journalist<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/wyn-harness-396136.html The Independent, 5 October 2007, Obituaries, Wyn Harness] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> at ''The Independent'' from its creation in 1986
* [[Amanda Drew]] (born 1969) actress,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0237629/ IMDb Database] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> plays [[May Wright]] in the BBC soap opera ''[[EastEnders]]''
* [[Robert Webb]] (born 1972) comedian,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0916267/ IMDb Database] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> actor and writer, one half of [[Mitchell and Webb]]
* [[Carl Hudson]] (born 1983) pianist and keyboardist
* [[Georgina Callaghan]] (born 1986) singer-songwriter,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5746409/ IMDb Database] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> currently lives in Nashville
* [[Courtney Bowman]] (born 1995) stage actress and singer<ref>{{cite web |title=Six the Musical |url=https://www.sixthemusical.com/london/company/courtney-bowman |access-date=28 July 2020 |website=sixthemusical.com}}</ref>

=== Sport ===
<!-- (in alpha order) -->
[[File:Argentina v Netherlands WCT 2010 Final 012 (4809909858) (2).jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Crista Cullen, 2009]]
[[File:SimonLambert2015.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Simon Lambert, 2015]]
* [[Bill Julian]] (1867–1957) football player<ref>[https://www.scobo.co.uk/SoccerManager/Bill_Julian/ Scobo.co.uk., Bill Julian] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330085403/https://www.scobo.co.uk/SoccerManager/Bill_Julian/ |date=30 March 2017 }} retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> and coach
* [[Cyril Bland]] (1872–1950) first class cricketer
* [[Jack Manning (footballer)|Jack Manning]] (1886–1946) footballer who scored 31 goals from 218 appearances
* [[Bernard Codd]] (c1933–2013) motorcycle road racer, double winner at the 1956 Isle of Man TT motorcycle race
* [[Mike Pinner]] (born 1934) international amateur football goalkeeper, 1956 and 1960 Olympics
* [[Gordon Bolland]] (born 1943) retired footballer, was player-manager of [[Boston United F.C.]]
* [[Simon Garner]] (born 1959) former footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=2768 SoccerBase Database] retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> 474 pro appearances for [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.]]
* [[Simon Clark (English footballer)|Simon Clark]] (born 1967) former footballer<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=1483 SoccerBase Database] retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> and manager, now coach at [[Charlton Athletic F.C.]]
* [[Howard Forinton]] (born 1975) footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=14725 SoccerBase Database] retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> approx. 300 pro appearances
* [[Matt Hocking]] (born 1978) football defender,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=9557 SoccerBase Database] retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> over 300 pro appearances
* [[John Oster]] (born 1978) former footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=9529 SoccerBase Database] retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> made 487 pro appearances
* [[Danny Butterfield]] (born 1979) former footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=12203 SoccerBase Database] retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> 488 pro appearances
* [[Anthony Elding]] (born 1982) professional footballer,<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=20729 SoccerBase Database] retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> over 400 pro appearances
* [[Melanie Marshall]] (born 1982) Olympic athlete, European Gold Medal-winning swimmer, now coach to Olympic Gold medal winner [[Adam Peaty]]<ref>{{cite web |date=21 February 2016 |title=Mel Marshall Is Coach Of The Year In Britain After Stellar Season For Her & Adam Peaty |url=http://www.swimvortex.com/mel-marshall-is-coach-of-the-year-in-britain-after-stellar-season-for-her-adam-peaty/ |access-date=2 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221193241/http://www.swimvortex.com/mel-marshall-is-coach-of-the-year-in-britain-after-stellar-season-for-her-adam-peaty/ |archive-date=21 February 2016}}</ref>
* [[Hannah Macleod]] (born 1984) field hockey player<ref>[http://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/player.asp?itemid=1052&itemTitle=Hannah+Macleod&section=1091 GB Hockey, Player Profile, Hannah Macleod] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221184104/http://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/player.asp?itemid=1052&itemTitle=Hannah+Macleod&section=1091 |date=21 December 2018 }} retrieved 18 January 2018</ref>
* [[Crista Cullen]] (born 1985) Olympic Gold Medal winning<ref>[http://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/player.asp?itemid=100&itemTitle=Crista+Cullen&section=1091 GB Hockey, Player Profile, Crista Cullen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113152851/http://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/player.asp?itemid=100&itemTitle=Crista+Cullen&section=1091 |date=13 November 2020 }} retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> English field hockey player
* [[Dave Coupland]] (born 1986) professional golfer
* [[Simon Lambert (speedway rider)|Simon Lambert]] (born 1989) speedway<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/9043191.stm BBC Sport, 29 September 2010], retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> rider
* [[Emma Bristow]] (born 1990) motorcycle trials rider and current Women's World Champion
* [[Scott Williams (darts player)|Scott Williams]] (born 1990), darts player
* [[Kieran Tscherniawsky]] (born 1992) paralympian athlete,<ref>[https://www.paralympic.org/asp/lib/TheASP.asp?pageid=8937&sportid=513&personid=903985 www.paralympic.org, Tscherniawsky, Kieran] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119120414/https://www.paralympic.org/asp/lib/TheASP.asp?pageid=8937&sportid=513&personid=903985 |date=19 January 2018 }} retrieved 18 January 2018</ref> category F33 discus
* [[Ollie Chessum]] (born 2000), rugby player

=== Crime ===
* [[William Frederick Horry]] (1843–1872) murderer,<ref>[http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/horry.html William Frederick Horry, History in the making, www.capitalpunishmentuk.org] retrieved 19 January 2018</ref> first to be executed by the [[hanging#Long drop|long drop]] method

==Town twinning and association==
{{see also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom|Hanseatic Parliament}}
Boston joined the new Hanseatic League, in July 2015, a project for trade, cultural and educational integration. Boston's [[town twinning|twin towns]] include:

*[[Boston, Massachusetts]], United States{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}
*[[Laval, Mayenne|Laval]], France; Boston's link with Laval is one of the oldest twinnings in the world.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
*[[Hakusan, Ishikawa|Hakusan]], Japan

==Climate==

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  Holbeach No.2,{{efn|Weather station is located {{convert|10.0|mi|1|abbr=out}} from the Boston town centre.}} (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1991–present)
|Jan record high C = 14.9
|Feb record high C = 17.7
|Mar record high C = 22.7
|Apr record high C = 25.9
|May record high C = 28.0
|Jun record high C = 31.0
|Jul record high C = 29.1
|Aug record high C = 34.1
|Sep record high C = 29.3
|Oct record high C = 28.9
|Nov record high C = 18.0
|Dec record high C = 15.6
|Jan record low C = -7.1
|Feb record low C = -15.6
|Mar record low C = -6.0
|Apr record low C = -4.5
|May record low C = -2.3
|Jun record low C = 1.3
|Jul record low C = 2.4
|Aug record low C = 4.8
|Sep record low C = 0.7
|Oct record low C = -3.6
|Nov record low C = -7.6
|Dec record low C = -9.9
|Jan high C = 7.3
|Feb high C = 8.1
|Mar high C = 10.6
|Apr high C = 13.4
|May high C = 16.4
|Jun high C = 19.3
|Jul high C = 21.7
|Aug high C = 21.8
|Sep high C = 18.9
|Oct high C = 14.9
|Nov high C = 10.4
|Dec high C = 7.6
| year high C = 14.2
|Jan mean C = 4.6
|Feb mean C = 4.9
|Mar mean C = 6.8
|Apr mean C = 9.1
|May mean C = 12.1
|Jun mean C = 14.9
|Jul mean C = 17.1
|Aug mean C = 17.1
|Sep mean C = 14.6
|Oct mean C = 11.4
|Nov mean C = 7.4
|Dec mean C = 4.9
| year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 1.8
|Feb low C = 1.7
|Mar low C = 3.0
|Apr low C = 4.8
|May low C = 7.7
|Jun low C = 10.4
|Jul low C = 12.4
|Aug low C = 12.3
|Sep low C = 10.3
|Oct low C = 7.8
|Nov low C = 4.3
|Dec low C = 2.1
| year low C = 6.6
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 50.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 38.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 36.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 42.5
|May precipitation mm = 50.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 57.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 57.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 64.2
|Sep precipitation mm = 52.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 63.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 56.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 52.5
|year precipitation mm = 623.1
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 11.0
| Feb precipitation days = 9.6
| Mar precipitation days = 8.4
| Apr precipitation days = 8.6
| May precipitation days = 9.0
| Jun precipitation days = 9.1
| Jul precipitation days = 9.6
| Aug precipitation days = 9.8
| Sep precipitation days = 8.5
| Oct precipitation days = 10.8
| Nov precipitation days = 11.6
| Dec precipitation days = 11.0
| year precipitation days =116.9
| source 1 = [[Met Office]]<ref name="MetOffice">{{cite web
|url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/location-specific-long-term-averages/u12hg1nxt
|title = Station: Holbeach No 2, Climate period: 1991–2020
|publisher = Met Office
|access-date = 15 December 2024}}</ref>
| source 2 = Starlings Roost Weather<ref>{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmax_map.php 
|title= Monthly Extreme Maximum Temperature, Monthly Extreme Minimum Temperature
|publisher=Starlings Roost Weather
|access-date= 16 December 2024
}}</ref>
}}

==Destinations==
{{Geographic location
|title = '''Destinations from Boston'''
|Northwest = [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]], [[Tattershall]], [[Dogdyke]], [[Langrick]], [[Brothertoft]], [[Sheffield]]
|North     = [[Horncastle, Lincolnshire|Horncastle]], [[Louth, Lincolnshire|Louth]], [[Midville, Lincolnshire|Midville]], [[Stickney, Lincolnshire|Stickney]], [[Carrington, Lincolnshire|Carrington]], [[Sibsey]], [[Frithville]], [[Cleethorpes]], [[Grimsby]], [[Doncaster]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]]
|Northeast = [[Skegness]], [[Wainfleet, Lincolnshire|Wainfleet]], [[Friskney]], [[Wrangle, Lincolnshire|Wrangle]], [[Leverton, Lincolnshire|Leverton]], [[Benington, Lincolnshire|Benington]],
|Centre    = Boston
|East      = [[Freiston]], [[Butterwick, Lincolnshire|Butterwick]],
|West      = [[North Forty Foot Bank]], [[Hubberts Bridge]], [[Heckington]], [[Sleaford]], [[Leicester]], [[Nottingham]]
|Southwest = [[Swineshead, Lincolnshire|Swineshead]], [[Bicker, Lincolnshire|Bicker]], [[Donington, Lincolnshire|Donington]], [[Bourne, Lincolnshire|Bourne]]
|South     = [[Wyberton]], [[Frampton, Lincolnshire|Frampton]], [[Kirton, Lincolnshire|Kirton]], [[Spalding, Lincolnshire|Spalding]], [[London]]
|Southeast = [[Fishtoft]], [[Freiston Shore]], Fenside
}}

==See also==
*[[Boston United F.C.]]
*[[Dynamic Cassette International]]
*[[Endeavour FM]] – community radio station
*[[List of road protests in the UK and Ireland]] – Boston Bypass is listed

== Notes ==
{{notelist|30em}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Boston (1.) |volume=4 |ref={{harvid|''EB''|1878}} |page=72}}
* {{cite EB1911 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Boston (England) |volume=4 |ref={{harvid|''EB''|1911}} |pages=289–290}}
* {{citation |last=Morris |first=Anthony Edwin James |title=History of Urban Form: Before the Industrial Revolution |year=1979 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-7114-5512-2}}
* {{citation |editor-last=Morris |editor-first=John |title=Domesday Book, ''Vol. 31:'' Lincolnshire |publisher=Phillimore, originally collected 1086 |location=Chister |date=1986 |isbn=978-0-85033-598-9 |title-link=Domesday Book}}
* {{citation |editor-last=Rigby |editor-first=S.H. |title=Boston, 1086-1225: A Medieval Boom Town |series=The Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology |year=2017 |publisher= |place= |isbn=978-0-903582-56-8}}
* {{citation |editor-last=Rigby |editor-first=S.H. |title=The Overseas Trade of Boston in the Reign of Richard II |series=''[[Lincoln Record Society]]'', No. 93 |year=2005 |publisher=Boydell |place=Woodbridge |isbn=978-0-901503-74-9}}
* {{citation |title=Collections for a Topographical and Historical Account of Boston, and the Hundred of Skirbeck |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=thUHAAAAQAAJ |first=Pishey |last=Thompson |author-link=Pishey Thompson |year=1820 |publisher=J. Noble |location=[[Boston, England|Boston]]}}
* {{citation |last=Thompson |first=Pishey |author-link=Pishey Thompson |title=The History and Antiquities of Boston... |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZY0NAAAAIAAJ |location=[[Boston, England|Boston]] |date=1856 |isbn=978-0-948639-20-3}}

==Further reading==
{{Smalldiv|1=
{{Div col}}
* ''Boston Farmers Union and Other Papers'', History of Boston series, no. 3 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1971).
* ''The First Stone and Other Papers'', History of Boston series, no. 1 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1970).
* Badham, Sally, and Paul Cockerham (eds.), ''"The Beste and Fayrest of Al Lincolnshire": The Church of St Botolph, Boston, Lincolnshire, and Its Medieval Monuments'', British Archaeological Reports, British Series, no. 554 (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2012).
* Bagley, George S., ''Floreat Bostona: History of Boston Grammar School from 1567'' (Boston: Old Bostonian Association, 1985).
* Bagley, G. S., ''Boston: Its Story and People'' (Boston: History of Boston Project, 1986).
* Clark, Peter, and Jennifer Clark (eds.), ''The Boston Assembly Minutes, 1545–1575'', Publications of the Lincoln Record Society, no. 77 (Woodbridge: Boydell for the Lincoln Record Society, 1986).
* Cook, A. M., ''Boston, Botolph's Town: A Short History of a Great Parish Church and Town About It'' (Boston: Church House, 1948).
* Cross, Claire, "Communal piety in sixteenth-century Boston", ''Lincolnshire History and Archaeology'', vol. 25 (1990), pp. 33–38.
* Davis, S. N., ''Banking in Boston'', History of Boston series, no. 14 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1976).
* Dover, Percy, ''The Early Medieval History of Boston, AD 1086–1400'', History of Boston series, no. 2 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1972).
* Garner, Arthur A., ''Boston and the Great Civil War, 1642–1651'', History of Boston series, no. 7 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1972).
* Garner, Arthur A., ''Boston, Politics and the Sea, 1652–1674'', History of Boston series, no. 13 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1975).
* Garner, Arthur A., ''The Fydells of Boston'' (Boston: Richard Kay, 1987).
* Garner, Arthur A., ''The Grandest House in Town'' (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 2002).
* Gurnham, Richard, ''The Story of Boston'' (Stroud: The History Press, 2014).
* Hinton, R. W. K., ''The Port Books of Boston, 1601–40'', Publications of the Lincoln Record Society, no. 50 (Lincoln: Lincoln Record Society, 1956).
* Jebb, G., ''The Church of St Botolph, Boston'' (Boston, 1895).
* Leary, William, ''Methodism in the Town of Boston'', History of Boston series, no. 6 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1972).
* Lewis, M. R. T., and Neil R. Wright, "Boston as a Port", ''Proceedings of the 7th East Midlands Industrial Archaeology Conference'', vol. 8, no. 4 (1973).
* Lloyd, T. H., ''The English Wool Trade in the Middle Ages'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977).
* [[Martin Middlebrook|Middlebrook, Martin]], ''Boston at War: Being an Account of Boston's Involvement in the Boer War and the Two World Wars'', History of Boston series, no. 12 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1974).
* [[Martin Middlebrook|Middlebrook, Martin]], ''The Catholic Church in Boston'', History of Boston series, no. 15 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1977).
* Minnis, John, Katie Carmichael and Clive Fletcher, ''Boston, Lincolnshire: Historic North Sea Port and Market Town'' (Swindon: Historic England, 2015).
* Molyneux, Frank H. (ed.), ''Aspects of Nineteenth-Century Boston and District'', History of Boston series, no. 8 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1972).
* Molyneux, Frank, and Neil R. Wright, ''An Atlas of Boston'', History of Boston series, no. 10 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1974).
* Ormrod, Mark, and others, ''Boston Blackfriars'' (Boston: Pilgrim College, 1990).
* Ormrod, Mark, and others, ''The Guilds in Boston'' (Boston: Pilgrim College, 1993).
* [[Dorothy Owen|Owen, Dorothy M.]], ''Church and Society in Medieval Lincolnshire'', History of Lincolnshire, no. 5 (Lincoln: History of Lincolnshire Committee of the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 1971).
* [[Dorothy Owen|Owen, Dorothy M.]], "The Beginnings of the port of Boston", in Naomi Field and Andrew White, ''A Prospect of Lincolnshire'' (Lincoln: privately published, 1984).
* [[Dorothy Owen|Power, Eileen]], ''The Wool Trade in English Medieval History'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1941).
* Rigby, Stephen H., [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1016/0304-4181%2884%2990025-3?journalCode=rmed20 "Boston and Grimsby in the Middle Ages: An administrative contrast"], ''Journal of Medieival History'', vol. 10, no. 1 (1984), pp. 51–66.
* Rigby, Stephen H., [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/mdh.1985.10.1.47 "'Sore decay' and 'fair dwellings': Boston and urban decline in the later Middle Ages"], ''Midland History'', vol. 10, no. 1 (1985), pp. 47–61.
* Rigby, Stephen H., [https://academic.oup.com/histres/article-abstract/58/137/12/5670266 "The customs administration at Boston in the reign of Richard II"], ''Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research'', vol. 58, no. 137 (1985), pp. 12–24.
* Rigby, Stephen H., ''The Overseas Trade of Boston in the Reign of Richard II'', Publications of the Lincoln Record Society, no. 93 (Woodbridge: Boydell for the Lincoln Record Society, 2007).
* Rigby, Stephen H., ''Boston, 1086–1225: A Medieval Boom Town'' (Lincoln: Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 2017).
* Robinson, Lionel, ''Boston's Newspapers'', History of Boston series, no. 11 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1974).
* Spurrell, Mark, ''The Puritan Town of Boston and Other Papers'', History of Boston series, no. 5 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1972).
* Summerson, H., "Calamity and Commerce: the Burning of Boston Fair in 1288", in Caroline M. Barron and [[Anne F. Sutton]] (eds), ''The Medieval Merchant: Proceedings of the 2012 Harlaxton Symposium'', Harlaxton Medieval Studies, no. 24 (Donington: Shaun Tyas, 2014), pp. 146–165.
* Thompson, Pishey, ''The History and Antiquities of Boston and the Hundred of Skirbeck'' (Boston, 1856).
* Turpin, Hubert, ''Boston Grammar School: A Short History'' (Boston: Guardian Press, 1966).
* Tyszka, Dinah, Keith Miller and Geoffrey Bryant (eds.), ''Land, People and Landscapes: Essays on the History of the Lincolnshire Region Written in Honour of Rex C. Russell'' (Lincoln: Lincolnshire Books, 1991).
* Wheeldon, Jeremy, ''The Monumental Brasses in Saint Botolph's Church, Boston'', History of Boston, no. 9 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1973).
* [[Eleanora Carus-Wilson|Wilson, Eleanora Carus-]], [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00766097.1962.11735666?journalCode=ymed20 "The Medieval Trade of the Ports of the Wash"], ''Medieval Archaeology'', vol. 6, no. 1 (1962), pp. 182–201.
* [[Eleanora Carus-Wilson|Wilson, Eleanora Carus-]], and Olive Coleman, ''England's Export Trade, 1275–1547'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963).
* Wright, Neil R., ''The Railways of Boston: Their Origins and Development'', History of Boston series, no. 4 (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston Project, 1971); 2nd ed. (Boston: Richard Kay for the History of Boston, 1998).
* Wright, Neil R., ''Lincolnshire Towns and Industry, 1700–1914'', History of Lincolnshire, no. 11 (Lincoln: History of Lincolnshire Committee of the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 1982).
* Wright, Neil R., ''The Book of Boston'' (Buckingham: Barracuda, 1986).
* Wright, Neil R., "The Varied Fortunes of Heavy and Manufacturing Industry 1914–1987", in Dennis Mills (ed.), Twentieth Century Lincolnshire, History of Lincolnshire, no. 12 (Lincoln: History of Lincolnshire Committee of the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 1989), pp. 74–102.
* Wright, Neil R., ''Boston: A History and Celebration'' (Salisbury: The Francis Frith Collection, 2005).
* Wright, Neil R., ''Boston by Gaslight: A History of Boston Gas Undertaking since 1825'' (Boston: R. Kay, 2002).
{{Div col end}}}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Boston, Lincolnshire}}
{{Wikivoyage|Boston (England)}}

'''Wikisource'''
*{{cite Collier's |wstitle=Boston (England) |display=Boston, a seaport in Lincolnshire, England |short=x}}
*{{cite Americana |wstitle=Boston (England) |display=Boston, England |short=x}}
*{{cite NIE |wstitle=Boston (Lincolnshire) |display=Boston. An English borough and seaport in Lincolnshire |short=x}}
*{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Boston (England) |volume=04 |short=x}}

{{Portal bar|England|United Kingdom}}
{{Hanseatic League}}
{{Lincolnshire}}
{{The Fens}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Boston, Lincolnshire| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Market towns in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Towns in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea]]
[[Category:Trading posts of the Hanseatic League]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Lincolnshire]]
[[Category:Borough of Boston]]
[[Category:River Witham]]