Grimsby

Grimsby, or GREAT GRIMSBY, a parliamentary, municipal, and county borough and seaport of Lincolnshire, is situated on the right bank of the Humber, 20 miles ESE. of Hull and 41 NE. of Lincoln. It consists of two portions: the older, comprising a number of streets irregularly laid out, is at the head of the harbour; and the newer part, called the 'Marsh,' extending along the east side of the harbour, is regular and spacious. The parish church, a good cruciform edifice in the Early English style, was restored in 1859. A statue of the Prince Consort was unveiled in 1879, and a public park of 27 acres opened in 1883. In the time of Edward III. Grimsby was a port of considerable importance, which, however, it gradually lost as its harbour became silted up. The town is famous as the largest fishing port in the kingdom, its trawlers and smacks being mostly engaged in the cod, herring, and whelk fisheries. Its importance as a place for the landing of fish dates from 1849–58, when docks began to be constructed under the auspices of the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway, which carries the fish to the principal industrial centres of the northern Midlands. The docks cover altogether an area of about 350 acres. The industries of the place include shipbuilding, tanning, brewing, cordage-making, and flax-dressing. About 3500 vessels, with an average burden of 675,000 tons, enter every year, and the number and burden of those clearing annually are about the same. The imports of the port reach the annual value of 4½ millions sterling, and the exports 7¾ millions. Grimsby since 1832 has returned only one member to parliament. Pop. (1851) 12,263; (1871) 28,503; (1891) 58,603, of whom 51,876 were within the municipal boundary. See works by Oliver (1825) and Davenport (1866).