Carriers

"In the early part of the nineteenth century few people would need to leave the confines of the village. They worked on the land or in local businesses. Only the farmers or businessmen would travel away from the village. Transport was by horse and cart or the canal, which could be reached at Fulstow Bridge or the more common Fire Beacon.

Carriers would transport goods to the markets at Louth and Grimsby. By 1856 jasper Capes went to Louth and Fras. Robinson and Edward Storr to Grimsby. In 1876 George Phillips visited Grimsby on a Friday. Edward Storr carried to Louth on Wednesdays and Saturdays and Philip & William Robinson on Wednesdays. The carrier could transport any surplus produce to Louth Market for sale in the Corn Market, known locally as the Stones. He would bring back goods ordered by the villagers.

One of the Carriers to Louth, around the early 1900's, was Jim Wright. (rel. of Christiana?) He supplemented his income by keeping sheep.

Commodities such as bricks, grain and produce could be transported to other areas by means of the Louth Navigation. Goods were loaded or unloaded at the wharf at Fire Beacon where there was a public house called The Ship. Farmers and local producers could gain access to many parts of the country via the canal system. It was possible for goods to be shipped abroad via Grimsby, Boston and Hull.

By 1848 the railway had reached Grimsby from Boston. A station had been built on the Ludborough Road about a mile from the village. It now meant goods could be transported quicker than ever. It was possible for villagers to reach Louth or Grimsby Markets in a very short time.

The railway eventually replaced the canal as the main means of transporting goods to and from the village. However, it took nearly 50 years for this to happen."

pp. 28-29 "Fulstow A History of A Marsh Village" by the Fulstow History Group.