South Holland. 



115 



also by Lutton Learn, the waters having to pass through the 

 higher lands, viz., to the north and north- east, and thus a large 

 and very valuable tract of country was drowned three-fourths of 

 every year. In 1793 the proprietors procured an Act for the 

 drainage of South Holland, and in 1794 and 1795 a new drain 

 was made, extending from Peter's-point (near Sutton Bridge), 

 where a sluice was erected to keep out the Nene tides up to 

 Peakhill, near Cowbitt Bank, 14 miles in length, together with 

 two other drains, viz., the Highlands " drain, about 5 miles long, 

 and the Lowlands," about 4 miles. The district thus drained 

 comprised about 32,000 acres, including the lands drained by the 

 Lords' drain, which empties its waters into the Welland at 

 Wragg Marsh, near Spalding. In consequence of the engineer 

 taking the outfall to the wrong place, the proprietors, who paid 

 from 2O5. to 3O5. and 40^. per acre, received very little benefit^ 

 and the drainage remained in a very imperfect state, the Nene 

 Channel being blocked up by sand- banks until the improvement 

 of the Nene Outfall in 1831. Prior to this work, the waters on 

 the cill of the South Holland Sluice have been known to rise, 

 during the summer season, with the sand-bed 5 feet on the apron, 

 and in winter the water was seldom lower than 2 feet 6 inches. 

 Now it has a fall off the cill, at low water, of 2 feet 9 inches, 

 although the middle arch was lowered 12 or 14 inches. This 

 district has a natural drainage, but in wet seasons is not so well 

 drained as it ought to be : a new sluice being required, to be laid 

 about 4 feet lower than the present one. The parish of Sutton 

 St. Edmund's, including a small part of the lands in Tidd St. 

 Mary, and Sutton St. James, containing about 5700 acres, north 

 of the Shire Drain^ discharges its waters by that drain. The 

 lands near the sea drain by Lutton Leam, Moulton Creek, &c., 

 besides which there are numerous tunnels through the sea-bank, 

 for the drainage of private estates. 



The land near the Nene consists of a good thick loam upon a 

 porous silty subsoil ; as it widens out from the river it becomes 

 more adhesive^ being a fine deep alluvial loam, of a dark brown 

 colour, an admixture of clay, silt, and moor. In many places are 

 found evidences of too early an enclosure from the ocean, the soil 

 being silty, with too thin a surface of loam. This tract comprises 

 some of the finest arable land in the kingdom, having been 

 brought into cultivation for corn, potatoes, mustard, and woad, 

 with astonishing crops. The land most suitable for woad is the 

 richest that can be procured, and will bear from 3 to 5 crops in 

 succession, after which it is devoted to the growth of corn. 

 There are some large woad establishments in this part of the 

 country, which are moved about to different localities, as land is 

 obtained for the purpose. The buildings are such as may be 



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