122 History of Inland Transport 



Torksey, whose burgesses, in turn, had to take them to the 

 Humber, and so on up the tidal Ouse to York. 



To the town of Burton-on-Trent by packhorse or waggon, 

 down the Trent by barge to Hull, and thence by sailing vessel 

 along the east coast and up the Thames, was once a favoured 

 route for the consignment of cheese from Cheshire to the 

 London market. In Defoe's time the quantity of Cheshire 

 cheese thus passing along the Trent, either for London or for 

 east coast towns, was 4000 tons a year. Owing to the state 

 of the roads the Trent route was the only practicable alterna- 

 tive the Cheshire cheese makers had to what they called the 

 " Long sea " route to London, " a terribly long, and some- 

 times dangerous Voyage " (says Defoe) by way of the Mersey, 

 Land's End, the English Channel and the Thames. In describ- 

 ing the conditions of navigation on the Trent he tells us that, 

 " The Trent is Navigable by Ships of good Burthen as high as 

 Gainsbrough, which is near forty Miles from the Humber by 

 the River. The Barges without the Help of Locks or Stops 

 go as high as Nottingham, and further by the Help of Art 

 to Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire. The Stream is full, 

 the Channel deep and safe, and the Tide flows up a great Way 

 between Gainsborough and Newark. This, and the Navigation 

 lately, reaching up to Burton and up the Derwent to Derby, 

 is a great Support to and Encrease of the Trade of those 

 counties which border upon it." 



In speaking more fully of Nottingham Defoe says : " The 

 Trent is Navigable here for Vessels or Barges of great Burthen, 

 by which all their heavy and bulky Goods are brought from 

 the Humber and even from Hull ; such as Iron, Block-tin, 

 Salt, Hops, Grocery, Dyers Wares, Wine, Oyl, Tar, Hemp, 

 Flax, &c., and the same vessels carry down Coal, Wood, Corn ; 

 as also Cheese in great Quantities from Warwickshire and 

 Staffordshire." 



From an article " On Inland Navigations and Public Roads," 

 by William Jessop, published in the Georgical Essays, Vol. IV. 

 (1804), I gather that merchandise was carried on the Trent at 

 a cost of eight shillings a ton for a distance of seventy miles, 

 and that " in point of expedition " vessels frequently made 

 the journey of seventy miles and back in a week, including the 

 time for loading and unloading a degree of despatch which 

 Jessop evidently regarded as very creditable, since he adds, 



