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70-652: Vermuyden was commissioned by the Crown to drain Hatfield Chase in the Isle of Axholme , Lincolnshire . In the 1650s, he directed major projects to drain The Fens of East Anglia , introducing the innovation of constructing washes , to allow periodic flooding of the area by excess waters. Cornelius was the son of Gillis Vermuyden and Sarah Werkendet. He was born in 1595 in Haestinge on

140-720: A local government district formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 , by a merger of the municipal borough of Bridgwater , the Burnham-on-Sea urban district , Bridgwater Rural District and part of Axbridge Rural District . The district covered a larger area than the historical Sedgemoor, extending north of the Polden Hills across the Somerset Levels and Moors to the Mendip Hills . On 1 April 2023

210-595: A further bank ran for 5 miles (8 km) to the Aire. The River Idle was blocked by a dam and its waters were diverted into the River Trent at Stockwith along Bycarrs Dyke. A 5-mile (8 km) barrier bank was constructed along the northern edge of the channel, from the dam to the River Trent. The Torne was embanked and straightened by cutting a drain which emptied via a sluice into the Trent at Althorpe . An 8-mile (13 km) drain

280-648: A lock chamber which was 60 by 18 feet (18.3 by 5.5 m) and 17 discharge gates, each 6 by 8 feet (1.8 by 2.4 m). The structure was probably built by Hugo Spiering, who assisted Vermuyden, and was called the Great Sluice . This still did not fully alleviate the problems of flooding, and so a new 5-mile (8 km) embanked channel was constructed from Newbridge to the River Ouse at Goole between 1632 and 1635. The river levels at Goole were some 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3.0 m) lower than at Turnbridgedike, and so discharge

350-780: A memorial window in Ely Cathedral , installed in their honour. Due to the Second Anglo-Dutch War and the Great Fire of London in 1666 (some blamed the Dutch for), Cornelius Vermuyden decided to alter his surname, which over the years was further altered to what is today the surname Youdan, to which his descendants still live in the East Anglian region today. Korthals-Altes, J. (1925). Sir Cornelius Vermuyden . London: Williams and Norgate. Hatfield Chase Hatfield Chase

420-406: 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. Under an Act of Parliament of 1813, commissioners were appointed, and improvements to the drainage included the first steam pumping engine. The Corporation of

490-512: 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

560-646: Is a low-lying area of land in Somerset , England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills , historically largely marsh (or "moor" in its older sense). The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor , and the western part West Sedgemoor . Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels and Moors . Historically the area was known as the site of the Battle of Sedgemoor . Sedgemoor gave its name to

630-672: Is also the namesake for the Vermuyden Group of South Yorks, a Long Distance Walkers Association based in South Yorkshire, and the Vermuyden Concert Band, the most senior Saturday afternoon band at William Appleby Music Centre in Doncaster. His motto Niet Zonder Arbyt ("Nothing Without Work") was adopted as the official motto of South Cambridgeshire District Council . The motto was adopted by No. 3 Group RAF and it appears in

700-608: Is crossed by the River Torne , for which a new channel was cut by Vermuyden in 1628, as part of the drainage scheme implemented at that time. Further north, the two peat bogs were separated by the completion in 1802 of the Stainforth and Keadby Canal , running in an east-west direction between the two. In the 1970s, the Chase was further divided by the construction of the M180 motorway , which runs to

770-514: Is some inconclusive evidence that one of his nephews may have acted as a colonel of horse in the parliamentary army, alongside Oliver Cromwell in the Eastern Association army. But with the beginning of the second phase of Bedford-led construction, Vermuyden was again appointed as the director of the works in January 1649/50. This second phase included continuing the work of both the first and

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840-481: Is the new Isleport trading estate at Highbridge, which houses many global businesses such as Geest (Isleport Foods) who make yoghurt under franchise to Ski & Muller, Brake Brothers who supply the catering trade, BFP wholesale who supply dry goods to bakeries etc., Woodbury & Haines who supply furniture globally, Polybeam Limited who supply GRP radio masts to customers such as Marconi, and also AT&T whose centre there controls all internet cable traffic to and from

910-467: Is through the culverts when the water level in the river is low enough, and through the pumps when it is not. A number of the pumping stations within the Chase are reversible, so that water is pumped from the drainage ditches to the high level carriers when there is a risk of flooding, and from the carriers to the ditches when water is needed for irrigation. The Environment Agency also have pumping stations at Belton Grange, Goodcop and Low Bank, which pump into

980-631: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food . The order cited the powers of the 1813 and 1862 Acts and transferred the property and responsibilities for drainage of the area from Severn Trent to the Corporation. Upgrading of the pumping stations continued. The steam engines at Bull Hassocks were replaced by a single Ruston 300 hp (220 kW) diesel engine with a 36-inch (91 cm) Gwynnes pump in 1940, to be supplemented by two more similar units in 1941. By 1988 two electric pumps had been installed, and

1050-465: The Old Norse personal name Sicga and Old English mor "moor". The name was recorded as Secgamere in 1165. Light industry now predominates, but traditional trades including peat extraction, willow crafts and cider making may still be found, in addition to livestock farming. The River Parrett provides a source of eels ( anguilla anguilla ) and elvers from January through to May. Also notable

1120-629: The Royal Society in 1663. He had a total of nine children with Katherine, including Charles, Deborah, Elizabeth, and John. His second wife was Dionysia Stonhouse. Vermuyden lived in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden in 1647 and had a home in Kelfield , North Lincolnshire . Vermuyden died on 11 October 1677 in London . Despite the initial success of the reclamation, the engineers did not understand enough about

1190-583: The Somerset Levels and Malvern Chase in Worcestershire ; he also entered into a partnership in the lead mines in Wirksworth , which he drained by means of a sough . Contrary to popular belief, Vermuyden was not involved with the draining of the "Great Fen " in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk in the 1630s. He did not participate until the second phase of construction in the 1650s. This area of marshland

1260-648: The Torne , and the Idle , which meandered into the Trent near its entrance to the Humber. The whole of this area, apart from the Isle of Axholme, is less than 10 feet (3.0 m) above sea level and was therefore subject to frequent flooding. Although the area included some common land it was unlawful to take fish or game though many locals gained their livelihood by fishing and fowling the area which

1330-456: The Wissey , Little Ouse and Lark , away from Denver. As a result, the area suffered continued flooding, which was not controlled until a project of the early 1960s. Due to the high cost of labour, and the continuing unpopularity of the project among the local inhabitants, the government provided Vermuyden with Scottish and Dutch prisoners of war (after the Battle of Dunbar in 1650) and the start of

1400-801: The Catchment Board acted as the Corporation of the Level of Hatfield Chase, even though it no longer existed legally. This continued with the renaming of the Trent River Catchment Board to the Trent River Board, and then the Trent River Authority, which finally became part of the Severn Trent Water Authority in 1974. In an unusual move, the Corporation of the Level of Hatfield Chase was re-constituted in 1987, by an order of

1470-462: The Chase, in addition to Keadby, and there are several smaller installations managed by the Corporation of the Level of Hatfield Chase Internal Drainage Board . Some of the pumping stations are reversible, allowing water to be extracted from the drains into the main rivers in winter, and pumped from the rivers into the drains for irrigation in summer. Hatfield Chase is roughly bordered by the M18 motorway to

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1540-484: The Don in the villages of Fishlake, Sykehouse , and Snaith . Recrimination against foreign settlers was encouraged by those who had lost their fishing and other livelihoods. The flooding of Fishlake and Sykehouse resulted from there being insufficient washlands to hold the flow of the Don while the sluice at Turnbridgedike was closed by high water levels in the Aire. A navigable sluice was constructed at Turnbridgedike, including

1610-532: The Hatfield Waste Drain. Download coordinates as: The table shows the locations of the major Environment Agency pumping stations which are located within Hadfield Chase, with the addition of Keadby, where water drained from the region is pumped into the River Trent. [REDACTED] Media related to Hatfield Chase at Wikimedia Commons Sedgemoor Download coordinates as: Sedgemoor

1680-675: The Isle of Tholen in the Zeeland province of the Dutch Republic . He trained in the Netherlands as an engineer, learning Dutch techniques for controlling water and draining marshland. By the period of 1621 to 1623, Vermuyden was working in England, where his first projects were on the River Thames , repairing a sea wall at Dagenham and working to reclaim Canvey Island , Essex . The latter project

1750-679: The King's (1.5 phase). In addition, he dredged the New Bedford River (with a large area of wash between it and the Bedford River) and the Forty Foot Drain . He established Denver Sluice to stop tides and flood water from depositing silt into the Great Ouse to the east of Ely . The work did not include his projected "cutoff channel," which was designed to take flood water from the southern rivers,

1820-424: The King's takeover of their project and to gain restoration of all of the 95,000 acres (380 km) first awarded in January 1630/31. By 29 May 1649, a few months after the King's execution, they had succeeded; an Act of Parliament (later known as "The Pretended Act") restored them to the undertaking and gave their claim to the enclosures the force of law. Before this time, Vermuyden's activities are not clear; there

1890-456: The Level of Hatfield Chase was established by royal warrant. The drainage transformed the whole area, creating rich agricultural land where there had previously been swamps though it was still subject to periodic flooding. Many local people were not very happy with the outcome. Those entitled to common rights, mainly from the Isle of Axholme, claimed they had been allotted the worst land. There were complaints of flooding from those further down

1960-561: The Level of Hatfield Chase was established in 1862, and another pumping engine was installed. The drains ran to the northeastern corner of the Chase and continued to sluices at Althorpe on the River Trent . Discharge to the Trent was subsequently moved to Keadby , and the gravity drainage was supplemented by pumps when a pumping station was built in 1940. Steam engines were gradually replaced by diesel engines, and later by electric pumps. The Environment Agency maintains eight pumping stations on

2030-711: The Nene through the salt marshes to the sea. Vermuyden was still working in the Great Level as of May 1642, but was by then responding to the House of Lords , rather than the beleaguered King. Having received perhaps less than £5000, the engineer was continually in arrears for the wages of his workmen. During the Civil War , the drainage project was halted by the chaos of war. The original financiers – now headed by Bedford's heir William – began to seek an Act of Parliament to overturn

2100-687: The North Engine Drain before the junction and then becomes the north channel. The centre channel is formed by the North Engine Drain and the River Torne, while the south channel carries the waters of the South Engine Drain and the Folly Drain. Bull Hassocks pumping station was designed to handle water from the South Idle drains, but prior to 1970 also had to handle water from the Folly Drain. This

2170-438: The North Engine Drain run along the northern boundary. Tunnel Pits North and South pumping stations are located on the River Torne, while Dirtness pumping station is at the head of the North Engine Drain. The buildings there were erected in 1862. All of these watercourses converge on Pilfrey Junction, from where three parallel channels, called Three Rivers, flow to a pumping station at Keadby . The Hatfield Waste Drain crosses under

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2240-629: The US. Industry in Bridgwater has also seen major growth recently with the opening of "Express Park" which houses Gerber Foods (a global fruit juice supplier), NHS Logistics depot and Eddie Stobart depot. The Sedgemoor district was established in 1974 and was based in Bridgwater. It covers a mostly rural area between the Quantock Hills and the Mendip Hills. The council, along with Somerset County Council ,

2310-517: The act listed 21 townships and parishes which would be required to pay for the drainage works. The jurisdiction of the Court of Sewers was replaced by the meetings of the Corporation in 1862. The Corporation spent £8,887 on a new pumping station at Dirtness which was operational by 1865. The building contained two compound beam engines, driving a single scoop wheel which was 33.25 by 6 feet (10.13 by 1.83 m) and weighed 80 tons. Bull Hassocks pumping station

2380-456: The administrative bodies responsible for drainage, and the Corporation effectively became an Internal Drainage Board . In 1941, the Corporation ceased to be, and its powers and responsibilities were split between the Trent River Catchment Board and the River Ouse (Yorkshire) Catchment Board. Despite this change, the management of the area continued much as before, with official records stating that

2450-514: The common fen in his right of "improvement" as the Lord of the Manor , leaving one-third for those local residents who had common rights of pasturage in the fens. The local people were upset by the project, particularly those of the Manor of Epworth , whose lord had already enclosed part of the commons in the 14th century. He had later signed a legal document giving up all subsequent rights of enclosure within

2520-462: The courts finally ruled against them in 1650. Peace was restored, but lawsuits continued for the rest of the century and were not finally resolved until 1719. The region was still affected by wintertime flooding in the 18th century, and the civil engineer John Smeaton was asked to make an assessment. He produced reports in September 1764 and October 1776, which formed the basis for remedial work. This

2590-411: The cultivable area. Vermuyden was to receive one third of the drained land, most of which had previously been commons , as recompense for his investment. To finance the drainage project, he sold shares in this land to other investors, including some fellow Dutchmen. Some French and Walloon Protestant refugees also settled in the area as landowners or tenants. The King intended to enclose one third of

2660-509: The district was abolished and replaced by a new unitary district for the area previously served by Somerset County Council . The replacement council is Somerset Council . Elections for the new council took place in May 2022, and it ran alongside Sedgemoor and the other councils until their abolition in April 2023. Sedgemoor does not mean " sedge moor", but is instead "marsh of a man called Sicga" from

2730-473: The drainage of the Chase, an act of parliament obtained in 1862 created the Corporation of the Level of Hatfield Chase , which took over the management of the drainage from the individual Participants who had formerly been responsible for it. This act authorised further construction work, including a steam-pumping engine for the northern part of the Chase. The areas which were subject to taxation were extended, and

2800-422: The ecology of the fens. The drying of the land caused the peat to shrink greatly, lowering the remaining land below the height of the drainage channels and rivers. This caused the reclaimed farmland to become vulnerable again to flooding. By the end of the 17th century, much of the reclaimed land was regularly flooded. This continued until the development of steam-powered pumps in the early 19th century. The drop in

2870-482: The extra volumes of water. The pumping station at Keadby is equipped with six concrete culverts and six pumps. It was built in 1940, when six Crossley diesel engines, rated at 420 hp (310 kW) and driving 60-inch (150 cm) Gwynnes pumps were installed. Five were refurbished by the National Rivers Authority in 1994, and the sixth was replaced by an electric motor. Discharge into the River Trent

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2940-463: The extra water that cannot drain to the sea – and a catchdrain around the eastern edge of the fen. The washes were constructed as part of the second phase of drainage in the 1650s, but the catchdrain was not developed until the early 1960s. This catchdrain follows the contours of the western edge of the hilly brecklands where they rise above the fen, commencing in the south at Mildenhall through Hockwold cum Wilton northwards to Denver Sluice . At

3010-423: The land level can be seen at the pumps near Ramsey Forty Foot , where animal-powered pumps, steam pumps and now fossil-fuel pumps are all co-located, at different heights. They demonstrate both the development of technology and the resulting decline in land levels. Prickwillow Museum has a large pumping engine in working order, but not actively used. Vermuyden has several locations named after him, including: He

3080-402: The land subject to winter flooding. The Merchant Adventurers had been offered 95,000 acres (380 km) by the Crown as the reward for their work. This settlement was disrupted: first by the riots, which erupted against the enclosures (and that occurred periodically into the 1650s), and second, by the King. He reversed the granting of Bedford's contract and declared himself as the principal in

3150-517: The late 1970s and early 1980s, which saw the M18 motorway running along the western edge of the Chase and the M180 motorway crossing it, broadly parallel to the Stainforth and Keadby Canal, but a little further south. The roads produced large volumes of run-off water, which entered the drainage system. The river authorities used the opportunity to upgrade the system to cope with this run-off and to solve several local problems. Low Bank pumping station

3220-512: The latter village the River Little Ouse flows westwards off the brecks from Brandon enclosed within high embankments, over an aqueduct many feet higher than the catchment drain and surrounding farmland. Thus illustrating many of the anachronistic but brilliant features (in engineering terms), the work of Vermuyden commenced. Charles I appointed Vermuyden as his agent for the draining on 19 September 1639, but his government did not approve

3290-520: The length of the River Great Ouse by many miles. It was eventually named the Bedford River (subsequently Old Bedford River ) after Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford , who was the chief Adventurer and financier. The project created or improved eight other channels. The operation was judged as substantially complete in 1637. It was criticized for its limited goal to provide "summer lands", leaving

3360-473: The maintenance of 84.5 miles (136.0 km) of watercourses, which includes the operation of nine pumping stations. In addition, the Environment Agency maintain and operate several pumping stations within the area where the water is pumped into high-level carriers, which consist of embanked waterways where the water level is generally above that of the surrounding land. The River Torne, which rises to

3430-535: The manor. As with other fen drainage schemes at the time, the locals did not oppose drainage per se, but were outraged about the large enclosures of their common pasture and turbary fens. This threatened their commons rights and livelihoods, as they depended on the fens for pasturage and for peat for burning as fuel. From 1627, the richer members of the community challenged the project in court by lawsuits, even as large groups of commoners (not necessarily poor people, but including some substantial farmers) rioted against

3500-409: The plan until 5 August. In a precarious position with all three of its kingdoms, the Crown lacked both sufficient funds and attention to pay for the works in the Great Level, but it authorized Vermuyden to start. He widened the River Nene below Horseshoe Sluice, banking the north side of Morton's Leam. Beginning on the south, he set a new sluice, known as Shire Drain, and cut a new channel at the mouth of

3570-454: The project, taking 52,000 acres (210 km) and leaving the other parties with only 40,000 acres (160 km). At this time, Vermuyden was recruited to participate in the Great Level, as in 1637 he wrote a Discourse Touching the Draining of the Great Fennes for the King (it was not published until 1642). In it, he proposed two innovations to the drainage scheme: washes – areas of land allowed to flood in periods of bad weather to absorb

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3640-407: The remainder for those locals who had interests in the land. Vermuyden brought over a number of Walloon partners, known as the Participants, who took shares and performed the drainage work, including a number of Huguenot families fleeing from religious persecution who settled at Sandtoft . The work was substantially completed by 1628 at a cost of £400,000. The eastern branch of the Don river

3710-408: The south of the canal but follows a similar course. The Battle of Heathfield , fought in 633 between Penda of Mercia and Edwin of Northumbria may have occurred on Hatfield Chase, although it could also have taken place near Cuckney in Nottinghamshire , between Mansfield and Worksop , which also has places called Hatfield. Hatfield Chase lay above the confluence of three rivers, the Don ,

3780-459: The station could discharge 330 tons per minute (485 Mld). At Dirtness, the single electric pump was supplemented by two more in 1951, rated at 105 brake horsepower (78 kW) and each capable of moving 110 tons per minute (161 Mld). Today the watercourses of Hatfield Chase are managed by the Corporation of the Level of Hatfield Chase Internal Drainage Board . They are responsible for the drainage of an area of 30.8 square miles (79.8 km ), and

3850-614: The war with the Dutch respectively) as labourers in this phase of construction. Vermuyden's relationship with the other adventurers was never easy and, by 1655, they had parted company altogether. Several other of his initiatives failed, including a proposal for a treaty between England and the States-General of the Netherlands which he made to Cromwell. In addition, Vermuyden was unable to gain support to drain his areas of Sedgemoor and Malvern Chase . Vermuyden married Katherine Lapps on 16 November, 1623, at St Mary's, Rotherhythe. One son, Cornelius Vermuyden Jr., became an Original Fellow of

3920-441: The west of Tickhill , crosses the middle of the area. Candy Farm North and South pumping stations are situated on the area's western edge. The South Engine Drain and Folly Drain form the eastern boundary and run parallel to the River Torne after it has crossed the Chase. Bull Hassocks pumping station is located at the start of the South Engine Drain and is on the site of the first steam-powered pumping station. Hatfield Waste Drain and

3990-411: The west, the River Ouse to the north, the River Idle to the south, and the A161 road through Epworth and the Isle of Axholme to the east. It covers an area of around 110 square miles (280 km ), including two large peat bogs known as Thorne and Hatfield Moors , and is part of the once-vast Humberhead Levels , a wetland which originally covered some 770 square miles (2,000 km ). The Chase

4060-506: The works and the enclosures. Because the legal position of the commoners of Epworth was unique, the legal debate over the drainage and enclosures lasted into the eighteenth century. Vermuyden was knighted in 1629 for his work, and became a British citizen in 1633. In 1631 he built the Horseshoe Sluice on the tidal river at Wisbech , Isle of Ely , Cambridgeshire at a cost of £8,000, by a "little Army of Artificers Venting, contriving and acting outlandish devises" The work on Hatfield Chase

4130-427: The works. There was also a special engine rate, which was used to finance the operation of a steam-pumping engine in the southern part of the chase. The steam engine was sited at Little Hirst in 1848, but experience showed that it needed to be nearer to the drainage district, and so it was moved to Bull Hassocks in 1858. A second-hand 40 hp (30 kW) engine drove a 30-foot (9.1 m) scoop wheel . To improve

4200-419: Was altered in that year, by building a new pumping station at Greenholme, which pumped the Folly Drain into the South Level Engine Drain. The station was built by the Trent River Board for the West Axholme IDB, and contained three pumps, two of 24-inch (610 mm) diameter, capable of pumping 109 Mld, and one of 15-inch (380 mm) rated at 29 Mld. The area was affected by the motorway construction programme of

4270-433: Was blocked and the banks of the northern branch into the River Aire were raised. The northern branch was originally a Roman navigation channel called Turnbridgedike. A 2-mile (3.2 km) bank which ran along the south side of the river from Fishlake to Thorne included a navigable sluice, to allow boats to reach Sandtoft. Lifting gates gave access to a lock chamber which was 50 by 15 feet (15.2 by 4.6 m). Beyond Thorne,

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4340-421: Was built in 1977, incorporating three pumps. Another three pumps were installed on the former Sandtoft Airfield (now the location of a Trolleybus museum ) at Wood Carr pumping station, built in 1978, and a single pump was installed at Belton Grange in the following year. All three stations discharge water to the Hatfield Waste Drain. The Internal Drainage Boards also had to upgrade some of their pumps to cope with

4410-461: Was carried out in stages from 1776 until it was completed in 1789. Improvements continued in the early 19th century, authorised by several Acts of Parliament . The Hatfield Chase Drainage Act of 1813 created two commissioners, who had powers to raise £15,000, to be used for construction work specified by the act, which would be adopted by the Court of Sewers once it was completed. The money was raised by additional taxation on those who benefitted from

4480-420: Was cut from where the Idle had been blocked to Dirtness, passing under the Torne at Tunnel Pits. At Dirtness it was joined by another drain, bringing water from the west, and then ran for a further 5 miles (8 km) to another sluice at Althorpe. The work was on a scale not previously seen in England, and Vermuyden's contribution was recognised when he was knighted in January 1629. In 1629, a Court of Sewers for

4550-438: Was financed by Joas Croppenburg, a Dutch haberdasher to whom Vermuyden was related by marriage. This, or perhaps work at Windsor , brought him to the notice of Charles I , who commissioned him in 1626 to drain Hatfield Chase in the Isle of Axholme , Lincolnshire . The King was Lord of the four principal manors there: Hatfield , Epworth , Crowle and Misterton , as well as 13 of the adjacent manors, and he wanted to expand

4620-510: Was more efficient. The total cost of the channel and outfall sluice was £33,000. There was no navigable connection to the Ouse at Goole, as boats continued to access the Aire at Turnbridgedike. The channel eventually became the wide Dutch River after two drains were swept into one following a great flood. After various lawsuits and petitions, locals took action during the confusion of the Civil War and flooded Hatfield Chase by raising floodgates and damaging banks and sluices. Riots broke out when

4690-446: Was naturally drained by a labyrinth of rivers. It had been inadequately maintained since before the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537 during the English Reformation , as the monasteries had been chiefly responsible in the region for keeping the channels clear. The initial plan for the drainage was based on a proposal by John Hunt in 1604-1605, to construct a new river 21 miles (34 km) long from Earith to Denver , shortening

4760-450: Was only partially successful: the straightening of the river Don and outlet into the Aire caused flooding in Fishlake , Sykehouse and Snaith . As a result of a lawsuit in 1633, Vermuyden dug the Dutch River , which provided a direct route from the Don to the River Ouse at Goole . It required him to deplete most of the land that he had acquired in the Chase. The same year he bought 4,000 acres (1,619 ha) of land in Sedgemoor on

4830-400: Was unsuitable for agriculture. The circumstances of Charles' appointment of Vermuyden to drain this area in 1626 are obscure. A story that he had accompanied an earlier royal hunting party is almost certainly fictional, but the king was keen to make his assets profitable and the contract divided the land into three parts, one for the king, one for the adventurers who would drain the land and

4900-444: Was upgraded in 1892. Two 48-inch (120 cm) centrifugal pumps were driven by 175 horsepower (130 kW) steam engines, and when both were running, the station could discharge 300 tons per minute (440 Megalitres per day (Mld)) into the South Engine Drain. Diesel engines gave way to electric pumps at Dirtness in 1928, when they were replaced by a Gwynnes Limited pump driven by an electric motor. The Land Drainage Act 1930 changed

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