Long Sutton is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in the South Holland

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, England. It lies in

The Fens The Fens, also known as the , in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a ...

, close to

the Wash The Wash is a rectangular bay and multiple estuary at the north-west corner of East Anglia on the East coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire and both border the North Sea. One of Britain's broadest estuaries, it is fed by the riv ...

, east of Spalding.

History

Long Sutton belonged historically to the

wapentake A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Southern Schleswig, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, ...

of Elloe in the Parts of Holland. A flood in 1236 that destroyed Wisbech Castle is also said to have washed away the village of Dolproon (or Dolprun) near Long Sutton and its existence has been handed down in the lines: "When Dolproon stood, Long Sutton was a wood. When Dolproon was washed down, Long Sutton became a town." The Friday market dates back to the early 13th century when the town was a prosperous trading centre. By the mid-14th century, it was considered to be one of the richest communities in Lincolnshire. In the 1800s the town was on the circuits of touring theatre companies, in 1842 the Bullen theatre company performed here. Prosperity continued into the 20th century, helped by the arrival of the railways. In the 1950s eleven trains would daily transport passengers and local produce to and from the town. Long Sutton railway station on the

Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) was a railway network in England, in the area connecting southern Lincolnshire, the Isle of Ely and north Norfolk. It developed from several local independent concerns and was incorporated ...

closed in 1959 when passenger services were withdrawn. In 1987 a Butterfly Park was opened near Long Sutton. The park was closed in October 2012 after a series of losses and bad weather. On 21 June 2012, at about 2:30 pm, a tornado hit Long Sutton. Particular damage was caused in Woad Lane with the tornado "leaving a trail of destruction in its wake".

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. This stretches south to

Tydd St Mary Tydd St Mary is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England, about east of the town of Spalding and about north of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The Civil Parish includes the village of Tydd Gote which lies p ...

, with a total population at the 2011 Census of 7,260.

Community

Long Sutton is the terminus of the A1101. It is now bypassed, with

Sutton Bridge Sutton Bridge is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A17 road, north from Wisbech and west from King's Lynn. The village includes a commercial dock on the west bank of th ...

, by the A17 which follows the former railway. In 2001 the town had a population of 6,461. Long Sutton is served by one main local newspaper company, Spalding Today, which produces the ''Spalding Guardian'' and the ''Lincolnshire Free Press''.

Food canning factory

Among the largest local employers since the 1940s was the canning factory of Lockwoods Foods Ltd in Bridge Road, between

and Long Sutton. It produced a range of own-brand canned food and drink products ranging from

mushy peas Mushy peas are dried marrowfat peas which are first soaked overnight in water with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and then rinsed in fresh water, after which the peas are gathered in a saucepan, covered with water, and brought to a boil, and ...

to seasonal strawberries and

cola Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imi ...

ginger beer Traditional ginger beer is a sweetened and carbonated, usually non-alcoholic beverage. Historically it was produced by the natural fermentation of prepared ginger spice, yeast and sugar. Current ginger beers are often manufactured rather than ...

and lemonade shandy. The firm catered to UK and overseas markets, including third-party brands such as Del Monte. In the 1980s the factory was bought by

Premier Foods Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The group owns many well-known brands, including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Bird's Custard, Angel Delight, Homepride cooking sauces, Lyons, Sharwood's, Loy ...

, as Lockwoods Foods Limited went into

administrative receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...

. Premier Foods, among other food brands, later produced the staple

Fray Bentos Fray Bentos () is the capital city of the Río Negro Department, in south-western Uruguay, at the Argentina-Uruguay border, near the Argentine city of Gualeguaychú. Its port on the Uruguay River is one of the nation's most important harbours. ...

canned

steak and kidney pie Steak and kidney pie is a popular British dish. It is a savoury pie filled principally with a mixture of diced beef, diced kidney (which may be beef, lamb, veal or pork) and onion. Its contents are generally similar to those of steak and kidney p ...

at the Long Sutton factory. After the sale of Fray Bentos to

Baxters Baxters Food Group Limited, also known as Baxters of Speyside or Baxters, is a food processing company, based in Fochabers, Scotland. It produces foods such as Soup, canned soups, canned meat products, Pickling, sour pickles, sauces, vinegars, A ...

in 2011, production moved to Scotland in 2013. The factory now belongs to the Princes Food & Drink Group. Long Sutton is its largest food production site in the United Kingdom.

Facilities and landmarks

Long Sutton County Primary School is in Dick Turpin Way in the centre of Long Sutton. It has about 400 pupils. University Academy Long Sutton is the local co-educational

secondary modern school A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usuall ...

. St Mary's Church has a 13th-century lead-covered timber spire similar in design to Chesterfield Parish Church's twisted spire, but Long Sutton's is straight. The church is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The spire is 149 feet high (45 metres) high. Long Sutton Bailey Grave

Within the church is a memorial inscribed "Alas! Poor Bailey" to a local surgeon, John Bailey, who was killed by robbers while returning from a visit to a patient in

just after midnight on 22 April 1795. His murderers were not caught. Town

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

s are the ''Olde Ship Inn'' in London Road, the ''Crown and Woolpack'' in High Street, and the ''Corn Exchange'' and the ''Granary'' in Market Street.

Sport

The town's Long Sutton Athletic F.C. plays in the Peterborough and District Football League. It previously played in the

Eastern Counties Football League The Eastern Counties Football League, currently known as the Thurlow Nunn League for sponsorship purposes, is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suffolk ...

Notable people

In birth order: *

Christopher Helme Christopher Helme (1603 - c. 1650) was an early immigrant to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Exeter, New Hampshire. Biography Helme was baptized on 24 July 1603 in Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, England, the son of William Elm ...

(1603 – c. 1650), born in Long Sutton, was an emigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony and a founder of

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

. *

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ea ...

(1705–1739), highwayman, lived in Long Sutton for about nine months as John Palmer (or Parmen). There is a road in the town named after him. *

Alfred Fletcher Alfred Fletcher (20 January 1875 Lampersdorf, Province of Lower Silesia, German Empire – 20 September 1959 Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, West Germany) was a German soldier, Major and politician. Life Fletcher fought as a soldier in World War I ...

(1841–1915), journalist and left-wing politician, was born in Long Sutton. *

Richard Winfrey Sir Richard Winfrey (5 August 1858 – 18 April 1944) was a British Liberal politician, newspaper publisher and campaigner for agricultural rights. He served as Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, 1906–1923, and for Gainsborough, 192 ...

(1858–1944) was a Liberal MP, newspaper publisher and campaigner for agricultural rights. His family donated Winfrey Park.What's in a Name? Sir Richard Winfrey - a man who made such a difference
Accessed 9 August 2022. * Henry Harold Welch Pearson (1870–1916) was a Long Sutton-born South African botanist. The African genus Pearsonia was named after him. *

Reginald Skelton Sir Reginald William Skelton (3 June 1872 – 5 September 1956) was a British vice-admiral and engineer who served as chief engineer and official photographer of the 1901-1904 Discovery Expedition to Antarctica. Early life Skelton was born at Lon ...

(1872–1958), born in Long Sutton, was a naval vice-admiral and polar explorer. He was knighted in 1931. * Alfred Haines (1877–1935) from Long Sutton became a first-class cricketer playing for Gloucestershire. *

Alfred Piccaver Alfred Piccaver (5 February 1884 – 23 September 1958) was a British-American operatic tenor. He was particularly noted for his performances as Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's ''La bohème'' and other popular mainstream operatic roles. Early year ...

(1884–1958), operatic tenor, was born in Long Sutton.

References

External links

*
Long Sutton Parish Council

St Mary's church
{{authority control Towns in Lincolnshire Market towns in Lincolnshire Civil parishes in Lincolnshire South Holland, Lincolnshire