Bawtry Wharf

Last updated

Bawtry Wharf
Bawtry Wharf
Location
Country England
Location Bawtry, West Riding of Yorkshire
(modern day South Yorkshire, see note)
Coordinates 53°25′49″N1°01′00″W / 53.4302°N 1.0166°W / 53.4302; -1.0166
OS Gridref SK654930
Details
Openedc. 1200
Closedc. 1857
Type of harbour River Basin

Bawtry Wharf was a small Medieval port in the town of Bawtry, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. [note 1] The port operated from a wharf on the River Idle, a small body of water that flowed eastwards inland from Bawtry to the River Trent, and was navigable to sailing ships. Bawtry Wharf flourished as a port from the 12th century until the middle of the 19th century. Whilst the port was in a decline by the early 19th century, the building of a railway viaduct near the town necessitated diverting the River Idle which isolated the port from the main river stem, and the site silted up after losing its water.

Contents

Daniel Defoe described Bawtry port as "the centre of exportation for all of the country."

History

Bawtry was first recorded in 1199, as being built on the waste [note 2] of Austerfield, a village to the north-east of Bawtry, which held the mother church in the area. [3] Bawtry is described as having a port in a document from 1276, with wool and lead being its chief exports, although it is thought to have existed as a port a century back, and possibly even to Roman times. [4] The location of the wharf was on the eastern side of the town, where the land slopes down towards the river. The position of the church in this lower part of Bawtry, suggests that the port developed before the main part of the town did, with Bawtry expanding westwards from the 13th century onwards. [5] [6] The port is thought to have led to some affluence in the area, and grand Georgian houses on Wharf street are said to have been built for the merchants and traders at the port. During the latter part of the 13th century, and the early part of the 14th, Bawtry recorded a river port trade commensurate with, or greater than, Beverley and Tadcaster. It was during this time that it was possibly the third busiest inland port in England. [7] During the 13th century, consignments of wool, grain and lead were exported through Bawtry. Ports of trans-shipment included Hull and Grimsby. [8]

Downstream from Bawtry, the river travels a distance of 10.9 miles (17.5 km) before reaching Stockwith, where it spills into the Trent. [9] From Stockwith to the mouth of the Trent into the Humber, is 21 miles (34 km). [10] In the 19th century, boats plying their trade along the river were typically 48 feet (15 m) long, and were able to carry loads of 12–24 tonnes (13–26 tons). [11]

The hinterland of the port had great importance during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, as it proved to be an easy route to transport timber to the Royal Navy shipyards in the south at Chatham and Woolwich. However, a great deal of the felled timber rotted at the port of Bawtry and that at Stockwith (on the Trent, a trans-shipment point) as the organisers faced logistical challenges in exporting the commodity. [12] Other timber carried from the port included a consignment of oak in 1695, which was floated downriver from Bawtry bound for use in St Paul's Cathedral, London. The timber originated form an estate in Welbeck, Nottinghamshire. Smaller timber went by track straight to Stockwith, but "ten long trees could not be sent by land carriage". [13] [14]

Daniel Defoe visited Bawtry in the 1720s and described the port as being "..on the little and pleasant River Idle [which] has become the centre of exportation for all of the country." [15] [16] Defoe noted that exports through the wharf were of lead from Derbyshire, pig iron from Sheffield, cloth from West Yorkshire, and Derbyshire millstones bound for Hull, London and the Netherlands. [17] Imports consisted of iron ore, timber, groceries, copper tin, hemp, leather hides and flax. [18] [19] However, as the local iron ores around Sheffield had a high phosphorus percentage making them good for wrought iron, but not steel, inwards shipments of iron ore from Sweden were handled at Bawtry too. [20] George Talbot, the Earl of Shrewsbury, owned a warehouse at Bawtry wharf and was exporting about 100 tonnes (110 tons) of lead per year, whilst also importing Spanish steel for Sheffield. [21] The transport of lead from the Derbyshire smelters helped to accelerate road-building in the area, and many of the routes taken to Bawtry by the lead were turnpiked between 1756 and 1766. [22] The "considerable" distance (20 miles (32 km)) and cost of transportation of goods from Sheffield to Bawtry prompted the investigation into making the River Don Navigable, which had been achieved by the middle of the 18th century and much of the traffic from Sheffield had been diverted away from Bawtry. [23] The cost of transporting goods on the open sea via the Humber to Stockwith was 0.25d per mile, which rose to 3d for the trans-shipment and forwarding to Bawtry, and then it cost 10d by road to the Sheffield area. [24]

An act was passed in 1719 (under George I), to make the river from Bawtry southwards to East Retford navigable. [25] The burgesses and wharf owners in Bawtry did not object to this act, whereas they had done to proposed acts for improving the rivers to other inland ports such as Doncaster and those on the River Derwent, though there is some doubt as to whether the act was carried out. [26] In the 1830s, coal was being forwarded in to feed the gasworks adjacent to the wharf basin, and one of the wharf-keepers was running a passenger steam-packet service to Gainsborough. [27]

Traffic through the port started to decrease in the 1760s when the River Don was canalised to Rotherham, Tinsley and finally Sheffield. Previously, metal products from Sheffield and Hallamshire had been exported through Bawtry. [28] The Chesterfield Canal was also a factor in Bawtry's demise; it opened in 1777, and ran via Retford straight to Stockwith, cutting out Bawtry completely, [17] although early surveys initially called for a waterway that connected into the River Idle at Bawtry. [29] As the maritime trade and traffic was declining, the importance of Bawtry as a coaching town on the Great North Road was gaining significant trade. [30]

Although the port was in a long slow decline by the arrival of the railways (it was described as being "inconsiderable" in 1813), [31] the waters of the River Idle were diverted away from the town in 1857 when the Great Northern Railway built a stone viaduct across the marshy ground to the east of Bawtry (replacing an earlier wooden one). [32] At the same time they dug a new cut for the river, a straight channel 980 feet (300 m) to the east, which bypassed the wharf. [33] [34] The right of navigation on the Idle still exists as far upstream as Bawtry, [9] and a warehouse likely to have been a storage area for the port still exists on Wharf Street. [27]

Notes

  1. ↑ Bawtry was originally in Nottinghamshire, but was moved into Yorkshire c. the 13th century. Originally in the West Riding of Yorkshire (in the wapentake of Lower Strafforth) but was moved into South Yorkshire in 1974. [1]
  2. ↑ An area within the Domesday Book that was described as Waste was an area that was untaxed, or unoccupied. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barge</span> Flat-bottomed watercraft for transport of bulk goods

Barge often refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but on inland waterways, most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. The term barge has a rich history, and therefore there are many other types of barges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Waterways</span> Canal and inland waterway authority

British Waterways, often shortened to BW, was a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom. It served as the navigation authority for the majority of canals and a number of rivers and docks in England, Scotland and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation</span> System of navigable inland waterways in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England

The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation (S&SY) is a system of navigable inland waterways in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesterfield Canal</span> Canal in the East Midlands of England

The Chesterfield Canal is a narrow canal in the East Midlands of England and it is known locally as 'Cuckoo Dyke'. It was one of the last of the canals designed by James Brindley, who died while it was being constructed. It was opened in 1777 and ran for 46 miles (74 km) from the River Trent at West Stockwith, Nottinghamshire to Chesterfield, Derbyshire, passing through the Norwood Tunnel at Kiveton Park, at the time one of the longest tunnels on the British canal system. The canal was built to export coal, limestone, and lead from Derbyshire, iron from Chesterfield, and corn, deals, timber, groceries and general merchandise into Derbyshire. The stone for the Palace of Westminster was quarried in North Anston, Rotherham, and transported via the canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the British canal system</span> Building, use, decline and restoration of artificial waterways in the United Kingdom

The canal network of the United Kingdom played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution. The UK was the first country to develop a nationwide canal network which, at its peak, expanded to nearly 4,000 miles in length. The canals allowed raw materials to be transported to a place of manufacture, and finished goods to be transported to consumers, more quickly and cheaply than by a land based route. The canal network was extensive and included feats of civil engineering such as the Anderton Boat Lift, the Manchester Ship Canal, the Worsley Navigable Levels and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goole</span> Town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bawtry</span> Market town in South Yorkshire, England

Bawtry is a market town and civil parish in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It lies 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Doncaster, 10 miles (16 km) west of Gainsborough and 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Retford, on the border with Nottinghamshire and close to Lincolnshire. The town was historically divided between the West Riding of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. Its population of 3,204 in the 2001 UK census increased to 3,573 in 2011, and was put at 3,519 in 2019. Nearby settlements include Austerfield, Everton, Scrooby, Blyth, Bircotes and Tickhill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Idle</span> River in Nottinghamshire, England

The River Idle is a river in Nottinghamshire, England whose source is the confluence of the River Maun and River Meden near Markham Moor. The Idle flows north from its source through Retford and Bawtry before entering the River Trent at West Stockwith. Its main tributaries are the River Poulter and the River Ryton. The river is navigable to Bawtry, and there is a statutory right of navigation to Retford. Most of the land surrounding the river is a broad flood plain and the river is important for conservation, with Sites of Special Scientific Interest being designated along its course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canals of the United Kingdom</span> Network of inland waterways

The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role of recreational boating. Despite a period of abandonment, today the canal system in the United Kingdom is again increasing in use, with abandoned and derelict canals being reopened, and the construction of some new routes. Canals in England and Wales are maintained by navigation authorities. The biggest navigation authorities are the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency, but other canals are managed by companies, local authorities or charitable trusts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield & Tinsley Canal</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Sheffield & Tinsley Canal is a canal in the City of Sheffield, England. It runs 3.9 miles (6.3 km) from Tinsley, where it leaves the River Don, to the Sheffield Canal Basin in the city centre, passing through 11 locks. The maximum craft length that can navigate this lock system is 61 feet 6 inches (18.75 m) with a beam of 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Junction Canal</span> Canal in South Yorkshire, England

The New Junction Canal is a canal in South Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation (S&SYN), although it was jointly funded by the Aire and Calder Navigation, and was opened in 1905. It links the River Don Navigation and the Stainforth and Keadby Canal with the Aire and Calder Navigation. It is completely straight, and was the last canal built in England for commercial purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aike Beck</span> Former watercourse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Aike Beck or the Lockington Navigation was a stream in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, which was constructed as a navigation in the late 18th century, and ceased to function as such in the 1850s. The water supply came from Bryan Mills Beck and Scorborough Beck, but in 1988, these were diverted to feed into Arram Beck, and most of the channel was filled in with material from the flood banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stainforth and Keadby Canal</span> Canal in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England

The Stainforth and Keadby Canal is a navigable canal in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England. It connects the River Don Navigation at Bramwith to the River Trent at Keadby, by way of Stainforth, Thorne and Ealand, near Crowle. It opened in 1802, passed into the control of the River Don Navigation in 1849, and within a year was controlled by the first of several railway companies. It became part of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation, an attempt to remove several canals from railway control, in 1895. There were plans to upgrade it to take larger barges and to improve the port facilities at Keadby, but the completion of the New Junction Canal in 1905 made this unnecessary, as Goole could easily be reached and was already a thriving port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wey and Godalming Navigations</span> Waterways in Surrey, England

The River Wey Navigation and Godalming Navigation together provide a 20-mile (32 km) continuous navigable route from the River Thames near Weybridge via Guildford to Godalming. Both waterways are in Surrey and are owned by the National Trust. The River Wey Navigation connects to the Basingstoke Canal at West Byfleet, and the Godalming Navigation to the Wey and Arun Canal near Shalford. The Navigations consist of both man-made canal cuts and adapted parts of the River Wey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Bridgwater</span> Port in England

The Port of Bridgwater is a port, originally located in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England. Created under the Bridgwater Navigation and Quays Act 1845 it extends from Brean Down to Hinkley Point in Bridgwater Bay, and parts of the rivers Parrett, River Brue and River Axe. Although no ships now dock in the town, in 2001 103,613 (metric) tonnes of cargo were handled within the area of the Port Authority, most of which were stone products through the wharf at Dunball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwell, Nottinghamshire</span> Human settlement in England

Harwell is a hamlet in the civil parish of Everton, in Bassetlaw district, northern Nottinghamshire, England. It is located off the A631 road, less than a mile to the northwest of Everton and three miles northeast of Bawtry. Although only a small settlement, historically Harwell had a separate manor. The hamlet had a population of 112 people in the mid 19th century and the Corporation of Newark were lords of the manor at that time. Today, the main feature of Harwell is the Grade II listed Pear Tree House and the Barrow Hills woodland, immediately to the northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canal & River Trust</span> Trust for waterways in England and Wales

The Canal & River Trust (CRT), branded as Glandŵr Cymru in Wales, holds the guardianship of 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, together with reservoirs and a wide range of heritage buildings and structures, in England and Wales. Launched on 12 July 2012, the Trust took over the responsibilities of the state-owned British Waterways in those two places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassington Canal</span> Canal in Oxfordshire

The Cassington Canal was an early 19th-century canal near Eynsham, Oxfordshire. The canal was built by the 4th Duke of Marlborough to provide a link between the River Thames and Cassington Mill; it later provided alternative wharfage to that at Eynsham. The 0.75-mile (1.21 km) canal was in operation for less than 70 years, its use declining with the advent of rail transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hedon Haven</span> River and port in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Hedon Haven is a waterway that connected the Humber Estuary with the port of Hedon, in Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The waterway allowed ships to unload at the port in Hedon, which was also known as Hedon Haven and had, at its peak, three canalised arms that stretched into the town. The port at Hedon was the main port for south Holderness between the 12th and 13th centuries, and was the busiest port in Holderness before the docks at Hull were built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Goole</span> Maritime port in Yorkshire, England

The Port of Goole, is a maritime port at the mouth of the Aire and Calder Navigation where it feeds into the River Ouse, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The port opened in 1826, when the Aire and Calder Navigation was completed, connecting to the River Ouse at what is now the town of Goole. The port is one of the Humber Ports, associated with the waterway of the Humber Estuary and its tributaries, and is known to be Britain's largest inland port, being some 50 miles (80 km) from the open sea. It has good road and rail transport links, and deals with about £800 million worth of trade each year.

References

  1. ↑ Hey 1979, p. 58.
  2. ↑ "Hull Domesday Project - waste". www.domesdaybook.net. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  3. ↑ Beresford 1988, pp. 136, 639.
  4. ↑ Hey 1979, p. 59.
  5. ↑ Gardiner, Mark (2007). "4: Hythes, Small Ports, and Other Landing Places in Later Medieval England". In Blair, John (ed.). Waterways and canal-building in medieval England. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 108. ISBN   9780199217151.
  6. ↑ Beresford 1988, p. 522.
  7. ↑ Langdon, John (2007). "5: The Efficiency of Inland Water Transport". In Blair, John (ed.). Waterways and canal-building in medieval England. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 113. ISBN   9780199217151.
  8. ↑ Edwards, James Frederick (1987). The transport system of medieval England and Wales : a geographical synthesis (Thesis). University of Salford. p. 190. OCLC   63663717.
  9. 1 2 "River Idle". waterways.org.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  10. ↑ Pratt, Edward (1912). A History of Inland Transport and Communication in England. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. p. 123. OCLC   3808476.
  11. ↑ Peck, William J. F. (1813). A topographical history and description of Bawtry and Thorne, with the villages adjacent. London: Rivingtons. p. 10. OCLC   58561205.
  12. ↑ Morrison, Sara (2007). "7: Forests of Masts and Seas of Trees; the English Royal Forest and the Restoration Navy". In Rhoden, Nancy L. (ed.). English Atlantics revisited : essays honouring Professor Ian K. Steele. Montreal: McGill Queens University Press. p. 153. ISBN   978-0-7735-3219-9.
  13. ↑ Pierce, W. M. (7 March 1923). "St Paul's Oak from Welbeck". The Times. No. 43283. Column F. p. 13. ISSN   0140-0460.
  14. ↑ "Nottinghamshire history > The Dukery, and Sherwood Forest, (1875)". www.nottshistory.org.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  15. ↑ Rogers, Pat (August 2019). "Road-testing the first turnpikes. The enduring value of Daniel Defoe's account of English highways". The Journal of Transport History. 40 (2): 211–231. doi:10.1177/0022526619828326. S2CID   187248619.
  16. ↑ Nicholson, Graham (1988). The village in England : history and tradition. New York: Rizzoli. p. 95. ISBN   0847809560.
  17. 1 2 Tuffrey, Peter (11 January 2022). "By horse-drawn coach, barge or train". The Yorkshire Post. p. 18. ISSN   0963-1496.
  18. ↑ Porteous 1977, p. 6.
  19. ↑ Hey 1979, p. 125.
  20. ↑ Eden, Robert Arthur (1975) [1957]. Geology of the country around Sheffield (one-inch geological sheet 100, new series) (2 ed.). London: HMSO. p. 4. ISBN   0-11-880678-5.
  21. ↑ Hey 1979, p. 120.
  22. ↑ Burt, Roger (August 1969). "Lead Production in England and Wales, 1700-1770". The Economic History Review. 22 (2). Wiley: 251. doi:10.2307/2593770. ISSN   0013-0117. JSTOR   2593770.
  23. ↑ Ashton, Thomas Southcliffe (1963). Iron and steel in the industrial revolution. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 246. OCLC   493307018.
  24. ↑ Barraclough, K. C. (1984). "2: The History of Sheffield Steelmaking to 1884". In Beech, J. (ed.). Perspectives in metallurgical development. London: Metals Society. p. 30. ISBN   0904357716.
  25. ↑ The statutes at large from the first year of the reign of King George the first, to the ninth year of the reign of King George the second : to which is prefixed a table of the titles of all the publick and private statutes during that time. Volume the fifth. London: Charles Evans Andrew. 1786. p. 17. OCLC   9544227245.
  26. ↑ Willan, T. S. (September 1937). "Yorkshire River Navigation 1600-1750". Geography. 22 (3). Taylor & Francis: 192. ISSN   0016-7487.
  27. 1 2 Newton, Grace (19 February 2023). "How Bawtry Wharf - Yorkshire's 12th-century inland port - could finally get listed protection over 100 years after it vanished from the landscape". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  28. ↑ Baines, Thomas (1870). Yorkshire, past and present : a history and a description of the three ridings of the great County of York, from the earliest ages to the year 1870 ; with an account of its manufactures, commerce, and civil and mechanical engineering. 4, Div. 4. London: Mackenzie. p. 647. OCLC   907849212.
  29. ↑ "A Brief History of the Chesterfield Canal". chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  30. ↑ "Bawtry Neighbourhood plan" (PDF). dmbcwebstolive01.blob.core.windows.net. November 2019. p. 10. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  31. ↑ Porteous 1977, p. 32.
  32. ↑ "View map: Ordnance Survey, Yorkshire 291 (includes: Harworth; Tickhill.) - Ordnance Survey Six-inch England and Wales, 1842-1952". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2023. Bawtry showing the wharf and wooden viaduct top right
  33. ↑ Hey, David (2015). A History of the South Yorkshire Countryside. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword. p. 134. ISBN   9781473834354.
  34. ↑ Newton, Grace (3 March 2023). "Fighting for heritage of port now lost to history". The Yorkshire Post. p. 14. ISSN   0963-1496.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.