North Forty Foot Bank Explained

The North Forty Foot Bank is an area in the civil parish of Holland Fen with Brothertoft, in the Boston district, in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It runs about 6miles along the North Forty Foot Drain, about five to nine miles north-west of Boston. It begins just south of the parish of Chapel Hill and runs along the drain to Toft Tunnel, just north of Hubberts Bridge. Despite its length, it only consists of the area on the north side of the drain, which was built in 1720 by Earl Fitzwilliam.^[1] The North Forty Foot Bank forms the boundary between Harts Grounds and Pelhams Lands.A row of 29 brick and slate cottages were built between the North Forty Foot Bank and the hamlet of Brothertoft by Major John Cartwright to accommodate the workers of his red brick woad mill in the late 18th century. This place was then called Isatica, which is Latin for "woad".^[2] After Cartwright left Brothertoft for London, the hamlet of Isatica fell into ruin and disappeared.^{[3] [4]}

North-Forty-Foot-Bank was formerly an extra-parochial tract,^[5] in 1858 North Forty Foot Bank became a separate civil parish,^[6] on 1 April 1906 the parish was abolished and merged with Brothertoft and Pelham's Lands.^[7] In 1901 the parish had a population of 163.^[8]

Settlements within North Forty Foot Bank include:

• Pelhams Land
• Harts Ground
• Holland Fen
• Hedgehog Bridge lies about 5miles north west of Boston, on the North Forty Foot Bank. It was named after a hump-backed bridge over the drain which no longer exists. Hedgehog Bridge School was built in 1880 by the North-East Holland Fen School Board for 95 children.^[9] It opened on 4 April 1881, became a Council School in 1903, and a County School about 1947. It finally closed in December 1969, and was demolished in 2010.^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}
• Toft Tunnel lies at the junction of the North Forty Foot Bank and the B1192 Langrick Road. Today it consists mainly of farms.^[14]

Notes and References

1. Web site: History of the Fens of South Lincolnshire. 6 May 2011. W. H. Wheeler. 44. 1868.
2. Book: Agricultural Revolution in Lincolnshire. 1978. The History of Lincolnshire Committee. 0-902668-07-2. T. W. Bearstall. Maurice Barley. 222.
3. Book: General View of the Agriculture of the County of Lincoln. cartwright brothertoft cottages.. Board of Agriculture. 6 May 2011. Arthur Young. 35. 1799.
4. Web site: Lincs to the Past. Lincolnshire Archives/English Heritage. 6 May 2011.
5. Web site: History of North Forty Foot Bank, in Boston and Lincolnshire. A Vision of Britain through Time. 31 May 2024.
6. Web site: Relationships and changes North Forty Foot Bank CP/ExP through time. A Vision of Britain through Time. 31 May 2024.
7. Web site: Boston Registration District. UKBMD. 31 May 2024.
8. Web site: Population statistics North Forty Foot Bank CP/ExP through time. A Vision of Britain through Time. 31 May 2024.
9. Web site: Kellys Directory 1919. 294. Kellys Directories Ltd. 20 April 2011.
10. Web site: Lincs to the Past. Ref name SR/o83. Lincolnshire Archives. 5 May 2011.
11. Web site: The Hamlet of Hedgehog Bridge . https://web.archive.org/web/20120805203457/http://www.british-towns.net/en/level_4_display.asp?GetL3=20496 . 2012-08-05.
12. Web site: Hedgehog Bridge House on the map. Google Maps .
13. Web site: Geograph:: Footpath to Hedgehog Bridge © Richard Croft.
14. Web site: Google Map. Google Maps. 2 May 2011.