Until the latter end of the reign of Elizabeth, the business of drainage generally was entrusted to local Commissioners of Sewers, regulated partly by the cus tom of Romney Marsh, and partly by local temporary statutes. Their object chiefly was to preserve ancient channels and banks. No great work could be properly undertaken under their authority these had hitherto been chiefly performed by religious houses; and on their dissolution by Henry VIII. it is probable many fell into decay. But about this time, officers, who, during their military service in the Low Countries, had observed the benefits derived from embanking and draining, intro duced a new mode of proceeding, by professing to un dertake the recovery of extensive tracts of land, on a regular plan, as a profitable adventure.
Captain Thomas Lovell, who undertook the drainagr.: of Deeping Fen, is represented in the petition from Deeping and the neighbouring towns, 4Ist Elizabeth, as a man skilful in like works, wherein he had, beyond tho seas, been much used and employed. Ile was to have completed the undertaking in five years, and receive one third of the Fens, He however failed, and the Earl of Exeter and others succeeded to and prosecuted his work, making a tunnel for passing the water under the bed of the Welland, and thence by West Lode and South Hol land to the sea: but the drainage after all seemed im perfect, and during the civil wars the works fell into de cay.
Notwithstanding the feebleness of this attempt, it ap pears to have been the commencement of the grand pro ject for draining all the Fens. lir 43r1 Elizabeth, a gene ral act was passed for recovering many thousand acres cf marshes, and other grounds subject to commonty, within the isle of Ely, and the counties of Cambridge, Hunting don, Northampton, Lincoln, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, and the county palatine of Duresme. In this act, it was stated that the chief obstacle to the recovery of such grounds, by skilful undertakers, is, that the greatest part of them are wastes and commons. A power was given to the owners and majority of commoners, to make contracts with the undertakers, and to convey to them a part of such lands (except crown lands without the toyal assent) as might be agreed on by way of reim bursement, Soon after the accession of James, this business was taker, up with much earnestness. The king agreed that the Cl'ONYII lands should also contribute as the others. and appointed Henry Totnall and John Hunt to inspect and treat with the parties interested. Mr. Richard Atkins was employed to bore over the Fens to the depth of 11 feet. The general drainage was reputed feasible, and various water-courses, the great features of his plan, were explained by Alr. Hunt, the artist for drainage, viz.
the formation of a new channel for the Nene, from March to near its junction with the Ouse at Salter's Lode, and another direct channel for the Ouse from Erith to near the same place, where the Ouse, at low water, was found to be ten feet below the soil of the Fen. These have since been nearly executed : The first called Pophdrn Eau, the last the Bedford River. Sluices were also pro posed by him at the two branches of the Ouse, at the bead of the new cut.
By a survey by NV. Hayward, the contents of the Fens proposed to be drained appeared to be 307,242 acres. Oil the 13th July 1605, Sir John Popham, Lord Chief Justice ; Sir Robert Fleming, Chief Baron of the Ex chequer; Sir William Romney, alderman ; and John Eldred, citizen and elothworker of London, were de clared undertakers of the drainage of all the Fens be tween Ouse and Deeping, and WCIT to have 130,000 acres for their portion.
On the 5th August 1605, Hunt and Atkins laid out Popham Eau, which was opened 21st December, to Up well ; but iD the following Afarch it broke its banks, and had to be stopped. In 1606, a bill was brought in to re gulate the drainage, which proceeded but slowly. In 1609 Popham Eau was enlarged. In 1611 a channel was laid out and made by Hunt, for the drainage of Ouldham and Waterscy, being a separate undertaking. In 1613, a very high tide broke the dykes of Alarshland, and did damage to the amount of 4.0,000/. Various ef forts WCVe made, but little effectual progress was made in any essential improvement, during the remainder of this reign : but in the early part of Charles I. the busi ness of drainage was again resumed. Artists were brought from Holland. Cornelius Vermuyden's first work in Eng land was the embankment of Dagenham marshes, for which lie had a part of the lands assigned to' him, and confirmed by patent in 1621. In 16'26 lie undertook the drainage of the Fens in Hatfield Chase, between the Trent and Ouse, and effected the same in five years, at an expense of 55,825/. for which he had one-third of the lands assigoed to him. In the same year, 1626, lie pro poser] a plan for draining thc great level, upon 95,000 acres being assigned to him ; but this was objected to, on account of his being an alien. Francis, Earl of Bed ford, with various other adventurers, undertook the works on the same terms, and were incorporated by 10th Charles 1. in 1633. (Sec Dugdalc.) The works performed by this company were as follow : 1. The Old Bedford River, 21 miles, 70 feet wide, with a sluice at each end, as a slaker to the Ouse.