l68 WILD- FOWL DECOYS IN ESSEX, 



I. North of the Blackivater, and between the Stour and the Colne, 

 there were formerly no fewer than eleven, namely, Wormingford, 

 Jacques Hall, Pond Hall, Old Decoy, Roydon Hall, Dovercourt, 

 Great Oakley Hall, Old Maze Hall, Horsey Island, Villa Farm near 

 Wivenhoe, and Lion Point, all long since abandoned. 



II. On Mersea Island^ between the Colne and Blackwater, was 

 another. Then on the north shore of the Blackwater there were nine, 

 namely, ToUeshurst D arcy. Old Hall, Tollesbury, and Teal Pond. 

 Goldhunger (2), Solleys, Gore, Skinner's Wick, and Bohun's Hall. 



III. Sotith of the Blackwater, and between that river and the 

 Crouch, were eight others, namely, Latchington, Steeple, Ramsey, 

 West Wick, East Hall, Glebeland, Marsh House, and Grange. 



IV. South of the Crouch, and between that river and the Thames, 

 there was a solitary decoy at South Hall, near Pdglesham. 



Of all these, three only are now existing and in working order, 

 namely, Old Hall, Marsh House, and Grange, a sorry remnant of 

 what was once a flourishing and lucrative business in the eastern 

 portion of the county. 



Those who have never seen a decoy worked, or examined the 

 entries in a decoyman's account-book, would scarcely credit what an 

 enormous number of fowl could be taken even on a small pool with 

 only three or four pipes if properly managed. In 18S6 I visited the 

 Ashby decoy in Lincolnshire, where three thousand or four thousand 

 birds used to be taken in a season, and in one year 6,059; ^^^ y^' 

 this decoy had only four pipes and little more than an acre of water. 



Even a larger number of birds than this were captured in one season 

 of five months (from September to January inclusive) in a famous 

 decoy in Essex. This was Steeple Decoy, on the south shore of the 

 Blackwater, where, in the very first year of its construction (1714) no 

 less than 7,345 fowl were captured. Of these 675 were duck and 

 mallard, 338 teal, 46 pintail, and 6,286 wigeon. These figures, with 

 other interesting particulars, I extracted from an old account-book 

 relating to this decoy in the possession of Mr. Robert Smith, of 

 Maldon, who, on the application of my friend, Mr. Edward A. Fitch, 

 very kindly allowed me to inspect it. The cost of constructing 

 this decoy and subsequently of enlarging it (as appears by the book 

 in question) amounted altogether to rather more than ;!^30o (^^306 

 14s. 4d.), while the selling priceof fowl at that date was nine shillings 

 and sixpence a dozen ; so that, if all the birds captured in the first 

 season had been sold at this price, the owners would have made 



