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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	king_n	let_v	time_n	1,504	5	3.4958	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95858	A discourse touching the drayning the great fennes, lying vvithin the severall counties of Lincolne, Northampton, Huntington, Norfolke, Suffolke, Cambridge, and the isle of Ely, as it was presented to his Majestie. By Sir Cornelius Vermuïden Knight. Whereunto is annexed the designe or map. Published by authority.	Vermuyden, Cornelius, Sir, 1590-1677.	1642 (1642)	Wing V241; Thomason E143_14	17,826	34

A Discourse touching the DRAYNING THE GREAT FENNES LYING Within the severall COVNTIES of Lincolne Northampton Huntington Norfolke Suffolke Cambridge and the Jsle of Ely as it was presented to his Majestie BY Sir CORNELIVS VERMVÏDEN Knight Whereunto is annexed the Designe or Map Published by Authority LONDON Printed by Thomas Fawcet dwelling in Grubstreet neere the lower Pumpe 1642. A Discourse touching the Drayning of the great Fennes lying within the severall Counties of Lincolne Northampton Huntingdon Norfolke Suffolke Cambridge and the Jsle of Ely c. DIvers persons of Quality heretofore have beene desirous to attempt the Drayning of that great and vast Levell called the Great Fennes but they found not onely the Worke but also the composing of an Agreement very difficult for they could not attaine to so much as to make a Contract for the generall Drayning thereof untill of late yeares King JAMES of blessed memory did undertake by a Law of Sewers that great Worke who for the Honour of this Kingdome as his Majesty told me at that time would not suffer any longer the said Land to bee abandoned to the will of the Waters nor to let it lye wast and unprofitable But his Majesties great occasions and the time would not permit so great and good a resolution but it was deferred so long that at last the late Earle of Bedford by the Law of Sewers made at Lynne did undertake the Drayning of the said great and vast Levell so farre as to make it Summer ground Hereupon the said Earle made choise of divers persons of quality who made a purse and joyned in the performance of this great Enterprise And at the last after the Expence of above One hundred thousand pounds the said Earle did proceed so farre in this Work that it was adjugded to be made Summer ground and the recompence thereupon was set out But now notwithstanding all these great Expences they find by experience that the Lands can yeeld little or no profit being subject to Inundation still though not so familiarly whereby the Adventurers not onely became frustrate of their Expectation but also all the Owners in generall who cannot make that use of their Lands as they might doe if they made Winter grounds and reduced to a certainty His now Majesty taking consideration thereof and fore seeing that these Lands being a continent of about 400000. Acres which being made Winter ground would be an unexpected benefit to the Common-wealth of Six hundred thousand pounds per Annum and upwards and a great and certaine Revenue to all the parties interessed And likewise because the Owners who are very many could not agree to doe so great a Worke the one being willing the other not the one able to contribute the other not hath therefore bin pleased to undertake the making of those Lands Winter ground at his owne charge whereby the said Foure hundred thousand Acres will be made profitable firme and good And for to execute this Enterprize the better his Majesty did cōmand divers Gentlemen expert in those Workes to give their advice how these Lands might recovered in such manner as to make them winter grounds to the end the Worke might be performed according to the contract And amongst others his Majestie was pleased to make me one of that Commission and after a View thereof taken every one of the said Commissioners have returned their report and opinion as is usuall in such case and especially in a matter of such great weight they differ much in their way and so no resolution could be determined at that time but did remaine unresolved yet all of them were of opinion that the Worke was very Feazable When King IAMES of blessed Memory undertooke the Drayning as aforesaid at that time I was come over into England invited to this Worke I tooke severall Viewes thereof went away returned and reviewed the same tooke advice of the Experienced men of the Low-Countries and from time to time did study how to contrive that Worke for the best advantage being at that time in proposition to have undertaken the doing of that said Worke together with my Friends at our owne charge for a proportion of Land And my opinion therein I declared but lately to his Majesty and his Highnesse being well pleased with that way after debate had thereupon was pleased to put the Direction of that Worke upon me and to performe it at his owne Charge and for further Information therein hath commanded to have it set downe in Writing which accordingly hereafter followeth The Scituation of the Great Fennes and the State thereof THe Levell lyeth in sixe Counties viz. Cambridge and the Jsle of Ely Huntington Northampton Lilcolne Norfolke and Suffolke It is of a great and vast extent that for its quantity at is of the Latitude of a whole Shire and bounds on the North-west on the River of Glean on the West and South-east upon the Upland-Countries aforesaid and on the North on Marsh-land and Holland being likewise in the said Levell seperated by Bankes There doe runne through these Fennes eight Rivers which doe come out of divers vast and great Countries which lye about it the said Rivers are called Glean Welland Neane Ouse Grant Milden-hall Brandon and Stoke These Rivers lye common with the Land without seperation by Bankes save onely Glean and Welland are something Imbanked and some Bankes there are in some places on some of the other Rivers but not to that purpose as to save any part of the Lands and for this reason and for want of a sufficient passage for the waters that come by the Rivers all the Lands are over-flowen The said Rivers have three severall Out-falls from the Fennes into the Sea and by these Out-falls the said Rivers and Lands unwater themselves in that manner as now they doe The Levell is broad and of great extent and flat with little or no descent of its owne and growne full of Hassacks Sedge and Reede and the Rivers full of Weeds and the Waters go slowly away from the Lands and out of the Rivers and they come swift into and upon it out of the upland Counties where the Rivers have a great fall The aforesaid three out-falls are of great length before they come to the Sea the Lands of Holland and Marsh-land being great Countries which lie betweene them and doe hinder the speedy Current of the Waters towards the Sea There is much increase on the Sea side and very large and vast Sands all dry at low Water and because of the Poynt of Norfolke it makes it an Imbay whereby the Sands of the Sea are throwne there by the Floods and these three Out-falls come through these Sands and the Tydes every day bring into the mouth of the Rivers a great quantity thereof and there is but a few times sufficient Land-water to set the Sands out againe to keepe the Outfall open insomuch that Welland and Wisbitch Outfals are choaked every Summer But the Outfall of Lynne hath

sufficient water to keepe open his Channell and although in the Summer the Sands in Lynne Haven overcome the Ebbs somewhat yet they doe not lye long but the first Land waters or next Spring Tydes carry them away againe But it is not onely to be feared but apparent that in processe of time the outfalls of VVisbich and Welland will utterly decay by the said increase and Sands the Sea if they should remaine as now they are by reason of the daily increase of the Marshes The Soyle of this vast Country is Moorish gathered and growne up higher by the Weeds and Oaze of the waters many of them are rich grounds and all would if they were well Drayned be very profitable and become good grounds especially after they bee burned manured and husbanded as such grounds should be There be many Isles and rising grounds within this great Levell And the Rivers passe by Townes lowe seated lying here or next unto the Uplands wherein the Inhabitants of the Fennes doe live in great aboundance The said Countries of Marshland Wisbich and Holland are fenced by Bankes from the waters of the Fennes and sometimes they have been overflowen by the said waters and have often been in great danger and they are at a continuall charge for the maintenance of the said Bankes The Kings contract is to make these Lands Winter ground that is to free them from the overflowing of the Rivers aforesaid so farre as by Art can be devised Considerations to be taken in the Ordinary way of Drayning THere is in use a generall Rule of Drayning and gaining of drowned Lands which is by imbanking all the Rivers on each side and by leading away the Downefall by Draynes and Sluices and this is the Ordinary way of Drayning as is usuall in all such cases But in this case of the Great Fennes I cannot advise to goe altogether in such a way to avoyd inconveniences of great and vast expence many difficulties of Inundation and uncertainties which otherwise would depend thereupon For then a multitude of Bankes must be made about 70000 Roddes in length on a Levell and Moorish ground and farre distant from the Falls The yearely reparation whereof would be besides the charge of making them very great The Head Draynes which in this case are to be cut for the leading away of the Downefall must bee carried in all places through a higher ground then the Lands Drayned which will be the greater charge and those grounds wherein they are to be layd must be deare bought The Townes of Peterborough Erith and many others standing upon the Upper ends of the Rivers and but Low would be thereby sometimes drowned unlesse great Fore-lands and Receptacles be A great inconvenience would be on the South-side of Ouse for by the imbanking of the Rivers on that side there would be Three or foure Levels the one above the other and all of them would want fall all the Winter time And to leade away the downefall of them it must bee carried by Tunnels underneath the three severall Rivers of Milden hall Brandon and Stoake and that in sundry places and the water must goe about 28. miles before it commeth to the Fall and so the upper Levell must of necessity commit the water thereof into the next and so into the lower againe And all this length of 28. miles goe in a slow pace And how the downe-fall should bee brought such a length without surcharging the Draynes either in the one or other Levell J know not And especially there being severall Brookes the which in Winter time will overtake the Downfall and being liberall with their waters being more then the Draynes and Tunnels can swallow the Levell would become surrounded and so without perfection from within And by the waters without the Bankes will lye in continuall danger of Inundation for want of a good Fall in the winter and by a winde catch breake and undoe all againe And although each mouth of the severall Rivers of Milden-hall and Brandon be brought through new Channels lower to the Fall yet will it not take away these inconveniences in this way And if by another way the severall Rivers of Milden-hall and Brandon should be brought to Stoake all in one along the upper end of the Levell and so by Stoake mouth into Ouse yet that way the Downfall will have no issue neither for the water of the severall Rivers being all brought into Ouse neere together and kept within Channell will so swell in the Rivers that the downefall thereof which is to be kept under Soyle will have no issue and so the Levell be overflowne and as it is now and no better And the Lands will be by this way much subjected to Inundation and Drowning both by the Rivers and downfall and therefore not be worth so much in purchase or to be letten as otherwise and the charge of the workes in this way In workes not accompted will be much greater then the whole Drayning will require the other way which I direct hereafter following Therefore to avoyd these and many more inconveniences I find it best to leade most of the Rivers about another way whereby these foure benefits will arise 1 That the workes may be made at a farre lesse charge 2 That they will stand with more safety and no hazard of Inundation and so may become habitable 3 And not subject to halfe that Reparation 4 And the Land of a farre better value then the other way Divers things to be observed ANd to the end the Workes may bee made to Answer the difficulties the Lands now lye in in the contriving thereof these following things are to be observed 1 That the Rivers come downe swift out of the Vpland Countries and when they bee in the Fennes they being Levell grounds goe but slowly away 2 That the Levell is of great extent Twenty miles at least from the upper end to the Fall and therefore before the water can come thither within a convenient and answerable time and in that proportion as it is still sed by the River water from above out of the Vplands it must goe swifter then Levell water 3 That the Bankes so much as may be bee laid out from the Moorish grounds 4 That the Rivers be carried on the highest grounds where possibly they may bee 5 That the Draynes be layd in the lowest Grounds 6 That there be receptacles for the waters to Bed on in all times of extremity otherwise the Worke might bee put to an impossibility and a continuall hazard of Inundation 7 And that the Townes lying on the upper part of the Rivers may not be damnified by putting the waters too high betweene the Bankes 8 And although all this bee provided for yet the Bankes to be made 10 11 or 12. Foot high on a Seat of 40 45 50 or 60. Foot broad in generall according to the occasions more or lesse 9 And that the River water and the Downfall bee kept a

Sea And commeth from Huntingdon by Saint Ives to Erith where it beginneth to come into three Fennes and so to Ely then to Little Port and from thence to Salters Load Dounham and Lynne and so to the Sea And with the other Rivers doth familiarly over runne all these Fenny Lands on all occasions of Floods which come downe by the Rivers And as this River of Ouse goeth downe through the Fennes the River of Grant which commeth from Cambridge falls thereinto some distance above Ely The River of Brandon likewise falls into it at Priests-Houses And the River of Stoke falls into it something above Salters Load and all these loose their names by Ouse A great part of the River Neane which commeth from Peterborough dothfall into the Ouse likewise all which meeting in one at or about Salters Loade doe surcharge the River in such manner as that this part of the Country is more over flowne and dangerously drowned then any other partof the Fennes are And the said severall Rivers which fall into Ouse except Neane doe all fall into the South side thereof the one above the other and all of them Grosse wise inclining to the North and the Ouse running to the East in such a manner indeed as if the Lands were made purposely to be overflowen and so to remaine The thwarting thereof divides it into severall Levells the one above the other And if those Lands should be Drayned by severall divisions then the one Levell must put his water on the other and so Annoy the one by Discharging the other which would make an Imperfect worke And my reason thereof I have given more at large heretofore To have this part of the Country and those severall Levells Drayned and made Winter Ground they must be made but one Levell and many great alterations are to be made therein by bringing the very Rivers which runne through it another way for as they Crosse-wayes fall into Ouse those Lands can not bee made Winter grounds by the ordinary way of drayning as heretofore is made mention of Therefore the principall River which is Ouse may not goe downe through the Fennes as now it doth but the best way is to turne that River at Erith into and next unto Bedford river and to shut the passage of Ouse as now it goeth by a Crosse-banke through the River to the firme Land so force it into that course as now Bedford river goeth whereby all the Lands below Erith wil be freed from the overflowing of Ouse And to the end that the water of Ouse shall not annoy the Country any farther the said Beford River is to be Imbanked on each side thereof to keepe Ouse within certaine bounds the Bankes thereof must be a great distance the one from the other so that the water in time of Extremity may goe in a large roome to keepe it from rising too high and the more because there is a great distance of about 25 miles from Erith before it commeth to the perfect Fall And those Lands which are to bee left for the water to Bed on will be good Meadow ground within some time Improved by the water of Ouse to a great value The three Rivers of Mildenhall Brandon and Stoke must be made one River and to that end Mildenhall must bee brought into Brandon and both into Stoke and all into Ouse and in that manner that the downefall of that Levell may be brought through a Drayne to be made to a better Fall then that of Stoke for the downefall of Grant to goe in The Land betweene the new Cut and the Bankes to the number of Foure or five Thousand Acres by guesse will bee fit Receptacles for the waters at all times of Extremity and the old Rivers will thereby remaine to bee sufficient Draynes to leade the downefall to Ouse within the Stop The Upland Countrey from Milden-hall to Stoke is a Barren and sandy Country Therefore the Meadowes which are to bee left betweene the Bankes and the Upland as aforesaid will be very usefull for them and receive by the white Waters within some time as good an Improvement as any other Lands made Winter grounds The River of Neane being turned to Wisbich as is aforesaid in the Second worke none other River remaines to bee taken order with but Grant and this River must be ledde away by Ouse in such manner as the Alteration of the Workes shall appeare to require after all the other workes be done And for the Brookes and Runlets which lye that way they are likewise to be guided as upon the Alteration shall appeare to the best service By this Alteration all the Rivers except Grant are turned out of their usual course so that the old Channell of Ouse which was the Channell for Ouse Grant Mildenhall Brandon and Stoake having now to receive but Grant alone with the Downefall will find roome enough within the Channell without much Imbanking To facilitate this Worke for a perfection there must bee made a sufficient Fall for that Levell by a sufficient Drayne to begin at Ouse stoppe and so to goe downeward neare the Fall underneath Stoke if need be to bring Grant and the Downefall by this Drayne below into Ouse at the Ouse stoppe through the Sasse and the Sluce to be made there a good quantity will issue but all cannot issue there nor at all times for the Rivers when they are up will take away the Fall and the Drayne for Grant to goe in must have a good Fall continually to speed the water of Grant away because it is mixed with the Downefall of that Levell contrary to the Rule of Drayning and therefore by Art it must be observed how that must be according to the operation which shall happen And though it be against the Rule to mixe the Downfall with the River yet in this case it cannot be avoyded And the Channell of Ouse being of a great widenesse and depth whereby it receives not onely Ouse but also Grant Mildenhall Brandon Stoake and part of Neane and the tyde of the Sea will be sufficient when all the Rivers and confluence of waters are lead and turned out of this Channell fave Grant onely And that there is made a new River or passage to the Fall as is aforesaid for Grant and the Downefall which being done J conceive this Channell of Ouse being of such widenesse and depth will be able to receive with ease the River of Grant together with the Downfall without prejudice of the Lands the Workes being contrived accordingly as they should be Consider that if the three Rivers should fall into Ouse where Stoake River now falls in that then the Ouse will leave all the same waters which it had before except Neane and then the Ouse will not be so farre discharged That the Drayn may be spared for the River of Grant and the Downefall of that Levell to goe in but must goe underneath Stoake in a Pipe or Tunnell and so in the Drayne goe into Ouse where the Fall is sufficient unlesse the turning of Ouse a straighter way to the Sea doe not hinder the Fall but this must be contrived according to the event thereof and before no certainty can be had therein And if the three Rivers be brought to fall into Ouse where the Fall is good and sufficient then the Ouse at the outside of the Sasse will be discharged of that quantity of water which together with Neane I esteeme a Mosty of all the water it had before and no question but thereby a sufficient Fall for the Downefall may be gained and not be put to a Drayne for Grant and the Downefall in that measure of charge which otherwayes it would be And by this it may plainly appeare to your Majesty that neere the Moity of Bankes which in the other way of ordinary Drayning are to be made are cut of and consequently the charge for the making and maintaining of them lesser this way then by any the other Designes And hereby the Land will become more certaine for habitation and by reason thereof of a sarre greater value then otherwise And this is as much as J can informe your Majesty by writing FINIS The 22. of February 1641. IT is Ordered by the Committee for the Great Levell that the Designe offered by Sir Cornelius Vermuiden Knight together with the Mappe be Printed The 25. of February 1641. ORdered by the Committee for the Great Levell that it be Printed together with the Designe that all men whom it may concerne to take notice of may thereby informe themselves and may make their exceptions against it and likewise may offer any other designe and they shall have notice to be heard Hen. Pelham