Louth, mun. bor., market town, par., and township, Lincolnshire, 27 miles NE. of Lincoln and 141 miles from London by rail - par., 3620 ac., pop. 10,827; bor. and township, 3250 ac., pop. 10,691; P.O., T.O., 2 Banks, 3 newspapers. Market-days, Wednesday and Saturday. Luda was the name given to this place in ancient times, being derived from the stream called the Lud. The town was famed for the number of its monastic establishments. In modern times the trade of the town consists mainly in supplying the surrounding agricultural district with merchandise. Carpets are made, and there is some ironfounding, brewing, and carriage-making. The Louth Canal extends to the mouth of the Humber; it was constructed in 1761, at a cost of £12,000.

(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))