The history of imbanking and drayning of divers fenns and marshes, both in forein parts and in this kingdom, and of the improvements thereby extracted from records, manuscripts, and other authentick testimonies / by William Dugdale.

CAP. XVI. Marshes in the Suburbs of LONDON.

AND that some places in the very Suburbs of the City of London it self, have o∣riginally been Fenny and Moorish, though now (by no small in∣dustry and cost) equalling the chiefest; which were naturally otherwise, is ap∣parent from undoubted testimony; Fitz Stephan (who lived above five hundred years since) speaking of that place now called * 1.1 Moore Fields, saying thus; Cum est congelata palus illa magna, quae moenia urbis Aquilonalis alluit, exeunt lusum super glaciem densae juvenum turmae. &c. When the great Fen, which watereth the walls on the North side of the City, is frozen, multi∣tudes of young people go to play upon the Ice. Some, taking a little room to run, do set their feet a good distance, and glide a great way. Others sit upon thick pieces of Ice, as big as Mill-stones, and being drawn by ma∣ny, who hold hand in hand, when the foot of one slippeth, they all tumble down together. But others more expert in sporting thereon, fix bones under their heeles; and taking a Pike-staff, do shove themselves forward with so much force, that they glide with no lesse swiftnesse, than a Bird flyeth, or an Arrow passeth out of a Bow.

This Fen, saith a 1.2 Stow, stretching from the wall of the City, betwixt Bishops-gate and the Posterne, called Cripple-gate, to Finsbury and to Holy-well, continued a waste, and an unprofitable ground a long time, so that the same was all letten for four Marks the year, in the reign of King Edward the second: But in the year MCCCCxv. 3 H. 5. Thomas Fawconer, Maior, caused the wall to be broken towards the Moor, and builded the Postern, called Moore gate, for ease of the Citizens, to walk that way upon Causeys, to Iseld••n and Hoxton. More∣over, he caused the Ditches of the City, and other the Ditches, from Shores∣ditch to Deepe Ditch, by Bethlem in∣to the Moore ditch, to be newly cast and

clensed; by means whereof the said Fen or Moor, was greatly drained and dryed.

And in the year MDxij. Roger Atch∣ley, Maior, caused divers Dikes to be cast, and made, to drain the waters of the said Moore fields, with bridges arched over them; and the grounds a∣bout to be levelled; whereby the said field was made somwhat more commo∣dious; but yet it stood ful of noysome wa∣ters. Whereupon, in the year MDxxvij. Sir Thomas Seymour, Maior, caused divers Sluces to be made, to convey the said waters over the Town ditch, into the course of Walbrooke, and so into the Thames: and by these degrees was this Fen or Moore, at length made main and hard ground, which before, being overgrown with Flaggs, Sedges and Ru∣shes, served to no use.

Nor was the ground in Fleetstreete, and thereabouts, long since, much better than a Marish; for the same Author b 1.3 saith, that in the year MDXCv. he ob∣served; that when the Labourers had broken up the pavement against Chan∣cery lane end, up towards S. Dunstan's Church, and had digged four foot deep, they found another pavement of hard stone, more sufficient than the first, and therefore harder to be broken; under which were in the made-ground, piles of Timber, driven very thick, and al∣most close together, the same being as black as cole, and many of them rotten.

And now to manifest, that not only the Law, but the usual practice is, where disobedience or neglect hath been found in those as be chardgable with the maintenance of any Banks or Sewers, made for the common defence of such Marshes as are in danger of surround∣ing; that coercion is to be exercised for the performance thereof; I shall here exhibit the testimony of a Decree c 1.4, made in a Session of Sewers, held at Il∣ford in Essex 19^o Aprilis, A^o 1639. which reciting an Ordinance made in the like Session, at Ilford before-speci∣fied, for raising the summ of seventeen hundred and six pounds, for repairing a breach in the Banks or Marsh-wall of Bromley marsh, in this County, where∣by ninety four Acres of land were sur∣rounded; and the neglect of certain persons, therein named, to pay their pro∣portion thereof, which were assessed upon them; a Lease, for xli years was made of several parcels of ground, be∣longing to those so neglecting, unto o∣thers, at the Rent of one pepper corn yearly.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Stow's sur∣vey of Lond. p. 707. b.
• a 1.2

  Ibid. p. 47••. a.
• b 1.3

  Ibid. p. 436 a.
• c 1.4

  Ex bund De∣cretorum in officio nuncu∣pato the Petti∣••ag.