88 THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS. 



those that are positioned along the coast from the mouth of the River 

 Colne to Harwich shall be next treated ; and finally the Decoys between 

 Harwich and Manningtree, near the S. bank of the Stour. 



Inland Decoys, as before pointed out, did not exist in Essex. They 

 all lay either close to, or within a very short distance of, the tide. 



Lion Point Decoy. — A Decoy existed within a ^ mile of Old Lion 

 Point, near the coastguard station, 2 miles SSE. of St. Osyth, and 2g miles 

 E. of Colne Point. The pool is often spoken of as the " Wick " Decoy, 

 as it was situated in the Wick marshes — on Cockett Wick Farm. It was 

 made by the late Mr. George Simpson in i860, but was never worked, and 

 is now the property of Sir J. H. Johnson 



Old Mose Hall Decoy, near Beaumont-cum-Moze, and 3^ miles NE. 

 of Thorpe le Soken. There was formerly a Decoy here, on land belong- 

 ing to Guy's Hospital, situated close to the tidal estuary called Hanford 

 Water, near its NW. extremity at the head of Oakley Creek. In 18 10 an 

 action was brought by the then owner, Mr. Carrington, against one Taylor, 

 for firing a gun near the Decoy and frightening the fowl away, which 

 gave the defendant an opportunity of shooting them. The case was tried 

 by Lord Ellenborough in the Court of King's Bench, and resulted in a 

 verdict for the plaintiff. It will be found reported in 11 East, p. 571, and 

 2 Camp., p. 258. 



The pond, as I am informed, has not been in use for the last forty 

 years. Duck and Wigeon were the fowl chiefly taken here, but the 

 proximity to a rival pool at Great Oakley Hall led to continual inter- 

 ference with the success of either, and eventually resulted in both Decoys 

 being abandoned. The Old Mose Hall Decoy was last worked in 1841 

 by the widow of Mr. Joseph Salmon, who for some years rented the 

 Decoy and mansion from the Governors of Guy's Hospital. The pool was 

 100 yards wide, nearly round in form, and had six pipes. 



The island called Pewit Island was near this Decoy, and it was so 

 called on account of the vast gatherings of these birds that frequented 

 it formerly. 



Gi'eai Oakley Hall. — There was formerly a Decoy here with six pipes, 

 on the property of Miss Maria Bull, also situated near Hanford Water, and 

 within 300 yards (N.) of the Old Mose Hall Decoy, just described. It has 

 not been worked for many years, although used within the recollection of 



