‘This art (the ‘inning’ of saltings and coastal marshes) is coeval with civilisation’ (Tidal Lands, p.121). The authors use the interesting term ‘slob land’ to define un-reclaimed coastal lowland marsh land (often saltmarsh) – whether the word ‘slob’ was first used in its human context or environmental context I have yet to find out, in neither context is it complimentary. The authors then describe warping as an early means of reclamation, which seems odd. However, rivers where flooding regularly occurs built up a natural river bank, the authors explain this with an interesting fact ‘brick earth (silt/fine clay particles) in suspension will sink at a rate of about 7 inches per minute, sea sand in the same period will sink about 12 feet’, in other words silt will be carried inland while heavier particles will be deposited early and bond to build-up a river bank (levee). Warping is a man-made system whereby any receding waters are trapped, deposit their silt and then the water drained away by a network of drainage ditches. Silty soils are very fertile and repay the costs of warping with increased yields of arable crops or richness of pasture (see Hull in the beginning, pdf/publications). The authors highlight simple clay banks or ‘faggots or fascines’ as the means of containing the flood water on the land, the latter being bundles of small timber or brushwood tied by osier twigs (for a completely different use of fascines see pdf/publication Sidney Walter Clarke – Great War service in the Tank Corps).
One example given by the authors is of Sunk Island on the south coast of Holderness, East Yorkshire. By 1744, they claim, 1560 acres had been embanked with further extensions given and consequent rises in land values up to ‘at this time’ (1910s) 6600 acres had been reclaimed. Other British examples of foreshore reclamation in Southampton Water and the Fens were briefly covered before the authors considered the situation in the ‘Kingdom of Holland’.
(to be continued).