West Fen Lincolnshire Fens UK
West Fen in the fens of south Lincolnshire, seen from West Keal churchyard on high ground on the northern fen edge. Attempts to drain this part of Fenland began 1631 when a group of "adventurers" headed by one Sir Anthony Thomas worked on Wildmore and West fens and the particularly wet (and peaty) East Fen, (respectively immediately to the east and west and all north-east of the River Witham. They operated on the promise of land grants out of the agricultural land theoretically to be created and within three years had chunks of erstwhile common marsh grazing land dry enough to build houses, raise cattle and grow crops, including cole seed - oilseed rape - which went particularly well in newly drained fen. But dispossessed fen commoners then rose up, broke the sluices, wrecked the crops, destroyed the houses and retook the ground. Unlike much of Fenland, this area was not finally drained until the early 19th century. East Fen was drained by the Hobhole drain, a 14-mile cut running south to make a sluiced entry to the River Witham east of Boston and by the deepening and embanking of the Steeping River running east through Wainfleet All Saints to an outfall at Gibralter Point south of Skegness. A catchwater drain, dug around the fen edge, directed upland water to a new Maud Foster sluice in Boston, opened in 1807, while water from Wildmore and West Fen which had previously reached the Witham at Anton's Gowt, three miles above Boston, was also directed to the Maud Foster sluice. Enclosure followed and in 1812, seven new townships were formed on East and West Fens: Eastville, Midville, Frithville, Carrington, Westville, Thornton le Fen and Langriville.
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Photo credit: © John Worrall / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: agriculture, distance, drainage, england, farming, fen, fenland, fens, keal, lincolnshire, oil, rape, rapeseed, river, seed, sunny, uk, view, west, witham, yellow
