Market Rasen (/ˈreɪzən/ RAY-zən) is a market town and civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The River Rase runs through it east to west, approximately 13 miles (21 km) north-east from Lincoln, 18 miles (29 km) east from Gainsborough, 14 miles (23 km) west of Louth, and 16 miles (26 km) south-west from Grimsby. It lies on the main road between Lincoln and Grimsby, the A46, and is famous for its racecourse. In 2001, the town had a population of 3,200. In the 2011 census, the population of the civil parish was 3,904.
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In this Dossier
Market Rasen in the context of Market town
A market town is a settlement (commonly in Europe) that obtained a market right (by custom or royal charter) in the Middle Ages, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or a city. In Britain, small rural towns with a hinterland of villages are still commonly called market towns, and is sometimes reflected in their names (e.g. Downham Market, Market Rasen, or Market Drayton).
Modern markets are often in special halls, but this is a relatively recent development. Historically the markets were open-air, held in what is usually called (regardless of its actual shape) the market square or market place, sometimes centred on a market cross (mercat cross in Scotland). They were and are typically open one or two days a week. In the modern era, the rise of permanent retail establishments reduced the need for periodic markets.
Market Rasen in the context of River Ancholme
The River Ancholme is a river in Lincolnshire, England, and a tributary of the Humber. It rises at Ancholme Head, a spring just north of the village of Ingham and immediately west of the Roman Road, Ermine Street. It flows east and then north to Bishopbridge west of Market Rasen, where it is joined by the Rase. North of there it flows through the market town of Brigg before draining into the Humber at South Ferriby. It drains a large part of northern Lincolnshire between the Trent and the North Sea.
The river has been used by humans since at least 800 BC, seen by the excavation of a planked boat at Brigg. Letters patent for improvements to the river are known from 1287 onwards. Major change occurred in 1635, when a new straight channel was constructed from Bishopbridge to Ferriby. The new channel carries most of the water, the New River Ancholme, whereas the Old River Ancholme still meanders. The latter is mostly reduced to a ditch, save around Brigg's central 'Island Carr'. Further improvements were started by John Rennie (the Elder) in the early 1800s and completed by his son in the 1820s, with the reconstruction of Ferriby Sluice taking place around 1841.