Did You Know Series – Origins of Spalding Road Names

Did you know – A Love Lane is often found in close proximity to a church and refers to love of the Almighty and was not, as courting couples believed until quite recently-before it was built on-for their special benefit.Can you help with more information?

Around the Market Place, which is the highest land in these parts, was the original Spalding; the west side consisting of monastic buildings, in an area of 30 acres, given for that purpose by Thorold of Bokenhale (brother of lady Godiva), who resided there as deputy governor. The monastery was founded in 1059 and from then this land was bounded by numerous churches, grand refectory, great chambers, monks’ lodgings, granaries, stables, brew houses, prison, and numerous other buildings from Hall Place corner to near Haverfield Road, and westward from the Turret, along the Gore, or Sheep Market, past the Sessions house to St. Thomas’ Road.

The Westlode River, running from the Welland up Westlode Street,. Chapel slabs and Winsover Road to Pode Hole, was filled in during the early part of last century.

The triangular piece of land between this river, the monastery, and St. Thomas’ road, was known as the Gore (A. S. gara, a pointed triangular piece of land). It was here the tournaments and miracle plays were held; part of it is now (was) the Sheep Market.

Next to this is Hall Place, where the Town Hall stood until 1854. It was in the centre with three narrow roads around it; the one on the north side was called Reform Street, after the popular Reform Act of 1832, there is still a street to commemorate this revolution in Crowland. The remaining two roads were called Hall Street.

All Broad Street was originally called Crackpool Lane, but when they pulled down the old prison, on the site of the present Wesleyan Church, in 1825, the lane was widened from Herring Lane to New Road and rechristened Broad Street. The remaining part, up to the Market Place, was still called Crackpool Lane until just before the War, when the National Provincial Bank, on taking over the premises formerly occupied by Messrs. Hallam & Blackbourn, pulled everything down and sold enough land to the council to widen the road as it is today and it was then all called Broad Street. Crackpool means Crow Pool, from Scandinavian kraka, a crow. ‘

At the bottom of Broad Street, leading from there along the south bank of the Westlode to Double Street, was a walk called Rosemary Lane. Both these lanes were ironically so called by the jocular inhabitants in allusion to the unsanitary condition of the Westlode. When the other part was filled in they called it New Road. Herring Lane leads to the steps from the river where the herrings were unloaded from the smacks and there marketed, they forming the staple food of the community until the middle of last century.

Double Street is so called on account of the towpath which runs at the back of the houses beside the river.

Proceeding along across the old bridge over the Westlode formerly known as Bark Row, on account of the quantity of bark stored at the side of the river which was used in the large tannery opposite. It takes its present name from the inn and in like manner Red Lion Street and Swan Street take their names from those well-known hostels. The latter was known, and still is by the older inhabitants, as Deadman’s Lane, on account of the old burial ground at the back of the Baptist Chapel. Chapel Slabs, or Lane, leading to the front of this chapel, was once a walk along the banks of the Westlode and the Baptists built there chapel there in1689 as it was convenient to baptise their converts in this stream.

Winsover Road leads to a former small hamlet called Windsover. This place, like the Windcatch, was isolated and exposed to all the winds which blew over the former and were caught by the latter. This is an instance of how fond we are of dropping ‘d’s.’

St. Thomas’ Road was, in former times, corrupted into Tomazine Lane in 1866 it was known as Grove Lane it formerly led to a chapel in the monastery dedicated to that saint and Francis Street likewise received its name.

As Orchard Street was part of the monastic orchard, so Vine Street was the vinery and Mercers Place and Mercers Row are where the mercers sold their wares.

Priory Road stands on the grounds of the old priory as does Abbey Path. Abbey Passage was once known as Water Gate, it being a waterway, as was Abbey Path, which took the monastic drainage into the Welland. It is unofficially know as Skinner’s Jetty, as the Skinner family kept a grocer’s shop at the Bridge Street end for many years.

Hole in the Wall derives its name from Holy Trinity Church which stood there, that being the parish church of Spalding until the Reformation. It is a corruption of Holy Wall. Haverfield (oat field) Road, which was made in 1875 takes its name from Haverfield House. There was formerly a lane there known as Last Lane.

Water Lane is derived from Parkinson’s pit which was formerly the chief water supply of the tom in the summer months.

Stepping Stone Lane, now King’s Road was formerly Penny Gate, that being the entrance to Pennygate before the railway came here in 1848. It was mostly flooded in the winter and one had to step from one stone to another to avoid wet feet.

New Bond Street required a new bond to be made by the inhabitants who agreed to properly pave the road. Green Lane was a grass covered way.

High Street, formerly Spalding Gate, stands on the high river bank, there being a good drop from there to the low lying Low Road.

Willow Row Walk was along a row of willow trees, and on the river side of Commercial Road a great deal of commerce was loaded and discharged from the numerous ships which berthed there.

Holbeach Road is more popularly known as Pigeon End from the inn of that name.

Holland Road was made through the gardens of Holland House in 1908.

A Love Lane is often found in close proximity to a church and refers to love of the Almighty and was not, as courting couples believed until quite recently-before it was built on-for their special benefit.

The Gates have been mentioned elsewhere. (in the book subject of further post)

Clay Lake, before the drainage of the fens, was a large clay bottomed lake; it is a very low lying district and you could, until after the War, always rely on the land being flooded during a rainy winter, and sometimes summer, 1912 for instance. It must have been navigable for small boats because an anchor was disclosed, when digging for clay, at a depth of 3 feet.

As a town grows new roads have to be made and it is often difficult to give them a suitable name without giving offence to the inhabitants, but when they are christened with a name of a prominent member of the royal family everyone is pleased, thus we get Queen’s Road (formerly Barrell’s Lane, named from an ancestor of the Barrell family who lived at the cottage at the top, and previous to that as Chapel Lane, leading to the old chapel which stood on Chapel Hill, Fulney) and Alexandra Road, both of which received their names from Queen Alexandra; and her husband King Edward VII. Likewise gave two names to our thoroughfares, Regent Street (when he was acting as Prince Regent), and Kings Road. Victoria Street and Albert Street were named after his parents, Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert. We have no roads named after our present king and queen, probably the council might consider the matter next year when the country celebrates their silver jubilee, that is, if there are any new roads to be named.

Havelock (sea waif) Street was named after the Indian Mutiny hero.

Patients formerly went down Bath Lane to receive treatment in the medicinal baths kept there by Dr. Norris. (Geoff Dodd remembered seeing the bath as a young man 1930/40? and described them to be like a baptismal bath. However he had never met anyone who had taken the treatment or could confirm his story)

The Terrace, built 1813-15, receives its name from its proximity to the river, and the Crescent, built in 1842, from its shape.

Burr Lane, when it was a grass track, cultivated the prickly head of certain plants, which stuck to people’s legs and clothes.

Park Road and Park Avenue are on land, which was once part of the spacious park belonging to the priory.

Tower Lane, formerly Leathercote Lane on account of it running beside the drain of that name, takes its new designation from the house down there which possesses a tower.

Spring Gardens and Spring Street, formerly called Spring Closen on account of being enclosed with trees or hedges, are on sites, which was all garden land until after the middle of last century. They were known as Spring Gardens because the land was mostly flooded in the winter and could not be cultivated until the spring when the water had usually subsided. Spring Gardens was known as Brett’s Walk when it was just a path leading from the Crescent to St. Thomas ‘ Road Mr. Charles Brett lived in a house at the top.

Hawthorn Bank takes its name from a the bank and trees alongside the wide drain which formerly ran from Cowbit Wash into the Westlode.

Spalding Common was, until the end of the 18th century, the common land of the community.

Cradge Bank is a corruption of crag, ‘a rock,’ the bank being strengthened with large stones at this part. Should be Cragged Bank.

Cuckoo Road leads to the inn of that name, and Marsh Road leads to the marshland.

Childer’s North Drove and South Drove are more familiarly known as Cunningham’s Drove and Peck’s Drove from people of those names who lived at the entrance to them.

The person who laid out Henrietta Street complimented his wife by giving it her name.

Cross Street, South and West parade speak for themselves.

Since the War quite a number of new streets have been laid out, especially on the council housing estates, and most of them are named after past or present Spaldonians. Johnson Avenue receives its name from the family who resided at Ayscoughfee Hall and were the virtual rulers of Spalding for nearly three centuries. Ayscough Avenue was named after the family who, in the 15th century, occupied Ayscoughfee Hall.

Royce Road will keep alive the memory of W. S. Royce, a Spaldonian who represented his native town in parliament. A number of these roads received the names of various councillors who members of the housing committee of the council, so we get Atton, Banks, Bowditch, Stennett. The councillors were more modest when they built the first post-war houses and called the roads leading to same, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

Carrington Road runs through property which once belonged to the late Lord Carrington.

The row of elm trees in front of the Grammar School continued up to London Road before Haverfield House was built in 1875, and was known as Vise’s Walk, from Dr. Vise who lived in a house at the side, since pulled down. Mr. Joseph Cave planted the trees in 1797.

Camel Lane, on the north side of Fulney Church, is probably a probably a corruption of Gamlyn. Fulney Hall, which was pulled down in 1852, was built after the Reformation out of the ruins of the Priory by Mr. John Gamlyn who endowed the Gamlyn Almshouses in Church Street.

Swindler’s Drove is a corruption from Swindley who lived in a farmhouse there.

West Elloe Avenue lies in the west of the Hundred of Elloe.

Barnes Court is from a personal name, as is Bedford Street.

Spalding Drove is rarely mentioned and is always referred to as Clay Lake.

Coney Garth, where Spalding Castle used to stand off Pinchbeck Road, opposite King’s Road, means ‘a rabbit warren’. Probably through old French connil, from Latin cuniculus, a rabbit, and Icelandic gardr (the d is pronounced th), ‘an enclosed space.’

Wraggmarsh is named from a mercer of Spalding called Wragg who bought the marshland there when it was reclaimed from the sea in the 17th century. Wragg is a nickname from Old Norse vargr,’wolf.’

The river Westlode was from A. S. lad, ‘a course,.’a reach of water,”an open ditch,’ running from the west into the Welland.

This is an extract from Place Names in Holland, Lincolnshire and their Meaning by E H Gooch, 1945???