Cambridgeshire History On The Net

Information about Wisbech circa 1900

WISBECH is a seaport, municipal borough market town, head of a union and county court district, with stations on the Midland, Great Eastern and Great Northern railways, 87 miles from London, 40 north from Cambridge, 116 from Birmingham, via Peterborough and Blisworth, 22 east from Spalding, 63 from Northampton, 34 from Stamford, 23 from Ely, 7 3/4 from March, 21 from Peterborough, 15 1/2 west-south-west from Lynn and 64 from Norwich via Lynn in the Northern division of the county, hundred, petty sessional division and rural deanery of the same name, Iiberty of the Isle of Ely, and peculiar archidiaconal jurisdiction of' the Bishop of Ely; it is also the seat of the January and July quarter sessions for the liberty of the Isle of Ely, and of the petty sessions for the hundred, and is on the borders of Norfolk, within a few miles of the sea, to which it has access by the navigable river Nene, which intersects the town, the larger portion being on the south side of the river, the banks o f which, during the year 1890-91 were strengthened with piling at a cost of £20,000. The thoroughfares facing the river are known chiefly as the ' North and South Brinks." By the Wisbech canal, the town has also water communication by the Ouse with Cambridge, Hertford and London.

The branch line of the Great Eastern railway from the main line to Wisbech harbour has materially assisted the development of the timber and coal trade of the town, and there is also a steam tra mway from Wisbech station to Upwell for the conveyance of goods and passengers The Midland and Great Northern joint line from Peterborough which joins the Great Northern line at Sutton Bridge affords an additional means of inter-communication, and by mea ns of these various railways the town is rendered one of the most desirable ports for carrying on shipping transactions between the Midland Counties and the Baltic Sea. The Midland line has also a tramway into the Old Market. The railway stations are ab ou t half a mile from the centre of the town, the Midland on the north and the Great Eastern on the south, but street railways communicate with the warehouses on the north side of the town, so that railway trucks can be loaded or unloaded direct out of the w arehouses and ships without cartage expenses.

Vessels of 787 tons can enter the port. The number of sailing and steam vessels entering the port, including their repeated voyages from foreign countries and British possessions in 1898 was 37 British of 16,3 60 tons and 52 foreign, with a tonnage of 20,044. The number clearing for foreign countries and British possessions was 32 British and Foreign of 7,574 tons. Nearly the whole of the trade done is with the northern ports of Russia. The number of sailing and steam vessels entering the port, including their repeated voyages, with cargoes and in ballast, and employed entirely in the general coasting trade, was 158, with a tonnage of 11,401; the vessels clearing numbered 160, of 34,936 tons.

Fishing boats an d their implements are distinguished by the letters W.I.; two sea fishing boats and nine merchant vessels are registered at the port. Since 1852 the quays have been much improved by the erection of new wharfage, at an expense to the town of about £ 60,000, and an iron bridge has been erected, which spans the river in the centre of the town.

The chief trade is in importing corn, potatoes, bones, wool, seeds, coal, timber and iron; and the chief exports are coal, corn and salt, the latter arriving from Worcestershire by the Midland railway. The total value of the exports in 1898 was £ 12,239. In the surrounding district both flowers, and fruit are largely grown, the latter consisting chiefly of gooseberries, apples, pears, plums, strawberries and raspberri es; potatoes, asparagus and mustard seed are also extensively grown. There are planing and sawing mills, breweries, printing offices, wind and steam corn and oilcake mills and agricultural implement works

The town received its earliest charter from Richar d I and this was confirmed by later sovereigns, including Edw. VI. and restored, after forfeiture, by James I. For municipal purposes the borough is divided into north and south wards, and under the provisions of the "Municipal Corporations Act, 1835 ' (5 and 6 Wm. IV. c. 76), is governed by a Corporation, consisting of a mayor, six aldermen and 18 town councillors; it has a separate commission of the peace and other officers, including a treasurer, town clerk, town chamberlain, charitable trustees, harbou r masters and a superintendent of police,. There is also a Board of Health for Wisbech and Walsoken, for main sewerage purposes, six members of which form the Urban -District Council for Walsoken. The town is lighted with gas by a company, formed in 1879, a nd supplied with water from chalk springs at Marham, in Norfolk, 21 miles distant, the works being the property of a company. The Market place is a fine open space, and the Old Market is a spacious square.

The church of SS. Peter and Paul is an edifice of stone in the Early Norman and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, double nave, transept, south porch and a large embattled tower at the north-west angle containing a clock and 10 fine-toned bells; the clock was erected in 1866 by Mr. James Dann, of this town, at a cost of about £ 400: in the chancel floor is a very large brass to Sir Thomas de Branstone, constable of Wisbech Castle, ob. 1401, with effigy in armour and mutilated inscription in French: the reredos, presented by Mr. John Shepherd and u nveiled 26th June, 1885, is a fine work in stone, alabaster and Florentine mosaic, executed in Venice by Salviati; the principal feature is a reproduction in mosaic of Leonardo Da Vinci' s picture, "The Last Supper," with canopied figures of St. Peter and St. Paul on either side, designed by Mr. Bassett Smith, under whose superintendence the church was restored; a memorial window has been erected to the Rev. John Scott M.A. hon. canon of Ely and vicar here, 1867-86 the church was restored in 1858, at a cos t of £4,200, and the organ re-constructed and enlarged in 1873, at a cost of £650: the church affords 1,600 sittings, half of which are free. The register dates from the year 1558. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £ 466, with 42.5 acres of glebe and residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Ely, and held since 1886 by the Rev. Robert Edward Reginald Watts M.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge, rural dean of Wisbech, and surrogate.'

St. Augustine's is an ecclesiastical parish, formed in 1869 from the civil parishes of St. Peter Wisbech and Leverington. The church, erected in, 1868-9, and opened in May, 1869, at a cost of about £ 4,000, is a structure of brick with stone dressings, in the Early English style, consisting of clerestoried nave, aisles and be llcot containing one bell: the reredos, erected in 1878, is of stone these panels being filled in with glass mosaic, displaying a central cross with the figures of three angels on either side, bearing on shields the instruments of the Passion; the stained east window, placed 7 Dec. 1883, is a memorial, and there are four other stained windows; the church affords 400 sittings. The register dates from the year 1870. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £ 240, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Ely, and held since 1896 by the Rev. Charles Hannibal Crossley M.A. of St. John' s College, Cambridge.

The Chapel of Ease, in the Old Market, is an octagonal embattled structure of brick, with stone facings, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch and a belfry containing one bell, and has sittings for 800 people, 200 of which are free. The living is a perpetual curacy, net yearly value £ 200, arising from 263 acres of glebe, in the gift of trustees, and held since 1895 by the Rev. Richard Boyer M.A. of Caius College, Cambridge.

The Catholic church, in Queen' s road, built in 1854, and dedicated to Our Lady and St. Charles Borromeo, is an edifice in the Decorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles and a turret containing one bell; the church contain s a very fine painting of the Dead Christ and good set of the ' Via Crucis' : there are sittings for 250 persons. The Friends' Meeting House, North Brink, was built in 1854. The Particular Baptist chapel, Upper Hill street, erected in 1859, at a cost of about £ 4,000, is a stone building in the Early English style, seating about 600 persons. The General Baptist chapel, Ely place, was built in 1873, and will seat 400. The Congregational chapel, Castle square, was built in 1818, and the Primitive Methodist chapel, Church terrace, in 1868. The Wesleyan chapel, in The Crescent, will seat 500. The United Methodist Free Church, Little Church Street, built in 1869-70, at a cost of about £ 2,500, is of red brick with stone facings. The Baptist chapel, Victoria road, is of brick, and was erected in 1856.

There are three cemeteries, one of about 4 acres, belonging to and situate bear the church, another of 2 acres on the Leverington road, the property of a private company; each has a mortuary chapel, and grounds p lanted with shrubs and evergreens: a third, formed by the Town Council acting as a Burial Board, was opened October 31, 1881, at Mount Pleasant, and contains an area of 11 acres and one mortuary chapel.

The parish church and churchyard, part of the church cemetery and the Unitarian burial grounds were wholly closed against interments by Order in Council, May 25, 1855.

The Corn Exchange, on the North Brink, includes, in addition to the Exchange, a sale room and various offices. The Cattle Market, near the Corn Exchange, on the Chapel road, was formed at a cost of £ 2,300 the Corn Market day is Saturday: cattle markets are held on Thursdays and Saturdays weekly; and fairs on the Saturday after the end of Lynn February 14th fair; which lasts seven days; the second Thursday in May and July 25, for horses and the first Thursday in August for beasts; the third Wednesday in September for hiring.

The Custom House for the port, with a collector and controller, is in Monica road. There are three banks, four weekly newspapers, one of which is printed in the town, and several excellent hotels, of which the "Rose and Grown," the "Ship", the "White Hart' , and the "White Lion" are the chief.

The Post Office, in Bridge street, was erected in 1886-7.

The Public Hall, in Upper Hill street, built in 1840, at a cost of £ 1,000, contains a large room capable of holding 800 persons, and a lecture room to hold 200, besides two board rooms and the usual offices; the entire building was restored and re-decorated in 1885, and is us ed for concerts, public meetings and other purposes. Selwyn Hall, in Great Church street, erected in 1894, is used for meetings, concerts &c.

The "United Good Fellowship" (No. 809)\tab Lodge of Freemasons, to which there is a Chapter attached, holds its meetings at the "Rose and Crown," on the 4th Thursday in the month.

The Police Office adjoins the Cattle Market.

The Fire Brigade consists of a captain, three officers, four subordinate officers and 20 men, with two steam fire engines, one manual engine and a fire escape; the engine house is in Lower Hill street, keys, being kept at the Police, office and by the superintendent, Mr. Archer, North street.

The Museum and Literary Institution, in Museum square, is open from 11 to 5 in summer and 11 to 4 in winter, and on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9. The Literary Institution was established in 1781, and the Museum in 1835, and they were amalgamated in 1877: the collections include Egyptian antiquities, Celtic flint and bronze implements, Roman-British querns an d urns and Anglo Saxon fibulae, besides a valuable collection of ceramics, bijouterie, articles of vertu and coins, bequeathed to the museum in 1869 by the Rev. C. H. Townsend: in British ornithology the collection, comprising many rare Fen birds, is near ly complete; the specimens of marine and fresh water fish taken in the river and in the Wash are extensive and curious; there are also some fine mineralogical and geological specimens, and collections of natural history.

A park, with pleasure grounds, comprising an area of 18 acres, planted with shrubs, flowers and evergreens, was opening in 1870, at a cost of £3,769.18s. 10d. of which sum the land cost £ 2,400, the remainder being expended in inclosing and ornamenting: the memorial column erected in the park in 1871, to the late Richard Young esq. M.P. having been blown down and shattered by a storm in December 1883, has been repaired at a cost of £ 117, raised by subscriptions. The North Cambridgeshire Cottage Hospital, adjoining and overlooking the park, i s a structure of brick, with lodge and detached residence for the surgeon, built and furnished by the munificence of Miss M.E. Trafford Southwell, of Honington Hall, Grantham, at a cost of about £ 8,000, and opened Nov. 22, 1873: the foundress endowed the hospital with a sum of £6,000, augmented by donations to the amount of £10,000: there are beds for 26 patients.

A Fever Hospital was established in 1875, at Mount Pleasant.

The Working Men's Club and Institute, Lower Hill street; originally a private dwelling house, was opened January 4th, 1865, and subsequently enlarged, and a new smoking room was added in 1891; attached is a tower of brick and stone, 100 feet high, contain ing an illuminated clock and chimes, with 14 bells playing 26 tunes, erected by Mr. James Daun, of this town: the building comprises a lecture hall, reading, smoking, conversation and class-rooms, Library of 5,000 volumes, gymnasium and a residence for th e hall keeper: in connection with the institute is a savings bank, coal and Christmas clubs, as well as clubs for cricket, football, gymnastic exercise, draughts and chess; various educational classes are also held here: there are now (1900) 1,150 members.

The memorial to Thomas Clarkson M.A. the indefatigable advocate for the abolition of the slave trade, was erected at a cost of £ 2,055, raised by subscription, from the designs of the late Sir Gilbert Scott R.A.: the first stone was laid 28 Oct. 1880, and the memorial unveiled 1 Nov. 1881: it consists of a statue, mounted on a platform, above which rises a canopy, terminating in a spire the whole being 68 feet high: on three sides of the base; are carved bas-reliefs, representing respectively Wilberforce, Granville Sharp and a manacled slave in a beseeching attitude: the fourth side bears an inscription to this distinguished philanthropist, who was born at Wisbech 26 March, 1760, and died at Playford Hall, near Ipswich, 26 Sept 1846.

The soil is loam; subsoil, clay, Chief crops, wheat, market garden produce and pasturage. The area is 6,434 acres of land, 42 of water, 46 of tidal water and 20 of foreshore; rateable value £ 40,383; the population of Wisbech in 1891 was 9,395, including 205 officers and inmates of the workhouse. The population of St. Augustine ecclesiastical parish in 1891 was 2,950.

PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS Borough Police Station, North brink, James Dockerill, supt.; 2 sergeants & 7 constables
Burial Board, George Carrick, clerk, 1 York row
Burial Ground, Mount Pleasant, Jabez Taylor, ground kpr
Cemetery, Leverington road, Alfred Southwell, Sec.;
Thomas Powley, superintendent
County Court, held in the Sessions house, South brink, His Honor William Willis Q.C. judge; Thomas Richards Dawbarn, registrar; C. F. Nicole, high bailiff. The district comprises the following parishes, viz. :Elm, Emneth, Leverington, Newton Outwel, Parson Drove, Tydd St. Giles, Upwell, Walsoken, Walpole St. Andrew, Walpole St. Peter, West Walton, Wisbech St. Mary & Wisbech St. Peter For bankruptcy purposes this court is included in that of King's Lynn, Harry Pearce Gould, 8 King street, Norwich, official receiver Certified Bailiff appointed under the "Law of Distress -Amendment. Act,' John -Brown, 3 South brink
Corn Exchange, Cornhill, Ernest Jackson, sec. to the company; Charles Gates, hall keeper
Custom House for Port of Wisbech, 6 Monica road, Wm George Hamilton, superintendent of customs & mercantile marine & receiver of wreck; Robert Cole, second officer
Fever Hospital, Mount Pleasant, Edward Charles Bury M.D. medical superintendent; T.W. Wright, caretaker
Fire Brigade, Engine house, Lower Hill Street, Arthur Plowright, captain
Inland Revenue Office, Bridge buildings, Arthur Hugh Edwards, officer of Wisbech ride & inspector of corn returns.
Museum & Literary Institution, Museum square, open 11 to 4 in winter & 11 to 5 in summer; & on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9; Alexander Peckover F.L.S., F.R.G.S. president; A.E. Clarke esq. treasurer; George Oliver, curator & librarian
North Cambridgeshire Cottage Hospital, The Park, Edwd. Charles Bury M.D. & Arthur William Clark L.R.C.P. Lond. hon. medical officers; Herbert Taylor M.D. Edin., M.R.C.S. Eng. house surgeon; Miss Stendell, matron
Public Hall, Upper Hill street, Alfred Southwell, sec.; William T. Davis, hall keeper
Selwyn Hall, Great Church street, J.T. Baker, lessee
Sessions House, South brink; sessions are held in Jan. & July Sewerage Pumping Station, Tinker's drove, Lapauldro: Palmer, engineer
Wisbech Working Men's' Club & Institution, 17 Lower Hill street, William Pannifer, hall keeper; Miss E. Pooley, librarian
Wisbech & Walsoken Main Sewerage Board, 1 York row, George Carrick, clerk; Arthur H. Plowright, surveyor; William Frederick Bray & Tom Emmett Robbins, collectors
Wisbech Christmas Fat Stock-Committee, W.J. Chamberlin, sec. 3 Cornhill

VOLUNTEERS
3rd Volunteer Battalion (Cambridgeshire) Suffolk Regiment (E Company); Orderly Room, Corn Exchange; Capt. C.E.F. Copeman; Surg.Lieut. Arthur William Clark L.R.C.P. Lond. Medical officer; Rev. Edward Ulyat M.A. acting chaplain

PLACES OF WORSHIP, with times of services.
SS. Peter & Paul Church, Rev. Robert Edward Reginald Watts M.A. vicar, Rev. Arthur Sutherland B.A. curate; 11 a.m. 3 & 7 p.m. week days, 9 a.m. & wed. 7 p.m. ' St. Augustine's District Church, Rev. Charles Hannibal Crossley. vicar, Rev. Alexander Chorley Crosfield MA. curate; 8 & 11 a.m. & 3 & 7 p.m. Chapel of Ease, Old market, Rev. Richard Boyer M.A. incumbent; 11 a.m. & 7 p.m. Our Lady & St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, New Wisbech, Rev. George J. Page, priest; mass 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. evening, service 6.30 p.m.; holidays of obligation, mass 8 a.m. & evening service 7 p.m. Friends Meeting House, North brink; 10 a.m. & 3.30 p.m.; wed. 10.30 a.m. Congregational, Castle square, Rev. James Thomas; sun. 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; Thurs. 7.15 p.m. Baptist (General), Ely Place, crescent, Rev. Arthur G. Everett; sun. 10.45 a.m. & 6.45 p.m.; wed. 7 p.m. Baptist (particular), Upper Hill street, Revs. John Cockett & J.W. Campbell; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 7.15 p.m. Baptist (Zion), Victoria road; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m. Primitive Methodist, Church terrace, Rev. Arthur William Edwards; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; Mon. 7 p.m. United Methodist Free Church, Little Church street, Rev. Isaac Elsom; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m. Wesleyan, Crescent, Rev. William Henry Johnston & Rev. Anthony C. Baker; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

SCHOOLS The Endowed Grammar School, South brink, was founded in 1379, & reconstituted by the Charity Commissioners in 1878: amongst the earliest endowments is that of Sir Nicholas Sandys A.D. 1639: attached to the school are also four exhibitions of: £ 70 yearly , founded by William Holmes in 1638, of which three are tenable for 4 years at Magdalene College, Cambridge, & the fourth for the same period at any other University: the master of the school is allowed to take boarders: the governing body is as follows:-

W.M. Rust esq. John Goward esq. John Leach esq. Alexander Peckover esq. Rev. Canon Stokes M.A. Henry Farrow esq. W.S. Collins esq. W.R. Girling esq. A.G. Peskett esq. M.A. the Rev. Robert Edward Reginald Watts M.A. governors; Edward Hugh Jackson esq. cler k; Arthur William Poyser M.A. head master

Charity Schools:- There are two charity school in the town, one for boys & one for girls & one Sunday school, partly supported by the interest of various sums, amounting to £674, given by benefactors to the burges ses of Wisbech for the benefit of the said schools, & by the rents of an estate in Leverington, Cambridgeshire, consisting of 23 acres, purchased with two sums of £ 500 each, given to the said burgesses for that purpose by the Rev. Abraham Jobson D.D. & John Edes esq. & also by the rents of an estate given by Elizabeth Wright, by her will in 1732, & by the interest of £ 500 left by the said Abraham Jobson & by dividends of £108 stock: the income amounts to about £10, & is applied in support of the schools A School Board of 7 members was formed 28 Nov. 1876, E. H. Jackson, 18 Lower Hill street clerk to the board; John Harrison, South brink, attendance officer; board day, 1st Thursday in the month at 10 a.m.; board room, 18 Lower Hill street Board Schools. Boys, Victoria road, erected 1840, for 280 children; average attendance, 221; William James Dent Ward, master

Girls & Infants, Elm road, erected 1878 & opened April ,15,1879, for 200 girls & 150 infants; average attendance, 170 girls & 106 infants; Miss Jane Stokoe, mistress; Mrs. Ward, infants mistress Mixed, South brink, erected 1879, for 60 children; average attendance, 39; Miss Mary Ann Dean, mistress National Schools. St. Peter' s (boys), Church terrace, erected 1874, has an endowment of £250 yearly & is supported in part from the charities previously mentioned; of children, 250; average attendance 200; A. W. Narborough, master St. Peter's (girls & infants), Lower Hill street, erected in 1814; average attendance, 135 girls & 125 infants; this school also participates in the same charities; Miss Jane Gadsby, girls' infants; Miss Eliza Voss, infants' mistress St. Augustine's (girls), Monica road, erected 1874, for 100 girls & 150 infants; average attendance, 70 girls & 123 infants; Annie Peacocke, girls' mistress; Miss Mary Elizabeth Hobbs infants' mistress

NEWSPAPERS. North Cambridgeshire Echo, published Friday, Up Hill St. Wisbech Advertiser, published every Wednesday, by Gardiner & Co. Union St., See advertisement Wisbech Constitutional Gazette, Lynn Advertiser & ,Cambridgeshire & Norfolk Herald, published every Friday evening, by, Leach & Son, 26 High street, See advert Wisbech Standard, Wisbech Standard Newspaper Co. publishers; published Friday afternoon, 45 Market pl. See advertisement Wisbech Telegraph (gratis supplement to Wisbech Advertiser), published every Saturday by Gardiner & Co. Union street. See advertisement

RAILWAY STATIONS Great Eastern, New Wisbech, John Ablitt, station master
Midland & Great Northern Joint Station, Pickard' s lane. Henry Charles Fisher, station master
Omnibuses from the Rose & Crown, White Hart & White Lion hotels, to meet all trains.

CARRIERS With the places they go to, inns they start from & days of departure.

Sutton; & Co., (parcels), Joseph Anthony Fewster, agent, 14 Market place
Christchurch-Bensley, The Royal, tues. & sat
Fleet-Whitelam, Midland Counties hotel, sat
Gedney-Whitelam, Midland Counties hotel, sat
Gedney Hill-Atter, ' Spread Eagle' , thurs. & sat
Guyhirn-Thorpe, Spread & Eagle, wed & sat.; Johnson, 'Spread ,Eagle,' wed & sat
Holbeach. J. Whitelam, Midland Counties Hotel, sat
Holbeach Drove-Atter, Spread Eagle,' sat
Lake's End-Cawthorn, White Lion, tues. thurs. & sat
Leverington & Gorfield-Anderson, 'Ship Defiance,' sat
Long Sutton-Whiteham, Midland Counties hotel. sat
Lynn-Gilbert, 'Golden Lion,' wed. & sat
March-Pollington, 'Spread Eagle,' sat
Moulton-Whitelam, Midland Counties hotel, sat
Moulton Chapel-Atter, ' Spread Eagle,' sat
Newton-Wilson, ' Hare & Hounds,' thurs. & sat
Nordolph-Wiles, 'The Royal,' sat
Outwell & Upwell-Gawthorn, ' White Lion,' tues. thurs. & sat.; Boyce, ' Ship', tues. thurs. & sat
Parson Drove-Grayston, Midland Counties hotel, wed & sat.; atter, ' Spread Eagle,' sat;
Spalding-Atter, ' Spread Eagle,' sat.; Whitelam, Midland Counties hotel, sat.
Sutton (Long)-Scrimshaw, ' Swan,' thurs. & sat.
Sutton St. Edmund-Scrimshaw, ' Swan,' thurs. & sat.
Sutton St. James-Scrimshaw, ' Swan,' thurs. &' sat
Terrington-Dean, ' Old Bell' , thurs. & sat
Terrington St. John-Dean, 'Old Bell,' thurs. & sat
Tilney-Dean, 'Old Bell,' thurs. & sat
Tydd St. Giles-Scrimshaw, "Swan,' thurs. & sat.; Wilson, 'Hare & Hounds ' thurs. & sat
Tips End-Bensley, 'The Royal,' tues & sat
Upwell-Bensley, ' The Royal,' tues & sat
Walpole-Storey; 'Old Bell,' thurs & sat,
Walton-Storey, 'Old Bell,' thurs & sat
Welney-Cawthorn, 'White Lion,' tues., thurs. & sat. Bensley, 'The Royal,' tues. & sat
Weston Hills- Atter, 'Spread Eagle,' sat
Whaplode Drove-Atter, 'Spread Eagle,' sat
Wisbech St. Mary-Coleman, 'Spread Eagle', wed. & sat.; Atter, 'Spread Eagle,' sat.; Johnson, 'Spread Eagle,' thurs. & sat.; Grayston, Midland Counties hotel, wed. & sat

WATER CONVEYANCE.
Steam packet, with goods only, plies between Wisbech & Hull once a week, but on no stated days, & from South Devon wharf every Friday & every tues. from Wisbech.

* Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire 1900 (London: Kelly's Directories Limited, 1900), pp.214-220.