Natural History. 107 



Leicester, Lincoln and Derby, and what effect would it have 

 upon Lincoln itself? 



The earthquake in question made the Wash as a whole 

 within the limits which I have above pointed out ; and the 

 "bars" which I have above mentioned and the various islands 

 were made by natural causes in succeeding ages. 



At the time of the making of the Wash, the sea would 

 naturally find its own level, and would not only flow to 

 Lincoln but up the valley of the Fosdyke and the Trent to 

 Nottingham, up the valley of the Soar to Leicester, and up the 

 valley of the Derwent to Derby. Even in such comparatively 

 modern times as the incursion of the Danes, this was still so; 

 for history tells us that they used to sail from the North Sea to 

 Lincoln, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, and Stamford, and 

 that they made those five places their principal "burghs,' 

 I.e. fortresses. 



The names of the places of the valleys in question all disclose 

 the same state of facts. Thus in the valley of the Witham we 

 have the islands "Bardn^y" and Souther-e#, or as it is now 

 spelt Southrey; and in Lincoln itself we have the Holmes, 

 i.e. the Islands and Carholme, I.e. the Island in the Fen. 

 Danish names that were given some time between the years 

 A.D. 790 and A.D. 1013. 



Between Lincoln and Nottingham there are the following 

 names of islands, Torks^y, Drinsra Holme near Markham, 

 Thorw^y, Broadholm, while only four miles from Nottingham 

 is another " Holme" now called "Home Pierpoint." It may 

 well be asked, "If the Wash formerly flowed past Lincoln and 

 up the Fosdyke valley, how is it that part of Lincoln now 

 stands upon what must have been the bed of the Wash ? 

 The question is easily answered. The rivers Brant and 

 Witham flowed into the Wash somewhere about Bassingham 

 or Boultham. According to the well-known law of nature, a 

 bar was being formed probably at Lincoln itself, and this would 

 be further increased by the waters of the Trent and Derwent 

 which at that time must have flowed up the Fosdyke valley. 



The Romans found it necessary to carry their Ermine-street 

 across the valley of the Witham ; and for that purpose they 

 embanked and dug out a drain up the valley of the Fosdyke, 

 and gave it the Latin name "Fossa," I.e. "dug out," "a 

 drain," to which modern times have added the word dyke. 

 They also trained the Witham and the Brant from Bassingham 

 up to Brayford, i.e. the "braw" or great ford. They also 



