98 THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS. 



Decoys in the County of Kent. 

 Decoys in use. Decoys not in 7ise. 



None. 



Grovehurst. 

 Kemsley. 



Grovehurst Decoy, 12 miles ENE. of Maidstone, in the parish of 

 Milton, near Swade, in the marshes close to King's Ferry and within a 

 mile south of the Swale Creek, that leads by Sheerness to Queenborough, 

 Milton, and Faversham. There used to be a Decoy here, believed to have 

 been 150 years old. It was known as Fullager's Decoy, Fullager being 

 the name of the farmer who rented the grazing in the adjoining marsh. 

 It was also spoken of as the " Sittingbourne Decoy." 



When the railway to Sheerness was constructed, it passed close to the 

 Decoy, and in course of some years utterly spoilt it. It has, in consequence, 

 not been worked since 1866. The pool was about 2 acres in extent, exclu- 

 sive of the surrounding cover of willows and alders, and had four pipes. 



It belonged to Mr. W. Gascoyne of Westgate-on-Sea, and for many years 

 was worked by a man named Chapman, still living. From the carefully 

 kept Decoy Book of expenses and catches lent me by Chapman in connec- 

 tion with this Decoy, I find that the largest take in one season during his 

 time was 2,500 fowl. The best day's catching resulted in 140 fowl, and the 

 greatest number at a drive was 80 Duck and Mallard — this, too, within 40 

 miles of London. But formerly all the district surrounding this Decoy 

 consisted of extensive marsh lands, intersected by numerous creeks and 

 arms of the sea, and so very favourable to attract wildfowl. 



Mr. Gascoyne has very kindly furnished me with the following in- 

 teresting account of this Decoy. He says : — 



"In 1847 my late father purchased the farm called Great Grovehurst, 

 upon which was an ancient Decoy in working order. A Lincolnshire 

 Decoyman came every season to take the wildfowl, and as I was in occupa- 

 tion and living within two miles, I became greatly interested in the pond. 



"Although never a commercial success, over 1,000 Ducks and 1,000 

 Teal have been taken in one season, but some years they fell off to a 

 quarter of that number. Owing to this falling off, my Lincolnshire man 

 eventually found it not worth his while to come, and I had to teach a local 



