Very intriguing, Nick. In John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887), Spalding is said to be in a rich agricultural district. It still is. Although the final Flower Parade was held in 2013, the autumn Pumpkin Festival, started in 2002, carries on. And the farms still rely on migrant labour; Cabbage and Broccoli Operatives Location – Spalding, Lincolnshire Rate of pay - £8.91 per Hour Start – ASAP Shift – Day shift available - 12 hour shift

From the internet; Deeping St Nicholas; With the proper drainage of the fens in 1845 a church was built and dedicated to St Nicholas and this gave its name to the village which came into existence in about 1850. The reclaimed land is of exceptional fertility and farming was once the main occupation together with associated trades of saddlery, wheelwrights and cart makers. But as mechanisation came, more and more people had to look for work outside the village in nearby Spalding and Peterborough. Cereals and sugar beet are the main crops, potatoes used to be grown in large quantities and the potato railways were in great use. Horses were used to pull the trucks laden with corn or potatoes. Not far away, the Wisbech & Upwell Tramway opened in 1883 to serve a number of small villages on the West Norfolk/Cambridgeshire border, an area of fertile fenland soil. The area was well known for its top fruit, typically apples, pears and plums as well as strawberries, a staple of the goods traffic on the line until it closed in May 1966.

So I wonder if the Boswell family was returning, via Brigg, to Spalding to pick fruit and vegetables throughout late summer and autumn.

And I remember The Lancashire Drift fondly!