60 



DRAINAGE OF THE GREAT LEVEL- 



PART I. 



find the eldest of his sons, Cornelius, a colonel in the 

 Parliamentary army l stationed in the Fens under Fair- 

 fax, shortly before the battle of Naseby. Yermuyden 

 himself was probably too much engrossed by his drainage 

 project to give much heed to political matters ; and 

 besides, he could not forget that Charles, and Charles's 

 father, had been his fast friends. 



In 1642, whilst the civil war was still raging, ap- 

 peared Yermuyden's ' Discourse ' on the Drainage of 

 the Fens, 2 wherein he pointed out the works which 

 still remained to be executed in order effectually to 

 reclaim the 400,000 acres of land capable of growing 

 corn, which formed the area of the Great Level. His 

 suggestions formed the subject of much pamphleteering 

 discussion, 3 for several years, during which also numerous 

 petitions were presented to Parliament, urging the 

 necessity for perfecting the works. At length, in 1649, 

 authority was granted to William, Earl of Bedford, and 

 other participants, to prosecute the undertaking which 



1 " The party under Vermuyden 

 waits the King's army, and is about 

 Deeping ; lias a command to join with 

 Sir John Gell, if he commands him." 

 Cromwell's Letter to Fairfax, 4th 

 June, 1645. This Vermuyden re- 

 signed his commission a few days be- 

 fore the battle of Naseby, having, as 

 he alleged, special reasons requiring 

 his presence beyond the seas, whence 

 he does not seem to have returned 

 until after the Restoration. In 1665 

 we find him a member of the Corpora- 

 tion of the Bedford Level. 



2 The title of Vermuyden's tract 

 is ' A Discourse touching the Drayn- 

 ing the Great Fennes lying within the 

 severall Covnties of Lincolne, North- 

 ampton, Huntingdon, Norfolke, Suf- 

 folke, Cambridge, and the Isle of Ely, 

 as it was presented to his Majestic by 

 Sir Comelivs Vermviden, Knight ; 

 whereunto is annexed the Designe or 

 Map. Published by Authority. Lon- 

 don : Printed by Thomas Fawcct, 

 dwelling in (Jriib Street, neere the 



lower pumpe. 1642.' (Small 4to. 

 pp. 32.) 



3 Among the numerous replies were 

 the following : ' Exceptions against 

 Sr. Cornelius Veraiuden's Discourse 

 for the Draining of the Great Fein us, 

 &c., which, in January, 1638, he pre- 

 sented to the King for his designe. 

 Wherein his Majesty was misinformed 

 and abused in regard it wanteth all 

 the esscntiall parts of a iVsiune. And 

 the greate advantageous Workes made 

 by the late Earle of Bedford slighted, 

 and the whole adventure disparaged. 

 Published by And re \v< s P.nrrell, (Jcn- 

 tleman.' (4to. Lond., 1642, pp. 10.) 

 [This curious tract is by one who was 

 himself a drainer, and bitterly op- 

 posed to Vermuyden and all other 

 foreign adventurers in England,] ' An- 

 drewes Burrell's Briefe Kelation.' 

 (Small 4to. Lond. 1642.) [This is 

 another and smaller tract, in which 

 the author exposes the draining views 

 of Vermuyden, and himself suggests a 

 more practicable course. I 



