Witham Third District IDB

Witham Third District IDB
Witham Third District IDB
	; Dogdyke pumping station still houses its original steam pumping engine of 1858 which has been restored to working order. The building is a Scheduled Monument.
	Witham Third District IDB Location within Lincolnshire
OS grid reference	TF110694
Shire county	Lincolnshire ;
Region	East Midlands ;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
	List of places UK England Lincolnshire 53°13′N0°20′W / 53.21°N 0.34°W Coordinates: 53°13′N0°20′W / 53.21°N 0.34°W

Last updated October 25, 2021

Witham Third District IDB is an English internal drainage board set up under the terms of the Land Drainage Act 1930. The Board inherited the responsibilities of the Witham General Drainage Commissioners, who were first constituted by an Act of Parliament of 1762. They manage the land drainage of an area to the north and east of the River Witham, between Lincoln and Dogdyke, which includes the valley of the River Bain to above Hemingby, and the valleys of Barlings Eau and most of its tributaries, to the north east of Lincoln.

Most of the parishes were enclosed in the late 1700s, by separate Acts of Parliament, and steam-powered drainage was introduced from the 1830s. Steam engines were gradually replaced by oil and diesel engines, and most have since been superseded by electric pumps. The Witham Third District IDB maintains seventeen pumping stations and 140 miles (230 km) of drainage channels.

Organisation

The River Witham passes through low-lying land in Lincolnshire, which is susceptible to flooding. In 1762, an Act of Parliament was passed, which created the Witham General Drainage Commissioners, and divided the area into six districts, each with responsibility for land drainage.^[1] These were called the Witham First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Districts.^[2] The Third District covered an area of 4,621 acres (1,870 ha), bounded on the south and west by the river, and including Stainfield and Tattershall,^[1] with the higher ground to the north and east forming the other boundary.^[3]

There was initially one Commissioner for each of the parishes or places of the district, and these District Commissioners then elected five General Commissioners to represent them on the Witham General Drainage Commission.^[4] This body consisted of 31 Commissioners, with the remaining 26 being elected by the five other Drainage Districts created by the original Act.^[5]

The Land Drainage Act of 1930 made provision for the creation of internal drainage boards. The Witham Third District IDB was formally constituted on 1 November 1934, and brought together the Witham Third District Commissioners, the River Bain Drainage Board, the Bardney Drainage Board, the Greetwell District Drainage Commissioners, and the Kirkstead Drainage Board. A committee of 15 was appointed by a government minister, and the administrative offices were in Mint Street, Lincoln. Two clerks, an engineer and a finance officer were soon appointed, and a finance committee and works committee were formed. A third committee looked at how resources could be shared with the Witham First District IDB, but this was short-lived.^[6]

When the IDB took over from the Drainage Commissioners, there were three main pumping engines, at Short Ferry, Stixwould and Dogdyke. The pumping station attendants lived isolated lives, ensuring that the coal-fired engines were available for service at any time of the day or night. These were replaced by diesel engines, and a scheme to replace the large stations with a number of smaller electric pumping stations was started in the 1950s. The large number of directly employed men and the use of contractors for new schemes has been replaced by a small team of multi-skilled workers who maintain the watercourses using a variety of machinery. The controlling Board is made up of 31 members, seven appointed by the City of Lincoln, three by West Lindsey District Council and four by East Lindsey District Council. 15 are elected by the ratepayers of the district, and the final two are joint appointments.^[6]

Development

Witham Third District

Legend

					To Lincoln
					North Delph PS
					River Witham + North Delph
					Greetwell PS
					Barlings Eau
					Stainfield EA PS
					Shortferry + Fiskerton Fen PS
					Stainfield Fen PS

					Snakeholme
					Engine Drain
					Bardney Abbey PS
					Bardney lock
					Old course of R Witham

					B1190 Bardney Bridge
					Bardney Manor Farm PS


					Engine Drain
					Southrey PS
					Tupholme Beck
					Bucknall Beck

					Stixwould + Duckpool PS
					Catchwater Drain
					Swine Syke Drain
					Woodhall PS
					B1191 Kirkstead Bridge
					Kirkstead PS
					Mill Drain


					Marsh Lane PS
					Gibsons Cut
					Mill Drain
					A153 Tattershall Bridge
					Dogdyke Diesel PS
					Horncastle Canal
					Coningsby Ings PS
					Dogdyke Electric PS
					To Boston

Prior to the eighteenth century, land on both sides of the River Witham below Lincoln was open common land. During the summer months, it was possible to graze animals on it, but even then, it was subject to regular flooding. During the winter months, it was generally under water for long periods, and could not be used at all. Although work had been carried out to straighten the channel of the river, and constructing the Grand Sluice to the north of Boston, neither measure was sufficient to make the land suitable for agriculture. In order to achieve this, it would be necessary to embank the land, and to provide means of raising the water into the main rivers. Such an action would also require the common rights of the local people to be removed. The bodies created by the 1762 Act were responsible for all interior works within their area, and the maintenance of drains and pumping engines, for which they had powers to change rates.^[7]

Although the Third District Commissioners were established by the Act, in practice smaller areas within the District, known as Drainage Levels, obtained their own Acts of Parliament to authorise specific works. Thus there were Drainage Levels for Greetwell; Stainfield, Barlings and Fiskerton; Bardney, Southrey and Stixwold; and Tattershall. The Greetwell Drainage District was established by an Act obtained in 1861. Five Commissioners managed the Level, and to be a Commissioner, either he or his wife had to own at least 20 acres (8.1 ha) within the District, or be an occupier of at least 40 acres (16 ha). Because of the increased volumes of water which would be pumped into the Witham, the Commissioners had to pay £5 per year to the Great Northern Railway Company (GNR). The GNR were the owners of the Witham Navigation, and the money was for maintenance of the banks of the river. The Greetwell Level covered an area of around 1,500 acres (610 ha), but the amount of water that had to be managed was disproportionate, as water from the higher ground to the north found its way into the drains, and the banks of the Witham were porous, resulting in significant seepage out of the river and into the drains.^[8]

Responsibility for the North Delph, a catchwater drain running parallel to the river for 9 miles (14 km) from Lincoln to Horsley Deeps, passed from the GNR to the Commissioners. Before the Act, the land had been drained by a wind pump, but the Commissioners built a steam pumping station where the South Delph and the old course of the River Witham met. It was rated at 30 hp (22 kW) and drove a scoop wheel which was 31 feet (9.4 m) in diameter. The cost of the project was £949. A second pumping station, with a 50 hp (37 kW) steam engines driving two 21-inch (53 cm) centrifugal pumps was erected in 1893 at a cost of £644.^[9] The first engine was made by Jarvis and Horsfield of Leeds, while the second was supplied by Robey and Company. Both lasted until 1935, when they were replaced by two Ruston & Hornsby twin-cylinder engines, connected to 30-inch (76 cm) pumps manufactured by Gwynnes. Although superseded by an Allen-Gwynnes 27-inch (69 cm) pump and electric motor in 1977, the diesel engines were retained as a standby system.^[10]

There was also a 16 hp (12 kW) steam engine located near Barlings Lock, which pumped water into the old course of the Witham near Shorts Ferry, but this was privately financed by landowners.^[8] The engine was rated at 16 hp (12 kW) and was installed some time before 1881. It was replaced by a 30 hp (22 kW) steam engine driving an 18-inch (46 cm) Gwynnes pump in 1896. The plant was demolished between 1943 and 1953, and the district has been drained by an Allen-Gwynnes 20-inch (51 cm) electric pump since 1977.^[11]

Drainage of the Bardney District, which consisted of the villages of Bardney, Bucknall, Edlington, Horsington, Southrey, Stixwould, Tupholme and Thimbleby, was authorised by an Act obtained in 1843. The district covered an area of 2,720 acres (11.0 km²),^[12] and a drainage engine was erected in 1846. It consisted of a low pressure condensing beam engine, driving a 28-foot (8.5 m) scoop wheel. Drainage rates were collected from 2,610 acres (10.6 km²), but again, water entered the district from the higher ground to the north, and so the engine drained almost twice that area.^[13] The beam engine and scoop wheel were replaced by a Robey tandem compound steam engine and a vertical spindle pump in 1913. The station was further upgraded in 1936, when two Ruston & Hornsby oil engines with Gwynnes pumps were installed. Electric pumps manufactured by Allen-Gwynnes were installed around 1977, but the oil engines were retained as a back-up system.^[14]

Kirkstead was a smaller district, with an engine which drained some 700 acres (2.8 km²). It was unusual, in that there was a flour mill between the engine and the scoop wheel, and the engine was used to power that when drainage was not necessary.^[13] The engine was scrapped some time before 1936. In 1948, an 18-inch (46 cm) axial-flow Gwynnes pump was installed, which was driven by a 37.5 hp (28.0 kW) induction motor. It was controlled automatically.^[11]

The Tattershall District was the earliest to obtain an Act of Parliament, which it did in 1796. After enclosure, it was drained by a wind engine, but this was replaced by a steam engine with a 24-foot (7.3 m) scoop wheel in 1855.^[15] The engine was a 16 hp (12 kW) beam engine, manufactured by Bradley & Craven Ltd of Wakefield. Steam was generated by a Cornish boiler, which was replaced by a Foster boiler in 1909. The engine house originally had a 100-foot (30 m) chimney, but this was struck by lightning in 1922, after which it was shortened. It was demolished in 1941, soon after a new pumping station was built, housing a Ruston diesel engine and a 22-inch (56 cm) Gwynnes pump.^[16] This has been superseded by an electric pumping station, but is still maintained by the Third District as a backup. The steam and diesel engines are cared for by the Dogdyke Pumping Station Preservation Trust, and the station is opened to the public several times a year, when the engines are operational.^[17] The boiler was replaced by a Clayton cross-tube vertical boiler in 1976, and replaced again in 2001.^[11] The buildings are Grade II listed and scheduled ancient monuments.^[18]

Bibliography

First IDB (2003). "History". Witham First District IDB. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
Hinde, K. S. G. (2006). Fenland Pumping Engines. Landmark Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84306-188-0.
IDB (2013). "History". Witham Third District IDB. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
IDB map. "Lincolnshire Drainage Boards". Witham First District IDB. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
Wheeler, William Henry; Batty, Leonard Charles (1896). A History of the Fens of South Lincolnshire. British Library Historical Print Collections. ISBN 978-1-241-32839-9.

Related Research Articles

The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at SK8818, passes through the centre of Grantham, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh. The name "Witham" seems to be extremely old and of unknown origin. Archaeological and documentary evidence shows the importance of the Witham as a navigable river from the Iron Age onwards. From Roman times it was navigable to Lincoln, from where the Fossdyke was constructed to link it to the River Trent. The mouth of the river moved in 1014 following severe flooding, and Boston became important as a port.

The River Idle is a river in Nottinghamshire, England. Its source is the confluence of the River Maun and River Meden, near Markham Moor. From there, it flows north through Retford and Bawtry before entering the River Trent at Stockwith near Misterton. The county boundary with South Yorkshire follows the river for a short distance near Bawtry, and the border with Lincolnshire does the same at Idle Stop. Originally, it flowed northwards from Idle Stop to meet the River Don on Hatfield Chase, but was diverted eastwards by drainage engineers in 1628.

Stretham Old Engine is a steam-powered engine just south of Stretham in Cambridgeshire, England, that was used to pump water from flood-affected areas of The Fens back into the River Great Ouse. It is one of only three surviving drainage engines in East Anglia, and is a Grade II* listed building.

The South Forty-Foot Drain, also known as the Black Sluice Navigation, is the main channel for the land-drainage of the Black Sluice Level in the Lincolnshire Fens. It lies in eastern England between Guthram Gowt and the Black Sluice pumping station on The Haven, at Boston. The Drain has its origins in the 1630s, when the first scheme to make the Fen land available for agriculture was carried out by the Earl of Lindsey, and has been steadily improved since then. Water drained from the land entered The Haven by gravity at certain states of the tide until 1946, when the Black Sluice pumping station was commissioned.

Bourne Eau River in Lincolnshire, England

Bourne Eau is a short river which rises from an artesian spring in the town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, England, and flows in an easterly direction to join the River Glen at Tongue End. Within the town, it once powered three water mills, one of which is now a heritage centre. At Eastgate, it becomes much wider as it was navigable in the 18th and 19th centuries, and this was the location of the terminal basin. Below the town it is an embanked river, as its normal level is higher than that of the surrounding Fens. Navigation ceased in the 1860s and the river now forms an important part of the drainage system that enables the surrounding fen land to be used for agriculture.

Hatfield Chase is a low-lying area in South Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, England, which was often flooded. It was a royal hunting ground until Charles I appointed the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden to drain it in 1626. The work involved the re-routing of the Rivers Don, Idle and Torne, and the construction of drainage channels. It was not wholly successful, but changed the whole nature of a wide swathe of land including the Isle of Axholme and caused legal disputes for the rest of the century. The civil engineer John Smeaton looked at the problem of wintertime flooding in the 1760s, and some remedial work was carried out.

Burnt Fen is an area of low-lying land crossed by the A1101 road between Littleport in Cambridgeshire and Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. It is surrounded on three sides by rivers, and consists of prime agricultural land, with sparse settlement. It is dependent on pumped drainage to prevent it from flooding.

The Middle Level Navigations are a network of waterways in England, primarily used for land drainage, which lie in The Fens between the Rivers Nene and Great Ouse, and between the cities of Peterborough and Cambridge. Most of the area through which they run is at or below sea level, and attempts to protect it from inundation have been carried out since 1480. The Middle Level was given its name by the Dutch Engineer Cornelius Vermuyden in 1642, who subsequently constructed several drainage channels to make the area suitable for agriculture. Water levels were always managed to allow navigation, and Commissioners were established in 1754 to maintain the waterways and collect tolls from commercial traffic.

Barlings Eau River in Lincolnshire, England

Barlings Eau is a small river near Barlings, Lincolnshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Witham, joining it near Short Ferry. It acts as the central spine for a number of other small rivers, which drain the low-lying land to either side. Most of its course is within the area managed by the Witham Third District IDB, an Internal Drainage Board responsible for land drainage. One of their pumping stations is on the banks of the river.

The Witham Navigable Drains are located in Lincolnshire, England, and are part of a much larger drainage system managed by the Witham Fourth District Internal Drainage Board. The Witham Fourth District comprises the East Fen and West Fen, to the north of Boston, which together cover an area of 97 square miles (250 km²). In total there are over 438 miles (705 km) of drainage ditches, of which under 60 miles (97 km) are navigable. Navigation is normally only possible in the summer months, as the drains are maintained at a lower level in winter, and are subject to sudden changes in level as a result of their primary drainage function, which can leave boats stranded. Access to the drains is from the River Witham at Anton's Gowt Lock.

Pode Hole is a small village 2 miles (3.2 km) to the west of the centre of Spalding, Lincolnshire, England. The village lies at the confluence of several drainage channels, where two pumping stations discharge water into Vernatt's Drain from land in Deeping Fen to the South and West. Water from Pinchbeck South Fen to the North is also lifted into Vernatt's Drain. The village arose to service the pumping stations.

Pinchbeck Engine Drainage engine, a rotative beam engine built in 1833 to drain Pinchbeck Marsh, to the north of Spalding, Lincolnshire, in England

The Pinchbeck Engine is a drainage engine, a rotative beam engine built in 1833 to drain Pinchbeck Marsh, to the north of Spalding, Lincolnshire, in England. Until it was shut down in 1952, the engine discharged into the Blue Gowt which joins the River Glen at Surfleet Seas End.

Guthram Gowt is a small settlement in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated 5 miles (8 km) both east from Bourne and west from Spalding, and at a bend in the River Glen.

The Dogdyke Engine is a drainage engine near Tattershall, Lincolnshire, in England. The drainage of 2,500 acres (1,012 ha) of land around Tattershall was authorised in 1796, and came under the control of the Witham Third District commissioners in 1844

Dogdyke is a hamlet in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately 2 miles (3 km) south from Tattershall, and at the confluence of the Rivers Bain and Witham, and close to where the River Slea joins the Witham.

Deeping Fen is a low-lying area in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England, which covers approximately 47 square miles (120 km²). It is bounded by the River Welland and the River Glen, and is extensively drained, but the efficient drainage of the land exercised the minds of several of the great civil engineers of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Witham First District IDB is an English internal drainage board which was set up under the terms of the Land Drainage Act 1930. The Board inherited the responsibilities of the Witham General Drainage Commissioners, who were first constituted by an Act of Parliament of 1762. They manage the land drainage of an area to the west of the River Witham, between Lincoln and Dogdyke, which includes the valley of the River Slea to above Sleaford.

The River Torne is a river in the north of England, which flows through the counties of South Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. It rises at the Upper Lake at Sandbeck Hall, in Maltby in South Yorkshire, and empties into the River Trent at Keadby pumping station. Much of the channel is engineered, as it plays a significant role in the drainage of Hatfield Chase, which it crosses.

South Holland IDB is an English internal drainage board set up under the terms of the Land Drainage Act 1930. It has responsibility for the land drainage of 148.43 square miles (384.4 km²) of low-lying land in South Lincolnshire. It is unusual as its catchment area is the same as the area of the drainage district, and so it does not have to deal with water flowing into the area from surrounding higher ground. No major rivers flow through the area, although the district is bounded by the River Welland to the west and the River Nene to the east.

The Upper Witham IDB is an English Internal Drainage Board responsible for land drainage and the management of flood risk for an area to the west of the Lincolnshire city of Lincoln, broadly following the valleys of the upper River Witham, the River Till and the course of the Fossdyke Navigation.

References

1 2 Hinde 2006, p. 168.
↑ IDB map.
↑ Wheeler & Batty 1896, p. 191.
↑ Wheeler & Batty 1896, pp. 191–192.
↑ First IDB 2003.
1 2 IDB 2013.
↑ Wheeler & Batty 1896, p. 182.
1 2 Wheeler & Batty 1896, p. 193.
↑ Wheeler & Batty 1896, pp. 192–193.
↑ Hinde 2006, pp. 172–173.
1 2 3 Hinde 2006, p. 174.
↑ Wheeler & Batty 1896, pp. 193–194.
1 2 Wheeler & Batty 1896, p. 196.
↑ Hinde 2006, pp. 173–174.
↑ Wheeler & Batty 1896, pp. 196–197.
↑ Hinde 2006, p. 175.
↑ "Dogdyke Steam Drainage Station". Dogdyke Pumping Station Preservation Trust. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
↑ Historic England. "Dogdyke pumping station (1215311)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 February 2015.

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[FOOTNOTEHinde2006168-1] 1 2 Hinde 2006, p. 168.

[FOOTNOTEIDB_map-2] IDB map.

[FOOTNOTEWheelerBatty1896191-3] Wheeler & Batty 1896, p. 191.

[FOOTNOTEWheelerBatty1896191–192-4] Wheeler & Batty 1896, pp. 191–192.

[FOOTNOTEFirst_IDB2003-5] First IDB 2003.

[FOOTNOTEIDB2013-6] 1 2 IDB 2013.

[FOOTNOTEWheelerBatty1896182-7] Wheeler & Batty 1896, p. 182.

[FOOTNOTEWheelerBatty1896193-8] 1 2 Wheeler & Batty 1896, p. 193.

[FOOTNOTEWheelerBatty1896192–193-9] Wheeler & Batty 1896, pp. 192–193.

[FOOTNOTEHinde2006172–173-10] Hinde 2006, pp. 172–173.

[FOOTNOTEHinde2006174-11] 1 2 3 Hinde 2006, p. 174.

[FOOTNOTEWheelerBatty1896193–194-12] Wheeler & Batty 1896, pp. 193–194.

[FOOTNOTEWheelerBatty1896196-13] 1 2 Wheeler & Batty 1896, p. 196.

[FOOTNOTEHinde2006173–174-14] Hinde 2006, pp. 173–174.

[FOOTNOTEWheelerBatty1896196–197-15] Wheeler & Batty 1896, pp. 196–197.

[FOOTNOTEHinde2006175-16] Hinde 2006, p. 175.

[17] "Dogdyke Steam Drainage Station". Dogdyke Pumping Station Preservation Trust. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2015.

[18] Historic England. "Dogdyke pumping station (1215311)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 February 2015.

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