Boston is still one of the biggest and most influential towns in Lincolnshire today as it was in the medieval period, although interestingly there is no mention of Boston in ‘Domesday Book’ of 1086 (Russell, 2021). By the beginning of the 12th century, however, Boston had developed as an inland port thanks to its position at the head of the tidal River Haven, linking it to the North Sea. By the 13th century, Boston had grown to be one of the most powerful ports in England, exporting wool, lead and salt to mainland Europe and bringing in exotic imports such as wine, fur and spices (Russell, 2021). Most notably, Boston had become a major trading post for the Hanseatic League, wealthy merchants hailing from Northern Germany, and the Baltic States, who dominated trade across Europe in this period. Boston, therefore, became not just the richest town in Lincolnshire, but also one of the wealthiest and most influential in the whole of England (Russell, 2021). This is mirrored in the huge parish church of St Botolph’s. Affectionately known by locals as ‘The Stump’, it is the largest parish church in England. Unfortunately, Boston’s prosperity did not last due to the decline of wool exports at the end of the 15th century. The name Boston is thought to have come from the name ‘Botolph’s Town’, due to its association with the Benedictine monk, St Botolph, to whom the church is dedicated (Mee and Baker, 1970).
The church was built by the many rich merchants who frequented Boston’s port, in the 14th and 15th centuries there were 15 merchant guilds working out of Boston, growing rich on trade with Europe. They built the huge church to accommodate their many private chapels in a shell that would rival those on the continent. While the simple plan is much like any other parish church in the fens, the tower is a massive 272 ½ feet high in a lantern style that looks out over a third of Lincolnshire and out over the Wash, with a footprint to match (Parish of Boston, 2020). The tower was finished in 1460 but the foundations, 36 feet below the ground are thought to be from as early as 1309. On the west wall of the tower lies a 14th century porch, on each side of a double door are carved stone figures of two men reading, one with a lion on his back and one with an eagle, a man playing a harp and a woman with a demon on her shoulder. On the north side of the tower is a carved knight and opposite on the south a carved version of St Botolph himself surveys the town (Mee and Baker, 1970).
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The church was started with what is now the chancel and two bays at the eastern side and the expanded westwards into the chapel of the Guild of St Mary and the rest of the church which was completed by 1390. The Guild of St Mary, founded in 1260, was the oldest and richest guild, maintaining seven priests, a choir, a school and several alms-houses (Parish of Boston, 2020). At the other end of the church, originally built separately in the 14th century, is the Cotton Chapel, originally belonging to a smaller guild but this was restored in the 19th century by Americans as a tribute to John Cotton, a Puritan vicar who served here in the 17th century and sailed to the new Boston in Massachusetts with many in his congregation, where he served until his death (Mee and Baker, 1970).
In the early 15th century, the chancel was lengthened by two bays to help stabilize the collapsing church along with reroofing the entire church. A common problem in the Fens is the soft silt underneath buildings such as this which causes major slumping in the years following construction. There have not, however, been problems since this time as the building has settled into the silt (Parish of Boston, 2020) While much of the main building has been restored over the years, the original roof still remains with many of the original carvings on the roof bosses. These have been repainted in recent years but with paints thought to match the originals (Parish of Boston, 2020).
One thing that has remained completely unchanged are the choir stalls, carved in 1390 before the chancel was extended. The stalls contain, in the 62 misericords, some exceptional carvings (Napier, 2015). They show not only wonderful skill but also humor and imagination as there is a real mix in the carvers’ choice of subjects. While most misericords contain mostly religious themes, the ones at St Botolph’s also contain some bizarre examples such as two jesters each squeezing a cat under his arm with the tail in his mouth like a bagpipe and a mermaid luring two sailors to their deaths with pipes (Napier, 2015).
There are also two 14th century brasses either side if the high altar, to a merchant, Walter Pescod and his wife, and the priest John Strensall. As it was not until the 16th century that brass was manufactured in England, the metal must have been imported from overseas. The two brasses are typical of English style engraving rather than many other Flemish examples in the church from the same period. They illustrate how connected Boston was as a port town enabling the brass to be easily imported from Europe for two such large plaques to be produced (Wheeldon, 1973).
Boston is by far the most dramatic example of town wealth being put directly into the construction of an impressive church building. It is made all the more impressive by the fact that this was not associated in any way with a local Abbey or Priory, but instead was a fully funded project by the local Guilds to improve the already existing church building and demonstrate to travelers from the continent just how much money Boston had made as a successful port town exporting wool and other important goods. Although Boston’s financial success dwindled, the church is still the biggest parish church in England and has been renovated time and time again to keep it in the best state for visitors and locals alike to marvel at its size and grandeur, meaning that the Guilds’ vision for it is still being fulfilled to this day.
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