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Summary

Market Rasen has its origins in the twelfth century and survives to the present.

Full description

This is the record for the medieval core of Market Rasen. For further information on the later medieval and post-medieval settlement in Market Rasen please see record PRN 52752. The settlement record is split into four quarters; defined by the railway line and Queen Street. Records for each quarter have information relevant to their specific area.

The presence of a thriving pottery industry in the vicinity of Market Rasen in the 3d or 4th century suggests that there would have been a Roman settlement in the area although as yet it remains unlocated. Market Rasen is first documented in the Domesday Survey where land belonging to Roger of Poitou and Alfred of Lincoln is recorded. A mill is also documented and the presence of the Market Place adjacent to the church may be of significance. This may indicate that there was possibly late Anglo-Saxon, or even earlier settlement in Market Rasen, although there is very little evidence to support this. Two escutcheons from a hanging bowl are thought to have been found in the area (PRN 52745), which may also be an indicator of early settlement. {1}{2}{3}

The place name of Market Rasen has comes from the Old English, originating in the 14th century. Rasen means 'a plank', perhaps with reference to a bridge or plank laid across marshy ground. Market is self-explanatory. {4}

The settlements of Little, East or Market Rasen are documented in Domesday but were not distinguished between in 1086. Market Rasen is thought to have grown as a market town in the 12th and 13th centuries but this is unsubstantiated. Although if this is true it would appear that the growth of the 12th and 13th centuries was followed by decline in the 14th century. Recovery from the Black Death appears to have been rapid and this is reflected in the early 15th century architecture of St Thomas’s, and sustained in the 16th century. {5}

<1> C.W. Foster and T. Longley, 1924, Lincolnshire Domesday and Lindsey Survey, 16/11 and 27/9; Lindsey Survey7/15,16 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI893.

<2> North Lincolnshire Archaeological Unit, 1989, Market Rasen Archaeological Resource Map, - (Unpublished Document). SLI5997.

<3> Nikolaus Pevsner and John Harris, with Nicholas Antram, 1989, Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Second Edition), pp.555-6 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1062.

<4> Kenneth Cameron, 1998, A Dictionary of Lincolnshire Place-Names, p.100 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI5432.

<5> P.L. Everson, C.C. Taylor and C.J. Dunn, 1991, Change and Continuity: Rural Settlement in North-West Lincolnshire, Archive notes (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1063.

Monument Types

• QUARTER (Medieval - 1301 AD to 1539 AD)
• SETTLEMENT (Medieval - 1301 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

• Conservation Area

Sources and further reading

Related records

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