Boston, town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Lincolnshire, England. It is located on the River Witham on the northern margin in the Fens.
Boston town has served as a small port and market town since the 13th century, when, as a member of the Hanseatic League, it traded in wool, wine, leather, tin, lead, and other commodities. With the progressive silting of the river and changing patterns of trade, the town’s prosperity declined. It was from Boston that many of the Puritans set forth for the New World. Boston’s church is a landmark for the surrounding extensive area of flat reclaimed peat and silt marshland constituting the Fens. The tower, known as Boston Stump, is 272.5 feet (83 metres) high. It is the tallest parish church tower (exclusive of spire) in England. The church itself is a Decorated-style building extensively restored since 1931. William Bradford, William Brewster, and other Pilgrims were imprisoned in 1607 in the Guildhall building, which is now a museum. The contemporary importance of the town of Boston derives from its continued modest function as a port and from the presence of agricultural and cattle markets. Industries are based largely on agricultural processing. The surrounding borough is mostly rural and intensively cultivated. Area borough, 140 square miles (362 square km). Pop. (2001) town, 35,124; district, 55,750; (2011) town, 41,340; district, 64,637.