The principal School is one on the mutual instruction system; a Mr. Pitman, from London, is master. An Infant School has been added to it. A fat cattle market is held fortnightly ; a corn market every Monday; (this is a fine corn district,) and the yearly Fair on Trinity Thursday. The town is within the jurisdiction of the County Magistrates. Constables and other officers are appointed at the Court Leet of the Manor, (which belongs to the crown,) held half-yearly. The Church of St. Peter is very antiquated ; the lower part of the tower is, probably, one of the few specimens we have of real Saxon architecture. St. Mary's seems to have been built as a Chapel of Ease to St. Peter's. It is principally early English, of which the tower is an elegant specimen. A small organ in each church has been built by subscription; the bells are not very good. There is a curious custom observed; a bell is rung from 7 to 8 every evening, from the getting in of the first load of barley in August till Shrove Tuesday. The origin of the custom is vulgarly said to be this :-An old lady lost herself in the fields or fens around, and found her way back to Barton by the sound of this evening bell;-so she gave property to keep up the practice. We may just observe, that similar traditions exist in Gainsborough, and in Leeds in Yorkshire.
Chapels.-Independent, Primitive, Wesleyan, and Catholic.
Barton was once noted for its commerce, until Edward I. made
Kingston-upon-Hull a free borough, which being near (lower down
the Humber,) drew away the trade from Barton. The town has once, doubtless, been large and important.
Population.-3,233.