The history and antiquities of Boston, and the villages of Skirbeck, Fishtoft, Freiston, Butterwick, Benington, Leverton, Leake, and Wrangle; comprising the hundred of Skirbeck, in the county of Lincoln. Including also a history of the East, West, and Wildmore fens, and copious notices of the Holland or Haut-Huntre fen ... sketches of the geology, natural history, botany, and agriculture of the district; a very extensive collection of archaisms and provincial words, local dialect, phrases, proverbs, omens, superstitions, etc. By Pishey Thompson. Illustrated with one hundred engravings.

ITS EARLY HISTORY. 355
The following is a modern, and very correct description of the course of this
river -." The Witham is properly and completely a river of this county. It may be said to
derive its source near South Witham, a village about ten miles north of Stamfordl; and
thence flows almost duly north, by North Witham, Colsterworth, through the Park of
Easton, and to great Ponton, where another stream joins it from Stoke Rochford. At little
Ponton, it receives a small brook, and there proceeds on the eastern side of the town of
Grantham; whence it flows by Easton Park and Syston, and then turns westwardly to
Long Bennington. Here it binds again to the north, and after flowing by Claypole and
Beckingham, it proceeds through a wide sandy valley to Lincoln. It now flows almost
directly east for some distance, when it turns to the south-east, and continues in this direction to Boston, and unites its waters with the sea, at a place called Boston Deeps. Fromn
its source to Beckingham, its banks are diversified with rising grounds and ornamental.
objects. Among the latter are the elegant spire of Grantham church, the fine woods at
Belton Park, Syston Park, and Little Ponton. In its course to Lincoln, the contiguous
country is diversified by high ground, valleys, and woods. After passing the city, it leaves
the high lands, and continues through a level tract of country to the sea."
"There is reason for believing that formerly, perhaps when the Romans had a station at
Lincoln, the Witham admitted ships of considerable size to sail thither. Such an opinion
receives support from the discovery of a large anchor, which was found there, at a considerable depth, and also from the following circumstance. On digging for a foundation to build
a house (late Mr. Morris'), at the upper end of the main street in Lincoln, a boat, was
discovered, which by a chain and lock was fastened to a post. This spot being many yards
higher than the middle of that valley through which the Witham runs, such a discovery in
such a situation was little to be expected. If, however, it be admitted (and why should it
not), that this boat had been moored at the side of the river, and sunlk and silted there, the
channel must have been both broad and deep." 2
One proof of the ancient importance of the Witham is, that, in the reign of
Williamr the Conqueror, Lincoln was one of the most populous cities of England,
and had a market to which men flocked by land and by water.3 In the reign
of Henry I. Lincoln is said to have possessed a very large share of the import
and export trade of the kingdom.4 If this were the case, Lincoln could have
possessed this trade only by means of the Withan; and the people frequenting
the market there by water, must have been furnished by the river with that
mode of conveyance. For, although the Fossdyke was cleansed out during the
reign of Henry I., and a certain portion of trade and commerce would of course
reach Lincoln through that canal, yet no considerable degree of foreign traffic
could ever be carried on by the limited navigation which it afforded; and of
course, the river Witham must have been the principal inlet to the city, and the
source whence it derived its commercial importance.
Walter de Gaunt, in the year 1115, gave to the Abbey of Bardney one-half
of the fisheries of the river Witham; these fisheries were then known by the
following names,-Goshilgarth, Maydengarth, Chaumbleingarth, Horslaygarth,
Feregarth, Southgarth, Higgarth, Theaghladegote, Pettingergartlh, Bosligarth,
and Browningartho5 A fishery on the Witham, near Dogdyke, was given to the
monks of Kirkstead, by Philip de Kyme, in 1162.6 In the reign of Henry III.,
probably about the year 1240, it was agreed, that Haute Huntre Fen should
be divided into townships, which is a proof of good drainage in this neighbourhood, and that the Witham was then in an efficient state; in 1248 or 1250, this
distribution was probably no longer adhered to, as there appears to have been a
great inundation of the sea, and much of Kesteven and Holland was drowned,
owing to a neglect of the banrks and other public works. A repair of the banks,
wC. w'as directed in 1258, by letters patent of Henry IlL
1 Bectauties of Enyland and aWales, vol. ix. p. 561. 4 Beauties of Englanld and Wales, vol. ix. p. 605.
- CHAPMAN'S Facts and _Remarks, p. 18. 5 DUGDALE'S MIonasticon, P. 142.
3 LELAND'S Collectanea, vol. iii. p. 268. 6 Reliqulice Galeance, Introduction, p. xxii.