by reason of the many shelves of sand upon that Coast so that the ordinary strength of that small River coming from Bergue is not able to carry out of that Haven what the Sea lodgeth in it but then Reason and Industry doth the work of that Haven thus When the Haven is silted up to such a height the Town causes the River aforesaid to be kept up by their Sluce or Soss for some eight or ten dayes together then they command the Ships and other Vessels in that Haven to ride in the midst of it as close to each other as they can and being thus placed they at a Level water open their Sluces and Sosses and give liberty to the pinned up waters from Bergue to run through the Haven so that it grindes the bottom through the Intervals between the Ships that it carries away all the silt and sand out of the Haven whilst the ships rock too and fro as if they would fall one upon another and by this means the Haven becomes as deep again It is much the same with Delfts Haven in Hollaud and that small River which comes from Overkey to the Town and Haven doth the like effect with that of Dunkirk otherwise there could be no Haven but by reason the Sluces which cast their In-draughts into both these Haven stand at the very entrance of them otherwise they could not grinde and effect so great a work Now look back to our selves which have been so much mistaken as to make Receptacles of In-draughts within Land so remote from the Out-falls and you may be assured that if the Receptacle or In-draught made at Waldersey had taken that effect as was supposed to have received from a Spring Tide from Sea six foot water yet it could not have done you any good by reason it lay so far from the Out-fall but certain it is that if it had proved that that In-draught had but gained from the Sea four five or six foot water the Banks had been gone long e're this and Wildersay and Coldham had been both lost or little worth I shall give you no farther trouble but to assure you of my readiness to answer any other Objections which may be made against this my Design or way of Draining to the best of my knowledge and judgement Now give me leave to give you my sense of the great benefit which will arise to his Sacred Majesty the Honourable Corporation the Countrey and the whole Kingdom His Majesties Subjects in this Level who were formerly very poor by reason of the uncertainty of the Banks and their Ground lying dry but being once perfectly Drained will grow rich and populous to the strengthning of the King and Kingdom It will better Navigation and Trade to all his Towns in this part of the Kingdom It secures His Majesties Land being ten thousand Acres lying in this Level from all farther charge or fear of being drowned by any Flood either in Winter or Summer His Majesty gains hereby fifty thousand Acres of good Land called now the Washes or Salt Marshes this Land is equal to those Lands in Marsland or Holland for goodness the one lies on the East and the other on the West-side of these Washes or Salt Marshes which is all the Kings Waste and I do affirm that those Washes contain more Land then lies in Marsland it self and more those Washes lies much higher then doth Marsland or the North-side of Wisbide yet through this Wash doth Wisbidge River Sheir-Drain and Spalding River make their way to the Sea But when Wisbidge River Sheir-Drain with Spalding River are forced to a better Out-fall as Wisbidge to great Owse and Spalding River and Glean secured to the great benefit of North and South Holland then must those spacious Washes suddenly become good Land for this reason viz. for these Rivers by force of winter Floods do scour and cleanse these Washes and will not suffer the silt or sand to bed upon them but these Rivers being taken away which run through and spread themselves upon these Washes every low water doth carry away to Sea what the Tide hath left behinde but the Cause being taken away the Effect ceaseth and all those Washes will become good Land at little or no considerable charge and yet the Navigation of His Majesties Towns of Lynne Boston and Wisbidge much bettered and prove great Out-falls and Navigable Channels to the North Sea Yet let me tell you that though the Freshes work this effect to cleanse and scour the Washes yet the Washes grow and get height upon them and though formerly Wisbidge was the best Out-fall in this Great Level and took much of our waters into it which now run by Lyn by reason of late years the Sea hath left us and the Washes have gained a great height and in my judgement it is impossible ever to gain any good Out-fall through those Washes either for the River of Wisbidge Sheir-Drain or Spalding River As for the Noble and Honorable Adventurers I shall say little onely assure them that this Design and way of Draining this Great Level being perfected the Great Level will be perfectly Drained whereby the great charge of maintaining two or three hundred miles in Banking already made will be taken off which being of no farther use will be of no farther charge neither are they freed from this charge alone but from the charge of many of their Sluces and Sosses as that of VVell-creek and that upon Owse at Saltors Load and those works at Ely which will become as useless as the two or three hundred miles of Banking And in fine it may be believed that Six pence the Acre per annum will maintain the Charge of upholding the Works and procure a Stock if the beforementioned works be once sufficiently effected for there will be no need of repairing of Banks any more The benefit which will arise to the Inhabitants of this Countrey will be very considerable in being freed from all danger of being drowned any more that they may freely plow and sowe build and plant and then there will be no fear of the want of water in the Summer for themselves or Cattle and which will be very considerable is the Navigation to almost every small Town in this Level especially if their Inter-Commons be divided which will be a great benefit both to the Lords and the Tenants but in all these Navigable Cuts avoid Banks and then these Cuts and Division Dikes may be done at a small charge having a care to carry your leading Drains into their proper Out-falls of Bedford River Great Owse and Morton's Leam I shall not deviat from my present Discourse if I tell you that by my Observations abroad both in my youth and age I gained some Experience to serve my native Countrey and that one Province of Holland I compute to be equally as large as this Great Level and
several Works in this Design is an hundred and odd and most of them vast and chargeable and if the Sea be admitted to flow into the Countrey they are no wayes able to withstand the flux of the Tide brought in by a Northerly or North-West winde meeting with the Land-floods On the contrary if the flux of the Sea be stopped at a distance from the Level then they are useless and may prove hurtful and hinder the descent of the Down-fall or small Drains into the three Rivers that will run low to receive them Now before this Design was known it was declared that there was no less then three hundred miles of Banking to to be repaired and this new Design speaks of more Banks to be made with new Cuts In-drains and Counter-Banks which charge of making and repairing I fear will cost more then the Annual Rent of the 95000. Acres is able to maintain And although these Works mentioned were finished the whole Level would be in a perpetual danger for it is no other then what hath been practised these fourteen years to carry the Freshes so high as to ride the Tide which I doubt not but both the Corporation and Countrey are sensible of the difficulty to effect it with Banks of Moor Earth and in truth not to be performed As for your Brick-tunnels under your Rivers they are no wayes useful in this flat Level whether you admit the Tide in or keep it out If you exclude the Tide it may be requisite to have small Sluces upon the Out-fall of your Creeks and Leading-Drains where it may be needful into the three Rivers to hold up water for your Cattle by reason your three Rivers will run so low By this you see my Objections and Reasons against the flux of the Tide into this flat Level which if that should be stopped then you need not the help of those chargeable Moory Banks which hath so often deceived you excepting Bedford River and Morton's Leam Banks which in twenty years will require no repairing nor can suffer any Breaches by reason the Freshes cannot lie three neaps of a Tide two foot upon the Banks Besides these two now named there is Burrough single Bank from Peakirk to Croyland four miles in length likewise Croyland single Bank from Croyland to Clout-house two miles in length these must be kept in repair to resist the River Welland which lies much above our Level and is excluded from us so that it is easily perceived that four or five hundred miles of Banking will be laid aside as useless For if you exclude the Tide your vast and uncertain Charges will be taken off but on the contrary if you admit the Tide to flow into the Level as is intended by this new Design your Banks Counter-Banks Weer-Dikes and Tunnels will not secure the Level from Inundation Thus according to your Order and for the better satisfaction that so the truth might the better appear I humbly tender these my Objections and Reasons against that Design now in agitation and leave my self with them to the Judgement of this Honourable Corporation William Dodson A Breviat of the whole Charge of the Works mentioned in Collonel DODSON'S Designe for the perfect Draining of the Great Level of the Fens called Bedford Level lb s. d. IMprimis The great Sluce and Soss at Germans near Magdalen as they are Designed to be builded with Brick Stone Flood-gates Fall-gates Soss-gates Iron-work and Workmanship and allowed by Workmen will cost 09833 15 06 The making the River through Marsland from the River called the Horseshooe to Germans-Bride with Banks and In-drains at 5lb a Pole will cost 12800 00 00 The Purchase of the Land in Marsland where the River Banks and In-drains are cut out of at 15lb an Acre for the Purchase will cost 01575 00 00 The Purchase of the Land with the making of Banks and In-drains of the New Cut from the River of Owse to the gâ—eat Sluce will cost 00384 07 06 The making of Sandy's River from Ely to Littleport Chair at 1lb 15s 00 a Pole will cost 01680 00 00 The Sluce and Soss at Guyheirne allowing the Timbers of the Sluce and Soss at Saltors Load there to be delivered will cost 500lb otherwise the Charge of that Sluce and Soss will be double 00500 00 00 The Sluce and Soss at Ditton by Cambridge allowing the Timbers of Knowl's Sluce with the Timbers at the Brick-kills there to be delivered will cost 200lb otherwise the Charge of that Sluce and Soss will be double 00200 00 00 The taking up the Shelves and Flats in the Rivers of Owse and Grant will cost 00600 00 00 The making of the two Dams one over the River of Owse by Magdalen and the other over the River called the Horseshooe below Wisbidge will cost 00600 00 00 The making of the Pit for the great Sluce at Germans or near Magdalen may cost 00200 00 00 The Tarras to be made use of in and about the great Sluce and Soss may cost 00200 00 00 The Total 28573 03 00 FINIS The Circumference of the Level The Nature of the Soyl or Earth Morton's Leam and Bedford River The light Moor not good for banking The River Welland excepted in this Design Bedford River Old Owse South Ee Whittlesy Dike March River Bevils leam c. usefull in draining The descent of Burrough and Thorney Fen c The descent of Stanground Whittelsey Ug Ramsey c. Mare The descent of the Grounds on the East of the West water to the North Bank of Bedford River The descent of the grounds South East of Bedford River The descent of the Fens on the East side of great Owse Three considerable Rivers run through the Level The Design of former Undertakers The Tide a great enemy Want of Freshes a great enemy The light fuzzy Moor to make Baâ—ks withal another enemy Reasons why the Tyde is an enemy to Draining Reasons against the Banking with light Moor. Reasons why the want of Freshes is a great enemy to Draining The River Owse much obstructed with shelves of Sand below Lyn. Murrow-gate cut to the Horseshooe at Wisbidge The River Owse and Morton's Leam made to run quick below Downham and Wisbidge The Tide stopped The great Sluce to be at German-Bridge or near Magdelen in Norfolk A new River to be cut through Marsland No Banks to be sleighted A small new bank at Guy-heirne The Sosses at Stanground Erith Well c. are useful A Soss and Sluce at Ditton A Soss and Sleuce to be made at Guy-heirne The use of that Sluce and of that at Murrow Plash North-side of Wisbidge drained with the Smee and the great Common in Marsland A small Cut from Owse to Little-port Chair The benefit of Navigation through Croyland Great Benefit to Thorney Lordship Sheir-drain not to be sleighted The Dimention of the River through Marsland The Slaker through Murrow-gate A single Bank from Guyheirn to Murrow-Plash 2 miles The river from Murrow-Plash to the Horse-shooe four miles long six foot deep fifty foot wide The dimention of the Banks The new Sluce at German-Bridge The Soyl for the new Sluce to stand upon The Materials for the new Sluce where to be had The Dimention of the new Sluce What is required for the finishing this great Sluce The placing of your new Soss The great use of a large Soss The Dimention of the several Rivers The said Rivers to receive more Waters then the Receptacles now made This was the Design Anno 1649. Several Objections answered 1. Object Answ 2. Object Answ 3. Object Answ 4. Object Answ 5. Object Answ 6. Object Answ 7. Odject Answ 8. Object Answ 9. Object Answ 10. Object Answ 11. Object Answ 12. Object Answ 13. Object Answ This is of great use to the Corporation and the Countrey for Navigation and watering the Middle Level 14. Object Answ The Receptacles between the Banks no In-draughts The proper place of the In-draught The Reason wherefore Dunkirk and Delfts Haven Wynox Bergue How the Haven of Dunkirk is cleansed by the In-draught The Receptacles in Waldersey dangerous to Coldham and Waldersey Considerable benefit to the King and Kingdom Advantageous to some Towns His Majesties Land secured from drowning Fifty thousand Acres of good Land gained from the Sea called the Washes the Kings Waste The Washes get height upon the Freshes No good out-fall through the Washes for Wisbidge Spalding or Sheir-Drain The charge of two hundred miles in Banking taken off Some Sluces and Sosses become useless The Division of the Inter-Common The Province of Holland The Provinces of South and North Holland Freizeland Gronning admits no Tides to run into them North Holland hath not a quarter Ebb to run at Draining with a multitude of mills Four mills to cast up water sixteen foot Great care to prevent the flowing in of the Sea into any part of the Provinces The Sea kept out by Sosses and Sluces The Sluce at German Bridge runs at half Ebb and more Marsland lower then the great Level of the Fens and yet is Drained into the River Owse South Ea bank secured The North-side of Wisbidge drained and the flat of Tid St. Mary's 1600l per annum charge taken off from Marsland The great Common of the 7. Towns of Marsland Drained and the Smee Constant fresh water in Marsland The Benefit to the Corporation towards their charge 1. Object Answ 2. Object Answ 3. Object Answ 4. Object Answ 5. Object Answ 1. Reason 2. Reason 6. Object Answ 7. Object Answ 8. Object Answ ☞ 9. Object Answ 10. Object Answ 11. Object Answ 1. Object 1 Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Reason 2. Object 3. Object 4. Object
I do verily believe that there is one hundred times more money expended in this Province in Rivers Sluces Sosses and Bridges then can be needful in this Great Level of the Fens The Provinces of South and North Holland Freizland and Gronning admit of no Tides or Rivers from the Sea to run into them onely South Holland admits of the river Maze to run to meet the river Rhyne yet this Holland runs her water into the river Maze by substantial Sluces and Navigable Sosses as I have seen at Mazelandt Ulerdine Skeydam Delfts-haven and at Roterdam all these play into the river Maze which runs by the Brill to Dort On the North-side of this Province is Harlem Mare by Sluces and Sosses at Amsterdam there are many at Myden Nardam all these run into the Zuyder Sea and yet those Sluces and those upon the river Maze have not one quarter of the ebb to run at North Holland upon the Zuyder Sea hath its Sluces to run at Sardam Monkenden Horn Ancusen and Middle-bleak and they have not above a quarter Ebb to run at though they force their waters into those leading Rivers by costly Mills and in this North Holland much of their richest Grounds where they make their best Cheese lie under the low water mark at Sea at least six or seven foot as the Bempster the Skermer and the Wart c. they are all Drained by a multitude of Mills each Mill costs near six hundred pounds Sterling In the Skermer I have seen four Mills one standing four foot higher then the other and they have worked one to another till they have brought the water sixteen foot high to run into the Drains which leads to the Sea Freizland and Gronning from Campen in Gilderland to Dam in Gronning is all drained by Sosses and Sluces to Sea-ward the length of those three Provinces is no less then an hundred and twenty miles along the Sea Coast and yet they have no Rivers run into them from the Sea I did observe in all those parts of the Netherlands where I have been they do not admit the Sea to flow into any of their Provinces but keep it out by their Sluces and Sosses so far as Art and Cost will promise them security These Works of theirs will confirm all rational persons that if they have but one quarter of the Ebb to run at and lie dry what can be said against a Sluce and Navigable Soss at German-bridge upon old Owse and new Nean which hath half the Ebb but in a Flood more because the Freshes do rise one foot within the Sluce for two foot the Tide riseth against the Sluce without to Sea-ward I hope the experience we all have of Holland the North-side of Wisbidge with that of Marsland all of them lie below the Fens of the Great Level five or six foot yet drain themselves into great Owse and the Sea Neither are the benefits inconsiderable which Holland the North-side of Wisbidge and Marsland will receive by this Design As for Hollaud all that Bank called South Ea Bank from Dowesdale to Clowes-Cross being eight miles which was believed formerly to have been a thousand pounds per annum charge will be secured The North-side of Wisbidge will by this means save the repairing of that Bank from Clowes-Cross to Guyheirn and part of the Bank upon Wisbidge River which formerly cost much money but the greater benefit this North-side of Wisbidge will receive is the perfect Draining of all that flat and low Countrey for which they of the North-side of Wisbidge and Tid St. Mary's in the County of Lincoln did contract for the giving a great proportion of Land for the Draining thereof Now as for Marsland their benefit will be the greatest for this work being done they save the charge of repairing all those Banks from Germans-bride upwards on both sides of the River Owse to Saltors Load which is eight miles and all those Banks called new and old Po Dike which by their confession cost them yearly 1600l And withal they recover hereby the great Common belonging to the seven Towns in Marsland and the Common also called the Smee for which a great quantity of Land was offered to those which should undertake the Draining of it as I have been informed And another considerable benefit is they will constantly have fresh water out of the River from Wisbidge to German-bridge and the Bank lying upon the West of Marsland upon the Washes near fifteen miles in length it costs much money and many times in danger of breaking is hereby secured the Washes or salt Marshes being gained from the Sea which will be effected in a short time If this Work be performed it is at the pleasure of the Corporation to Drain the great Common in Marsland belonging to the seven Towns containing five thousand Acres with the Common called the Smee containing about fifteen hundred Acres likewise the Draining of the North-side of VVisbidge containing twelve thousand Acres also all those Grounds in Holland belonging to Gedney Drove Chapple Holbidge Fleet St. James Tid St. Mary's which is reported to me to contain eight thousand Acres of Drowned Land And if the Corporation please they may Drain all that part of the Queens Mannor in Croyland called Posant which will be rich Ground if once Drained and contains in it seven thousand Acres six whereof belongs to the Queen William Dodson FINIS Answers to the several Objections against this my Designe since the Delivery of it to the Honourable Corporation FIrst it is objected that the place that I intend to set the great Sluce upon which is near Magdalen is a Quick-sand To this I answer that the place I have designed to set the great Sluce upon is no Quick-sand but a firm and sollid Clay as the place where Magdalen Bridge stands or the Sluce at Saltors Load or Well-Creek and this is at an easie charge made appear to them that doubt by sinking the place twelve foot where they will finde what I have asserted in my Design to be truth Secondly It is objected that the River is deep there and that it is not possible to set a Sluce in the River It was never intended to set this Sluce and Soss in the River for that were great folly to undertake but this Sluce is set near the River of Owse and so cut into the River and although the River were as deep again as it is it is all one for I set not the sole of the Sluce two foot below the Channel as it is pretended but I set it two foot below the sole of the River or low water mark and therefore the depth of the River is no prejudice to me by being so deep but contrary a great advantage and of much benefit to carry away the Freshes Thirdly It is objected that if a Sluce should be set there that
Cut cannot be performed at six foot deep at the River called the Horseshooe as I have Designed it and they give this reason for it That if I make my River there six foot deep the height of the Tide will not reach the sole of that River to be cut through Marsland I shall not need to answer this Objection it being altogether without reason or sense but referre you to my Answer to the fourth Objection which will give any one full satisfaction Seventhly It is objected that the Charge of a Sluce the Purchase of the Grounds through Marsland and the rest of the works Designed by me will cost 200000l To this I answer That certainly they that made so large an Estimate upon those works I have Designed know how to set a price upon their own for it is well known the Estimate I gave in to the Honourable Corporation with my Design did not amount to above 46000l for I had rather and it was my resolution to ask more or at least as much as would do the work having so short a warning then ask less and the Corporation should finde it more thereby to induce the Corporation to make use of my Design but upon further consideration and having better digested the charge I have since for the better satisfaction of this Honourable Corporation made a Moddel of part of the great Sluce and the Soss proportionable to shew the true Dimention of the same which Sluce and Soss will be undertaken at a price by able and sufficient Work-men And that such mistakes as these may not affright the Corporation from going on with so Beneficial a work I have here annexed to my Designe the Estimate of all my works as they are and will be undertaken and shall be ready when this Honourable Corporation please to make every particular of this Accompt appear Eighthly It is objected that this Sluce is to master a quick water which is not believed it is proper for the reason is they have not known the like practised elsewhere As to this I hope to give full satisfaction by several Reasons and Examples of other Countreys in the like case as also some known to our selves within the Isle I shall instance in the first place Freizland which is a larger Countrey then this Level by much here all Winter their Grounds lies very deep in water frozen over with Ice and Snow this they thus suffer to keep their Ground warm and by this means preserves the roots of their Grass from perishing by the Frost and in February or March when the weather breaketh they then run all these waters out into the Sea by their Sluces which runs quick and violently for one moneth and more together more quick then ever it will run at the great Sluce neither have they any way to avoid their great and quick waters but by Sluces Secondly It is the like with North Holland and South Holland by the multitude of Mills working all the latter part of Winter which causeth a very quick River to their Sluces at Sea and I doubt not but these all may be termed quick waters Thirdly If we look at home we shall finde that we had a gallant Sluce upon the River of Wisbidge which was of great use until it was overcharged by the River of Welland which was contrary to the intentions of the then Adventurers for there was no waters intended to that Sluce but what run under Peterborough Bridge from Burrough Fen and Thorney and the water-way was made accordingly in that Sluce and that Sluce was useful and convenient in that place and might have been to this day Fourthly Come to the Soss at Well-Creek which is still standing and hath to the great benefit of the Countrey these thirty years preserved Navigation and wrought that River to a great depth and keeps it This may be justly called a quick water upon ever Land flood or Down-fall Fifthly Look upon the Sluce upon old Bedford River at Saltors Load which is still standing and for many years preserved the Out-fall of that River until our Troubles began in England and then the people stole away the Flood-gates so that the Out-fall of that River was suddenly silted up and this Sluce stood upon a considerable quick River Sixthly Come to the open Soss and several Sluces at Saltors Load which was set down some fourteen years since upon this great Quick butting upon the Tide from sea and although it was made of wood which cannot be durable against the sea neither was it set in its proper place yet it is clear it did much preserve that part of the Level and also maintained Navigation whilst it was kept in repair Now give me leave to give you my Reasons that a Sluce upon a Quick water is as useful with as little danger as a Sluce upon a Dead water as it is termed it is confessed that a Sluce upon a Quick that hath not water-way sufficient is little better then a Dam to obstruct the Current of those Rivers in a Flood and is destructive but if there be water-way sufficient and to spare in the greatest Flood then this Sluce or Soss preserves that Countrey from all sudden and quick Floods without danger And for the prevention of all sudden Floods it must be granted that no Flood falls into this Level but by great Rains or sudden Thaws in the Upland Countreys of which we cannot but be sensible some dayes before it come down in which interim of time we pull up all our Fall-gates and run out all our Freshes that are holden up by the Sluce to maintain Navigation so that when the Floods come down the Rivers are empty if clear of weeds to receive them and if I run twice the water of those Bridges where the Floods must come under certainly I may wait three hours in twelve upon the re-flux of the Tide and yet not so much if the Flood be great for as the Tide riseth two foot without us the Freshes in a Flood rise one within the Sluce by which means we run the sooner for our Freshes run whether the Tide be coming in or going out until the Tide rise higher then our Freshes and shuts the Flood-gates These Examples and Reasons I hope may be sufficient and give full satisfaction to them that doubt of the truth I have asserted in my Design for unless in my judgement we can master the Tide it is not possible to Drain this Level Ninthly It is objected that the Sluce I have designed will not bear the weight of water that will lie against it and that the Eager will carry away the Sluce To this I answer that the Sluce I have Designed is in the Foundation two and fifty foot broad the bredth of the Sluce upwards is forty foot and besides this bredth between every Arch a Butterice raised from the foundation on both sides the Sluce of three foot square all of