Introduction to Saracens Head

Bartholomews Gazateer of the British Isles lists Saracen’s Head as a hamlet 2 miles north-west of Holbeach, Lincolnshir’e — with Post Office.
The main road that passes through the centre of Saracen’s Head is the Washway Road, although today it is known as the A17. The Washway Road was a great highway years ago, thousands of beasts passed through on their way from Scotland and the North of England to markets in East Anglia and elsewhere.
On the north side of the village where Saracen’s Head bridge is “the bridge bend” was known as “Calamity Corner” because of the vast number of accidents over the years.
Really the days when everyone literally knew everyone else are gone but this story will go some way to giving a picture of the village over the years. Though the booklet will not perhaps be the complete story, we hope it will be enjoyed by not only those who remember the old days but also by those who have more recently made Saracen’s Head their home.
My father (and our Grandfather) Mr. William Hurst Chouler who was headmaster of the school lived at Saracen’s Head from 1877 and for many years was the local correspondent of the Lincolnshire Free Press and Spalding Guardian for Saracen’s Head & Whaplode Washway.
He kept all his newspaper cuttings in a mammoth scrapbook and I have been able to refer to these which give much valuable information of days gone by especially the disastrous fires in the Village.
There are those old families whose grandparents and great-grandparents lived here and formed a link with the past especially the name of Slator. When the school opened in 1878. no fewer than eight Slators attended on the first day.

Early History

The oldest part of Saracen’s Head is the old Roman Bank.
In this part of Lincolnshire the Romans undertook the enormous task of making the Roman Bank all the way from Tydd to the Humber, over 150 miles long. Sections of this old sea barrier remain where our own people have constructed roads on top of this bank. The rest of the bank was cleared away many years ago. It is thought that the Roman sea banks were made during the 3rd century. Sections of this bank still remain between Moulton Seas End and Saracen’s Head where the road has been constructed on top of the bank for many years. The road is called Roman Bank. On the east side of the village a continuation of the road through to the village of Holbeach Bank is also called Roman Bank. Nowadays this piece of road is flat and the bank was cleared away during the last century. Of course Holbeach Bank was so named because of the old sea bank in that Parish. The centre of Saracen‘s Head is on a rise where the bank passed and had been partly levelled. Nowadays of course Saracen’s Head and Holbeach Bank are joined and all the new houses that are built have made it a built up area.

The Story of Saracen’s Head

In early times Saracen’s Head was known as Saltney which means “Island of Salt.” We shall go back to this latter in this book. This name was derived from the mound which stands in a meadow covering several acres and is from 12 to 15 feet high.
The mound stands on the sea side of the Roman Bank and is a relic of the salt making days. A by-road leading into the Village from Whaplode is known as “Saltney Gate”. “Gate” means a road or way to, in this case the way to Saltney.
A short distance along Pipwell Gate to the west of the Vilage the meadow is surrounded by a high thorn hedge.
Many hundreds of years ago it was an important salt manufacturing centre. The Romans and Anglo-Saxons relied on salt to preserve food for a large part of the year.
The mound consists of pure salt with occasional layers of peat ashes.
The process of making salt was to let the dirty sea water run into many pits or pans and there let it remain until all the silt settled at the bottom The clean water was then taken out and boiled in coppers. These  were heated by peat or by reeds which were very plentiful in the fens. When the brine was boiled the water evaporated. Leaving the salt in the coppers. That explanation gives you a rough idea how the salt was obtained. The salt taken out of the pits or pans was put in a heap and in the course of centuries would accumulate and form the mound one sees today.
On very old maps this area is marked “camp” and on the earlier ordnance survey maps it is marked “Saltern”.
The mound only serves today to remind us of the industry of our forebears, who were employed in many such works on the coast of Lincolnshire.
Saltmaking on the Wash shores depended on large quantities of peat turves from the fen to boil the brine.
The 13th century saw a combination of wet seasons which caused flooding and the salt works were affected by abnormally high tides.
The whole district of the fens was converted into a lake and rendered the taking of turves impossible and that salt making failed as the fens provided no alternative fuel.
In recent years much of the soil has been carted away by farmers and the local council, and they were asked to report any important discoveries they might make. The unusual thing about Saltney is the absence of any sea shells.
As everyone knows who lives in Lincolnshire’s, the waters of the Wash are very salty, especially when coming up the rivers and over the marshes and the water which settled in these pans would be similar to that which comes up the Welland and this would leave a large deposit of silt at the bottom of the pits and pans which would require cleaning out every few days.
Rock salt was not worked in England until the seventeenth century and by this time the salt industry in Lincolnshire was finally dead.
It was a major industry, making Lincolnshire one of the country’s leading producers. The salt was exported inland well beyond Lincolnshir’e. Each saltem had sufficient common pasture in the fen to manage oxen and horses as they were used particularly for cartm’g away blocks of salt wrapped in woollen cloths.
Boats were also used especially to bring in peat from the Fenland peat turf grounds.
There must have been some sort of hutments for the workers to five in, the earlier ones made of mud and wattle with reed roofs.
The Wash had decreased in area as the edges s11’ted up permanently. One of the greatest saltmakin’g areas was the mouth of the Fleet river. Extensive mounds of waste were established at Saracen’s Head (at the mouth of the Whaplode river). There were salt-pans between Gosberton and Sutterton, agam’st the bank of the Bicker haven and at Holbeach Hurn.
Outside the meadow were other mounds of waste. A little chapel was built on one of the hill’s in Pipwell Gate in 1855 and became known by the local people as the “Hill’ Chapel”. It was demolished in 1978.
A farm half a mile away with the house built on another hill became known as Hill Farm, and no doubt there were other areas of waste nearer to the sea that have been cleared away dun’ng the last century.

One reason why the mound has remained in this area for hundreds of years is because the meadow has always been used for cattle, otherwise it would have been cleared away long ago.
During the summer the chapel fete and chil’dren’s sports were held in the grass fields that contained the Saltney mound. kindly lent by the owner. the late Mr. “Bob” Waite.

The children obtained great pleasure m’ playm’g on the bill’s in the field but never

knowm’g why they were there. The hill’s were the home of many rabbits, and burrows were everywhere.
Early History

The oldest part of Saracen’s Head is the old Roman Bank.

In this part of Lincolnshire the Romans undertook the enormous task of makm’g the Roman Bank all the way from Tydd to the Humber. over 150 miles long. Sections of this old sea barrier remain where our own people have constructed roads on top of this bank. The rest of the bank was cleared away many years ago. It is thought that the Roman sea banks were made during the 3rd (tlur’d) century. Sections of this bank still’ remain between Moulton Seas End and Saracen’s Head where the road has been constructed on top of the bank for many years. The road is called Roman Bank. On the east side of the village a continuation of the road through to the village of Holbeach Bank is also called Roman Bank. Nowadays this piece of road is flat and the bank was cleared away during the last century. Of course Holbeach Bank was so named because of the old sea bank in that Parish. The centre of Saracen’s Head is on a rise where the bank passed and had been partly levelled. Nowadays of course Saracen’s Head and

Holbeach Bank are joined and all the new houses that are built have made it a built up area.

I (M.W.) can remember when Holbeach Bank was much more lonely. more like it was when my mother. Chris and their’ family were small and more as the older people knew it.

The Story of Saracen’s Head

In early times Saracen’s Head was known as Saltney which means “Island of Salt.” We shall go back this far in’ this book.

This name was derived from the mound which stands in’ a meadow covering several acres and is from 12 to 15 feet high.

The mound stands on the sea side of the Roman Bank and is a relic of the salt making days. A by-road leadin’g into the village from Whaplode is known as “Saltney Gate”. “Gate” means a road or way to. in this case the way to Saltney.

A short distance along Pipwell Gate to the west of the Vill’age the meadow is surrounded by a high thorn hedge.

Many hundreds of years ago it was an im’portant salt manufactun’ng centre. The Romans and Anglo-Saxons relied on salt to preserve food for a large part of the year.

The mound consists of pure salt with occasional layers of peat ashes.

The process of making salt was to let the dirt‘y sea water run in’to many pits or pans and there let it remam’ until’ all the s11’t settled at the bottom.

The clean water was then taken out and boiled in coppers which were heated by peat or by reeds which were very plentiful in the fans.

When the brine was boiled the water evaporated. leaving the salt in the copper pans. That explanation gives you a rough idea how the salt was obtam’ed.

The silt taken out of the pits or pans was put m’ a heap and in’ the coarse of centuries would accumulate and form the mound one sees today.

On very old maps this area is marked “camp” and on the earlier ordnance survey maps it is marked “Saltern”.

The mound only serves today to remind us of the industry of our forebears, who were employed m’ many such works on the coast of Lincolnshire.

Saltmaking on the Wash shores depended on large quantities of peat turves from the fen to boil the brine.

The 13th century saw a combination of wet seasons which caused floodm’g and the salt works were affected by abnormally high tides.

The whole district of the fens was converted into a lake and rendered the taking of turves impossible and that salt making failed as the fens provided no alternative fuel.

In recent years much of the 5011‘ has been carted away by farmers and the local councrl’, and they were asked to report any im’portant discoveries they might make. The unusual thing about Saltney is the absence of any sea shells.

As everyone knows who lives in Lincolnshire’. the waters of the Wash are very silty. especially when coming up the rivers and over the marshes and the water which settled m’ these pans would be sum”lar to that which comes up the Welland and this would leave a large deposit of silt at the bottom of the pits and pans which would require cleaning out every few days.

Rock salt was not worked in’ England until’ the seventeenth century and by this tun‘e the salt industry in Lincolnshir’e was fm’ally dead.

It was a major industry, making Lincolnshir’e one of the country’s leading producers. The salt was exported inland well beyond Lincolnshir’e. Each saltern had sufficient common pasture in’ the fen to maintam’ oxen and horses. used particularly for cartmg’ away blocks of salt wrapped in woollen cloths.

Boats were also used especxall’y to bring m‘ peat from the Fenland peat turf grounds

There must have been some sort of hutments for the workers to live in. the earlier ones made of mud and wattle with reed roofs.

The Wash had decreased 111′ area as the edges Sil’ted up permanently. One of the greatest saltmakm’g areas was the mouth of the Fleet river. Extensive mounds of waste were estabhs’hed at Saracen’s Head (at the mouth of the Whaplode river). There were salt‘pans between Gosberton and Sutterton, against the bank of the Bicker haven and at Holbeach Hum.

Outside the meadow were other mounds of waste. A little chapel was built on one of the hill’s in’ Pipwell Gate in 1855 and became known by the local people as the “Hill‘ Chapel”. It was demolished in 1978.

A farm half a mile away with the house built on another hill became known as Hill” Farm, and no doubt there were other areas of waste nearer to the see that have been cleared away durm’g the last century.

One reason why the mound has remam’ed in’ this area for hundreds of years is because the meadow has always been used for cattle, otherwise it would have been cleared away long ago.

Dunn’g the summer the chapel fete and children’s sports were held in’ the grass wfields that contained the Saltney mound, kindly lent by the owner, the late Mr. “Bob

site.