112 Lincolnshire Notes & Queries. 



Newark to Gainsborough, travellers on it being warned by 

 guide-posts " not to pass this way in flood-time." The affix 

 to the name of this hamlet may not unlikely have been derived 

 from the " ford " which had here to be waded. This Flood 

 Bank broke during an unusually high flood nearly a century 

 ago, and then it was clearly seen that the Trent waters if left 

 to themselves would again mingle with those of the Witham, 

 although the old bed of the river was entirely obliterated by the 

 blow-away sand so abundantly provided by that district. 



In addition to the above-mentioned High Flood Bank there 

 is the ordinary bank along the side of the Trent, but this river 

 being constantly subject to great floods, this ordinary bank is 

 totally inadequate to prevent nearly the whole of the land 

 lying between the Trent and the Fleet from being submerged 

 sometimes to such an extent that the writer of these pages 

 has rowed over the highest hedges, and more than once has had 

 to be rowed to Girton Church on Sunday to take his duty 

 there, the churchyard, with the exception of a few feet opposite 

 the usual entrance, being entirely surrounded by the deluge. 



In conclusion, it may be added that it is highly probable that 

 when the great bulk of the waters thus flowed to the Witham, 

 the present course of the Trent was also in use. In proof of 

 this it is but necessary to call attention to 



1. The fact that as the water at Girton rises some 6 inches 

 at every high tide, there could have been no prima facie difficulty 

 in some of the superfluous waters of the Trent taking that 

 course. 



2. The escarpment of the cliffs at Clifton. 



3. The fact that there is also an " Old Trent " at Dunham, 

 some few miles lower down, this Old Trent being on the west 

 side of the river. 



4. That several miles still lower down there is a place 

 called Burton Stathers, so called most likely from the " stathers " 

 or piles driven by the side of the bank, either to prevent further 

 corrosion of the river bank a favourite and well-known 

 pastime of this river or, which is still more probable, to 

 provide convenient landing for the passengers or freight of 

 boats drawn up alongside. 



S. BATEMAN. 

 Tar burgh Rectory. 



