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153-536: Thorne and Hatfield Moors form the largest area of lowland raised peat bog in the United Kingdom. They are situated in South Yorkshire , to the north-east and east of Doncaster near the town of Thorne , and are part of Hatfield Chase . They had been used for small-scale extraction of peat for fuel from medieval times, and probably much earlier, but commercial extraction of the peat for animal bedding began in

306-595: A national nature reserve . This includes the area bought by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, which now manage most of Crowle Moor on behalf of Natural England , the successor to English Nature. Limbert and Roworth have commented that, unlike other peat areas, such as the Somerset Levels , where recording of the industrial heritage has been systematic, the recording of the industrial archaeology of Thorne and Hatfield Moors has been notably scarce. A guide to

459-507: 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

612-561: A canal network. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust purchased a total of 290 acres (118 ha) in 1987, which included the area they had been managing since 1971. The first large-scale transfer of land occurred in 1994, when Fisons gave 2,340 acres (946 ha) to English Nature , the successor to the Nature Conservancy Council. The agreement allowed Fisons to lease back the active peat fields from English Nature, and to continue to extract peat until 2025. However, they agreed to leave

765-557: A change of policy. The nature of the moor habitat has gradually been recognised as an ecological resource. From 1971 the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust has managed a small area of Crowle Moor for conservation, and the Nature Conservancy Council bought another small area in 1985. A major change occurred in 1994, when Fisons company gave English Nature 2,340 acres (946 ha) of moorland, although they retained

918-560: A chassis, and were used on the moors where the peat was loaded into wagons, only returning to the works for maintenance. Two were delivered to Swinefleet in 1964, and one went to Hatfield. A second machine for the Hatfield operation was ordered in 1967. Wooden peat trucks were gradually phased out following the purchase of 100 steel wagons in 1963 and 1964. They were manufactured in Leeds by Robert Hudson (Raletrux) Ltd , and were subsequently fitted with

1071-411: A fine inner mesh, to enable them to carry fragmented peat rather than turves. The new wagons had a side-opening door, and a tippler was installed to allow them to be emptied automatically. On the moors, when dried turves were ready to be collected, temporary track sections were laid at right angles to the main line, and a portable turntable was installed. A rake of twelve wagons could then be moved onto

1224-506: A form of erosion that occur at the sides of gullies that cut into the peat; they sometimes also occur in isolation. Hags may result when flowing water cuts downwards into the peat and when fire or overgrazing exposes the peat surface. Once the peat is exposed in these ways, it is prone to further erosion by wind, water and livestock. The result is overhanging vegetation and peat. Hags are too steep and unstable for vegetation to establish itself, so they continue to erode unless restorative action

1377-451: A level crossing of the tramway and the new railway, a siding was constructed to Swinefleet Works, and the tramway was lifted in 1903. The railway company also built a 5-mile (8.0 km) branch from Epworth in 1909, in the hope of gaining the peat traffic from Hatfield Works, but they continued to cart their output north to Maud's Bridge, on the Doncaster to Scunthorpe line. The railway built

1530-422: A line of forty or fifty wagons onto the temporary track. Cutting of the peat was mechanised from 1963, with the introduction of German peat-cutting machines, and by 1970, all hand cutting had ceased. Loading of the turves into wagons was also initially by hand, but gradually 'sod collectors' were introduced, which at Swinefleet had a 25-yard (23 m) conveyor and at Hatfield a 44-yard (40 m) one. These enabled

1683-498: A loading dock in 1911, and still did not gain the traffic, but finally in 1913, agreed to build a siding into the works in exchange for all the peat traffic. Thus all of the British Moss Litter Company's works could export their produce by rail. A system of horse-drawn tramways was used to move the peat across the moor from at least the 1890s, since the lines are marked on the 1890 Ordnance Survey maps, and Booth includes

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1836-534: A minimum of 20 inches (50 cm) of peat, so that the moors could recover once extraction ceased. Areas that were not being worked were managed for conservation. At this time, English Nature also took control of parts of Hatfield Moors. The areas they managed were designated as the Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve in 1995, and were extended by another 370 acres (150 ha) in the following year. Most extraction of peat from

1989-413: A network of small railways were constructed along the canals to transport the peat. Until the mid-twentieth century, all peat was cut by hand. Although the effects of the industry on the ecology of the moors were serious, hand cutting mainly affected the surface of the moors. It left behind trenches and ditches, which soon became waterlogged, and were re-colonised to become part of the diverse habitat. Once

2142-620: A new one with the same name but additional working capital. At the same time, Swinefleet Works was formally purchased, whereas it had been leased by the old company. Sales of peat rose steadily from 39,444 tons in 1893 to 74,948 tons in 1898. Following the end of the First World War , sales of peat began to decline, as working horses were replaced by motor lorries and tractors . The British Moss Litter Company bought up two other companies who were extracting peat in Crowle Moor in 1935. Most peat

2295-415: A period when improvement of the moors for agriculture was considered the way to proceed. An entrepreneur named John Gossip bought 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) of moor near Lindholme, and set about warping it with silt from an old river bed near Lindholme Lake. The cost proved excessive, and he installed a stationary steam engine and narrow gauge railway tracks, on which small wagons were pushed by hand, to aid

2448-423: A picture of Moorends Works taken in the 1890s, showing both 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) wagons and the 3 ft ( 914 mm ) gauge wooden peat wagons used internally. Rotherham includes an engraving of a peat wagon in his book, consisting of a farm cart, still with its road wheels attached, but with a four-wheeled bogie under each of the axles to allow it to be pulled along

2601-730: A processing plant and pipelines to connect it to the National Transmission System , and permission was granted in January 1999. Construction work started in September, and the facilities became operational in February 2000. It was the first onshore storage facility of its kind in Britain, and a 25-year storage contract was agreed between Edinburgh Oil and Gas and Scottish Power , but in December 2006

2754-457: A replacement for sandbags, for fertiliser and as potting compost , as well as the manufacture of paraffin , creosote and tar . The owners of Thorne and Hatfield Moors leased their lands to peat companies, whose workers would dig drains, cut the turves, and stack them up to allow them to dry, so that they were ready for sale. The product was in competition with imports from the Netherlands , and

2907-496: A result of peat drainage, the organic carbon—which built over thousands of years and is normally underwater—is suddenly exposed to the air. It decomposes and turns into carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which is released into the atmosphere. The global CO 2 emissions from drained peatlands have increased from 1,058 Mton in 1990 to 1,298 Mton in 2008 (a 20% increase). This increase has particularly taken place in developing countries, of which Indonesia , Malaysia and Papua New Guinea are

3060-411: A second hydraulic motor. They were much more powerful than the engines they replaced, with the four-axle arrangement ensuring that the axle loading was low enough for the existing track, and they were very popular with their operators. By the late 1990s, they were wearing out, and enquiries were made, with a view to purchasing replacements. Alan Keef designed a Bo-Bo locomotive for use on the moors, but

3213-417: A single side track to serve a much wider section of moor, without having to move the track. Loading turves onto the start of the conveyor was still done manually, but it became difficult to find people who wanted to do the work, and so Hymac loaders were used to load peat directly into the wagons. The success of this process at Hatfield in 1981 lead to it being used at Swinefleet as well. The next development

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3366-490: A small increase in carbon dioxide uptake, meaning that it contributes to the permafrost carbon feedback . Under 2 °C global warming , 0.7 million km of peatland permafrost could thaw, and with warming of +1.5 to 6 °C a cumulative 0.7 to 3 PgC of methane could be released as a result of permafrost peatland thaw by 2100. The forcing from these potential emissions would be approximately equivalent to 1% of projected anthropogenic emissions. One characteristic of peat

3519-693: A small remnant of a much larger wetland system that once covered around 770 square miles (2,000 km) known as the Humberhead Levels . The moors lie to the east of the town of Thorne and the M18 motorway . Thorne Moors are situated to the north of the M180 motorway , while Hatfield Moors lie to the south of that road. Thorne Moors are also called Swinefleet Moors, and both terms describe Crowle Moor, Goole Moor, Rawcliffe Moor, Snaith and Cowick Moor, and Thorne Waste collectively. The archaeology of Hatfield and Thorne

3672-539: A tenth of the total permafrost area, and also a tenth (185 ± 66 Gt) of all permafrost carbon, equivalent to around half of the carbon stored in the atmosphere. Dry peat is a good insulator (with a thermal conductivity of around 0.25 Wm K ) and therefore plays an important role in protecting permafrost from thaw. The insulating effect of dry peat also makes it integral to unique permafrost landforms such as palsas and permafrost peat plateaus. Peatland permafrost thaw tends to result in an increase in methane emissions and

3825-606: A wharf on the River Ouse near Swinefleet Clough. The line was around 2 miles (3.2 km) long, and had a single steam engine, built by Webster, Jackson & Co. of Goole. The Goole and Marshland Light Railway and the Isle of Axholme Light Railway were authorised by Light Railway Orders in 1898 and 1899, and became the Axholme Joint Railway after a takeover by two larger companies in 1901. Following discussions, to try to alleviate

3978-588: A works at Hatfield, which processes imported peat. In addition to the peat industry Hatfield Moor has been the site of part of the UK gas industry since 1981. Hatfield Moor gas field was discovered accidentally while drilling for oil, and a major blow-out and fire occurred. Gas was extracted from 1986 to 1998, and when the gas field became depleted, it was reused to become the first onshore gas storage facility of its kind in Britain. Thorne Moors and Hatfield Moors together cover an area of some 8,201 acres (3,319 ha), and are

4131-403: Is 16 inches (410 mm) in diameter. There are three well heads at the site, all of which can be used to inject gas into the storage reservoir, but only two are used to extract gas from below ground. The gas is injected into the site to a maximum pressure of 650 pounds per square inch (44.82 bar). During periods of low demand gas is taken from the gas offtake at Beltoft, and transferred via

4284-403: Is a common practice to forest used peat bogs instead of giving them a chance to renew. This leads to lower levels of CO 2 storage than the original peat bog. Cornelius Vermuyden Sir Cornelius Vermuyden ( Dutch pronunciation: [kɔrˈneːlijəs fərˈmœydə(n)] ; 1595 – 11 October 1677) was a Dutch engineer who introduced Dutch land reclamation methods to England. Vermuyden

4437-487: Is also reported that peat regrowth takes place only in 30–40% of peatlands. Centuries of burning and draining of peat by humans has released a significant amount of CO 2 into the atmosphere, and much peatland restoration is needed to help limit climate change . Peat forms when plant material does not fully decay in acidic and anaerobic conditions. It is composed mainly of wetland vegetation: principally bog plants including mosses , sedges and shrubs. As it accumulates,

4590-622: 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

4743-472: Is available in considerable quantities. It is burned to produce heat and electricity . Peat provides around 4% of Finland's annual energy production. Also, agricultural and forestry-drained peat bogs actively release more CO 2 annually than is released in peat energy production in Finland. The average regrowth rate of a single peat bog, however, is indeed slow, from 1,000 up to 5,000 years. Furthermore, it

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4896-547: Is cut by hand and left to dry in the sun. In many countries, including Ireland and Scotland , peat was traditionally stacked to dry in rural areas and used for cooking and domestic heating. This tradition can be traced back to the Roman period. For industrial uses, companies may use pressure to extract water from the peat, which is soft and easily compressed. In Sweden, farmers use dried peat to absorb excrement from cattle that are wintered indoors. The most essential property of peat

5049-423: Is either fibric, hemic, or sapric. Fibric peats are the least decomposed and consist of intact fibre. Hemic peats are partially decomposed and sapric are the most decomposed. Phragmites peat are composed of reed grass, Phragmites australis , and other grasses. It is denser than many other types of peat. Engineers may describe a soil as peat which has a relatively high percentage of organic material. This soil

5202-701: Is estimated that in 1997, peat and forest fires in Indonesia released between 0.81 and 2.57 gigatonnes (0.89 and 2.83 billion short tons; 0.80 and 2.53 billion long tons) of carbon; equivalent to 13–40 percent of the amount released by global fossil fuel burning, and greater than the carbon uptake of the world's biosphere. These fires may be responsible for the acceleration in the increase in carbon dioxide levels since 1998. More than 100 peat fires in Kalimantan and East Sumatra have continued to burn since 1997; each year, these peat fires ignite new forest fires above

5355-481: Is extensive and complex. The moors had been used as a source for domestic fuel, in the form of peat , since at least the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and probably as early as the Roman or pre-Roman periods. In the early 1800s, peat was still being formed: William Harrison reported that a short time after moving to Thorne, a rise in the surface of the moors has obscured Crowle Church, previously visible from his home. The area saw major changes in its hydrology in

5508-464: Is laying a stretch of track near Crowle, so that they can run some of the original locomotives on it. The Society obtained one of the original Simplex locomotives and two of the Schomas, including all three slave units. Deep below the surface of Hatfield Moor is an anticline or fold in the geological strata, with two culminations or high points, known as Hatfield Moor and Hatfield West. This rock structure

5661-483: Is problematic because it exhibits poor consolidation properties—it cannot be easily compacted to serve as a stable foundation to support loads, such as roads or buildings. In a widely cited article, Joosten and Clarke (2002) described peatlands or mires (which they say are the same) as the most widespread of all wetland types in the world, representing 50 to 70% of global wetlands. They cover over 4 million square kilometres [1.5 million square miles] or 3% of

5814-497: Is retaining moisture in container soil when it is dry while preventing the excess water from killing roots when it is wet. Peat can store nutrients although it is not fertile itself—it is polyelectrolytic with a high ion-exchange capacity due to its oxidized lignin. Peat is discouraged as a soil amendment by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , England, since 2003. While bark or coir -based peat-free potting soil mixes are on

5967-466: 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

6120-629: Is sometimes used in freshwater aquaria . It is seen most commonly in soft water or blackwater river systems such as those mimicking the Amazon River basin. In addition to being soft and therefore suitable for demersal (bottom-dwelling) species such as Corydoras catfish, peat is reported to have many other beneficial functions in freshwater aquaria. It softens water by acting as an ion exchanger ; it also contains substances that are beneficial for plants and fishes' reproductive health. Peat can prevent algae growth and kill microorganisms. Peat often stains

6273-722: Is taken. In June 2002, the United Nations Development Programme launched the Wetlands Ecosystem and Tropical Peat Swamp Forest Rehabilitation Project. This project was targeted to last for five years, and brings together the efforts of various non-government organisations. In November 2002, the International Peatland (formerly Peat) Society (IPS) and the International Mire Conservation Group (IMCG) published guidelines on

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6426-565: Is the average depth of the boreal [northern] peatlands", which store around 415 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon (about 46 times 2019 global CO 2 emissions). Globally, peat stores up to 550 Gt of carbon, 42% of all soil carbon , which exceeds the carbon stored in all other vegetation types, including the world's forests, although it covers just 3% of the land's surface. Peat is not a renewable source of energy , due to its extraction rate in industrialized countries far exceeding its slow regrowth rate of 1 mm (0.04 in) per year, and as it

6579-401: Is the bioaccumulation of metals concentrated in the peat. Accumulated mercury is of significant environmental concern. Large areas of organic wetland (peat) soils are currently drained for agriculture, forestry and peat extraction (i.e. through canals ). This process is taking place all over the world. This not only destroys the habitat of many species but also heavily fuels climate change. As

6732-407: Is the most efficient carbon sink on the planet , because peatland plants capture carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) naturally released from the peat, maintaining an equilibrium. In natural peatlands, the "annual rate of biomass production is greater than the rate of decomposition", but it takes "thousands of years for peatlands to develop the deposits of 1.5 to 2.3 m [4.9 to 7.5 ft], which

6885-453: The "Wise Use of Mires and Peatlands – Backgrounds and Principles including a framework for decision-making" . This publication aims to develop mechanisms that can balance the conflicting demands on the global peatland heritage to ensure its wise use to meet the needs of humankind. In June 2008, the IPS published the book Peatlands and Climate Change , summarising the currently available knowledge on

7038-805: The Falkland Islands and Indonesia ( Kalimantan [Sungai Putri, Danau Siawan, Sungai Tolak], Rasau Jaya ( West Kalimantan ) and Sumatra ). Indonesia has more tropical peatlands and mangrove forests than any other nation on earth, but Indonesia is losing wetlands by 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) per year. A catalog of the peat research collection at the University of Minnesota Duluth provides references to research on worldwide peat and peatlands. About 7% of all peatlands have been exploited for agriculture and forestry . Under certain conditions, peat will turn into lignite coal over geologic periods of time. Peat can be used as fuel once dried. Traditionally, peat

7191-630: 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

7344-458: The Second World War peat was used by the horticultural industry in increasing volumes, and harvesting expanded again. From 1947, experiments were made with locomotives on the tramways, and they soon replaced horses. A total of 23 had worked on the system by the time it was closed down. The extraction process was mechanised in the 1960s, with the introduction of machines that could cut and stack

7497-584: 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

7650-933: The West Siberian Lowland , the Hudson Bay Lowlands and the Mackenzie River Valley. There is less peat in the Southern Hemisphere, in part because there is less land. The world's largest tropical peatland is located in Africa (the Democratic Republic of Congo). In addition, the vast Magellanic Moorland in South America (Southern Patagonia / Tierra del Fuego ) is an extensive peat-dominated landscape. Peat can be found in New Zealand , Kerguelen ,

7803-504: 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

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7956-686: 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 was financed by Joas Croppenburg,

8109-442: The peat turves. In 1981 mechanical loading of the turves into the trains was introduced. Surface milling of the peat was introduced in 1985, which completely stripped the surface of large areas of the moors. Some environmental bodies considered the moors to be worthless, but tireless campaigning by William Bunting after the Second World War , culminating in direct action by a group known as Bunting's Beavers in 1972, resulted in

8262-580: The tanning properties of the acidic water, as well as by the antibiotic properties of the organic component sphagnan. A famous example is the Tollund Man in Denmark. Having been discovered in 1950 after being mistaken for a recent murder victim, he was exhumed for scientific purposes and dated to have lived during the 4th century BC. Before that, another bog body, the Elling Woman , had been discovered in 1938 in

8415-539: The 1630s, as a result of the drainage works of Cornelius Vermuyden . The River Don was routed northwards from Stainforth , passing to the west of the moors; the River Idle routed along the southern edge of Hatfield Chase, and a new channel was cut for the River Torne , which was isolated from the surrounding land by new flood banks. These works had less effect on Thorne Moors, which became isolated from Hatfield Moors with

8568-552: The 1880s. The peat was cut on the moors and, once it had dried, transported to several works on 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge tramways, always called trams locally. The wagons were pulled by horses to works at Creyke's Siding, Moorends, Medge Hall, Swinefleet and Hatfield. There was also a network of canals supplying the Moorends Works. The industry suffered a downturn between the two world wars, as working horses were replaced by lorries and peat demand dropped, but after

8721-492: The American garden products company Scotts . Creyke's Siding and Moorends Works were both located close to the main railway line from Doncaster to Goole ( Hull and Doncaster Branch ), and were served by sidings. Medge Hall Works was similarly close to the line from Doncaster to Grimsby, and was also served by a siding. Swinefleet Works had their own 3 ft 7 in ( 1,093 mm ) gauge tramway, which ran northwards to

8874-588: The Doncaster East Internal Drainage Board , and the principal contractor for the works was North Midland Construction PLC. The installation includes a tilting weir, which controls water levels for much of the time, but when the pump is required, it is powered by an off-grid generator, controlled by a telemetry system which uses wind and solar power. In 2020, a major fire broke out at Hatfield Moors which burnt for more than ten days and covered an area of more than 3,500 acres (1,400 ha). By

9027-604: The Dutch Griendtsveen Company set up the Griendtsveen Moss Litter Company in 1893, a holding company which would buy up companies operating in the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom. The works at Moorends kept its ledgers in Dutch and English, and a number of Dutch workers relocated to Thorne. By 1899, there were some 120 Dutch workers, forming a community of 300 with their wives and children, and there

9180-763: The F6L 912 replacements produced 78 kW. They worked on Thorne Moors removing stockpiled peat until 21 October 2005, and on Hatfield Moors until 2006. They were stored at Hatfield once rail operation had ceased, and were still there in 2008. In 1935, there were 20 miles (32 km) of tracks on Thorne Moors, with 150 peat wagons and 18 flat wagons. There was an additional 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of temporary track. 50 peat wagons and six flat wagons ran on 6 miles (9.7 km) of permanent track on Hatfield Moors, where there were 0.5 miles (0.8 km) of temporary track. By 1989, there were about 8 miles (13 km) of permanent track on Hatfield Moors, and double that on Thorne Moors. Following

9333-753: The Howard machine was scrapped, and the other went to Medge Hall. A third locomotive of the same type was then ordered for Hatfield Works, allowing the horses there to be retired. The Medge Hall engine was transferred to Swinefleet when the works closed in 1966. The next acquisition of locomotives took place after the British Moss Peat Company was acquired by Fisons in 1963. They ordered three 8.5 hp (6.3 kW) machines from R A Lister and Company , who were based in Dursley , Gloucestershire . They consisted of little more than an engine and driver's seat mounted on

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9486-679: 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,

9639-425: 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

9792-712: 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

9945-537: The West Siberian peatland. Palsa mires have a rich bird life and are an EU-red listed habitat, and in Canada riparian peat banks are used as maternity sites for polar bears. Natural peatlands also have many species of wild orchids and carnivorous plants. For more on biological communities, see wetland , bog or fen . Around half of the area of northern peatlands is permafrost -affected, and this area represents around

10098-401: The area and its importance as an ecological resource. The first small step towards conservation of the moors occurred in 1971, when an agreement was reached between the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and Fisons on the management of 144 acres (58 ha) on Crowle Moor. In 1985, the Nature Conservancy Council bought 180 acres (73 ha) of Thorne Waste, which had been part of the area worked by

10251-523: The arrival of the Dutch workers in the 1890s, the community continued to expand with the arrival of workers from the Netherlands until about 1912, but most had returned to their country of origin by 1914. In the 1930s, the British Moss Litter Company employed around 160 people, and haulage was achieved by twelve horses. During the Second World War , the Ministry of Supply ran the works, and the workforce dropped to 138, although there were still twelve horses. After

10404-422: The bog. Their activities increased in the 1880s, when they began to lease areas to companies who extracted the peat commercially for use as animal bedding. In order to do this, ditches had to be cut to begin the process of drainage. As the extent of the workings increased, a Dutch company cut canals in the peat. Horses pulled barges from canal paths alongside in order to remove the peat from the moors. Subsequently,

10557-522: The bogland remains constantly wet which helps promote peat production. Most modern peat bogs formed 12,000 years ago in high latitudes after the glaciers retreated at the end of the last ice age . Peat usually accumulates slowly at the rate of about a millimetre per year. The estimated carbon content is 415 gigatonnes (457 billion short tons) (northern peatlands), 50 Gt (55 billion short tons) ( tropical peatlands ) and 15 Gt (17 billion short tons) (South America). Peat material

10710-546: The capital of Moscow with a toxic smoke blanket . The situation remained critical until the end of August 2010. In June 2019, despite some forest fire prevention methods being put in place, peat fires in the Arctic emitted 50 megatonnes (55 million short tons; 49 million long tons) of CO 2 , which is equal to Sweden's total annual emissions. The peat fires are linked to climate change, as they are much more likely to occur nowadays due to this effect. Peat "hags" are

10863-514: 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

11016-513: The completion of the Stainforth and Keadby Canal in 1802, running in an east–west direction between them. The moors were "warped" during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a process by which silt-laden floodwater from the River Trent and the River Ouse was allowed to cover the land, resulting in silt building up on the surface. The Swinefleet Warping Drain can still be seen, running along

11169-428: The concept of peat archives, a phrase coined by influential peatland scientist Harry Godwin in 1981. In a peat profile there is a fossilized record of changes over time in the vegetation, pollen, spores, animals (from microscopic to the giant elk), and archaeological remains that have been deposited in place, as well as pollen, spores and particles brought in by wind and weather. These remains are collectively termed

11322-481: The cost of owning locomotives was much less than the cost of owning horses, since they did not need to be fed and watered when not actually working. The company ordered two new locomotives from the Lincoln-based firm of Ruston and Hornsby in 1959. They were described as class LBT locomotives by the manufacturer, and were fitted with 31.5 hp (23.5 kW) two-cylinder engines. One went to Swinefleet, after which

11475-476: The cost was too great, and the company rebuilt two of the Schoma locomotive and slave units. The work included replacing the original 5-cylinder engines with 6-cylinder models, improving the sanding gear and driver's seating arrangements, and fitting a more reliable air-conditioning system for the cab. Lack of funds prevented the third Schoma being upgraded. The 5-cylinder Deutz F5L 912 engines produced 65 kW, whereas

11628-412: 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

11781-403: The cutting process was mechanised, peat could be cut from a greater depth, and at a faster rate, resulting in less ability for the moors to recover. Mechanical peat cutting was introduced to the moors in the early 1960s, and the process was similar to hand cutting, in that the peat was extracted over a small area but to a considerable depth. More destructive to the ultimate regeneration of the moors

11934-405: The dams, but the activists were undeterred and began rebuilding them. Finally, Fisons conceded defeat, and negotiated with the Nature Conservancy Council on the future management of the moors in 1974. The government granted some 4,560 acres (1,845 ha) Site of Special Scientific Interest status in 1981. Although this had little immediate effect, it has contributed to subsequent appreciation of

12087-625: The eastern edge of the moors, and connecting to the Ouse below Goole . It was last used for this purpose just before the First World War , in connection with land reclamation near Medge Hall, Crowle . This was the last known occasion on which warping was used in the moors to the south of the Humber . The Thorne Moors Improvement Company was set up in 1848, authorised by the Thorne Moor Drainage and Improvement Act. They were charged with improving parts of

12240-422: 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

12393-404: The existing locomotives were inadequate. Tenders were invited for some more powerful locomotives, and three machines were ordered from Schöma of Germany. Two were delivered to Hatfield in 1990, and the third went to Swinefleet in 1991. Each consisted of a CHL-60G master unit, rated at 65 kilowatts (87 hp) with a bonnet and cab, and a CHL-60T slave unit, looking more like a flat-bed truck, with

12546-463: 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

12699-452: The fastest-growing top emitters. This estimate excludes emissions from peat fires (conservative estimates amount to at least 4,000 Mton/CO 2 -eq./yr for south-east Asia). With 174 Mton/CO 2 -eq./yr, the EU is after Indonesia (500 Mton) and before Russia (161 Mton), the world's second-largest emitter of drainage-related peatland CO 2 (excl. extracted peat and fires). Total CO 2 emissions from

12852-461: The fire was finally extinguished after 38 days, during which around 1 billion cubic feet (28.3 million m) of gas were consumed. Additional wells were drilled in the 1980s, and a single well was constructed to access the Hatfield West gas field, discovered in 1983 and located a little to the west of the moors. The Hatfield Moor field is located at a depth of 1450 feet (440 metres) below the moor, and

13005-473: The forum has also published technical papers on many aspects of the moors. In late 2016, construction work commenced at the Swinefleet Drain end of the nature reserve. The construction works include the installation and commissioning of a permanent Archimedes' screw type pumping station to ensure the water level in the peat bog is kept at an optimum level for peat regeneration. The work was commissioned by

13158-411: The gas was fed into the local distribution network, owned by British Gas . Belton Brickworks then received its gas supply from the Hatfield West field, and this continued for another six years, until the gas field and the associated pipeline were shut down in 2000. Meanwhile, Edinburgh Oil and Gas applied for permission to use the depleted Hatfield Moor reservoir to store gas. They also needed to construct

13311-596: The ground. In North America, peat fires can occur during severe droughts throughout their occurrence, from boreal forests in Canada to swamps and fens in the subtropical southern Florida Everglades . Once a fire has burnt through the area, hollows in the peat are burnt out, and hummocks are desiccated but can contribute to Sphagnum recolonization. In the summer of 2010, an unusually high heat wave of up to 40 °C (104 °F) ignited large deposits of peat in Central Russia, burning thousands of houses and covering

13464-405: The industrial history of South Yorkshire published in 1995 made no mention of peat at all. The canals dug by the Dutch and operated until the 1920s have been mentioned by canal historians such as Charles Hadfield , but have never been investigated systematically. The railways have received a little more attention in the specialist press, and some of the locomotives have been preserved. The history of

13617-604: The land and freshwater surface of the planet. In these ecosystems are found one third of the world's soil carbon and 10% of global freshwater resources. These ecosystems are characterized by the unique ability to accumulate and store dead organic matter from Sphagnum and many other non-moss species, as peat, under conditions of almost permanent water saturation. Peatlands are adapted to the extreme conditions of high water and low oxygen content, of toxic elements and low availability of plant nutrients. Their water chemistry varies from alkaline to acidic. Peatlands occur on all continents, from

13770-423: 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

13923-451: 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

14076-512: 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

14229-520: 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

14382-527: The main pipeline to the Lindholme Compression Site. The gas is heated in a water bath heater, passes through a pressure let-down skid and continues to the Hatfield Moor well site for injection into the reservoir for storage. The sandstone reservoir has a capacity of about 4.1 billion cubic feet (116 million cubic metres). During periods of high demand gas is withdrawn from the reservoir and through

14535-501: The main source of water for large cities, including Dublin. Peat wetlands also used to have a degree of metallurgical importance in the Early Middle Ages , being the primary source of bog iron used to create swords and armour. Many peat swamps along the coast of Malaysia serve as a natural means of flood mitigation, with any overflow being absorbed by the peat, provided forests are still present to prevent peat fires. Peat

14688-536: 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

14841-507: The mid-eighteenth century, there was a small but established peat industry on the moors. George Stovin recorded that labourers dug peat turves in the summer, which were dressed by their wives and children, before being exported by boat through Thorne sluice and the River Don. The product was transported to Gainsborough , Leeds , Lincoln and York . The boats used were double-ended, about 27 feet (8.2 m) long, and travelled by canals dug into

14994-483: The mill was not rebuilt, although some of the other buildings were used as workshops until 1956. In 1896, the British Moss Litter Company was formed, from an amalgamation of the Hatfield Chase Peat Moss Litter Company, the Griendtsveen Moss Litter Company, and most of the other companies working on the moors. They gained control of works at Creyke's Siding and Moorends to the west, Medge Hall to

15147-439: The moors had ended by 2004, after the peat extraction rights, then owned by Scotts, had been bought by the government for £17 million. A small-scale operation was still active in 2005. Environmentalists continued to campaign for recognition of the ecological value of the moors. In 2002 the government agreed to buy the peat extraction rights from The Scotts Company (now trading as The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company ). The agreement

15300-420: The moors with ash from coal-fired power stations, and possibly municipal rubbish, was proposed in 1962, and again in 1969. Another plan of the 1960s was to build a regional airport on the moors; this proposal was revived in 1971. Further ash-tipping schemes were voiced in 1974, as was a third plan for an airport in 1976. There were also plans to use the moor as a dump for colliery waste in 1978, when Thorne Colliery

15453-489: The operation in February 1963, and began upgrading the works at Swinefleet and Hatfield. Medge Hall works was in need of new machinery, and did not have good access for lorries, and so was closed in 1966. By the time a management buyout occurred in July 1994, Fisons was making £3.8 million profit annually on a turnover of £47 million. The new owners traded as Levington Horticulture, but on 1 January 1998, were taken over by

15606-472: The owners sold the well head site and the operating licences to Scottish Power, who now operate the Lindholme gas compressor station and also hold the rights to the Hatfield West field. Gas is stored in a layer of porous Oaks Rock Sandstone, around which a band of solid rock prevents the gas from escaping. There is a gas offtake for the National Transmission System (NTS) at Beltoft , North Lincolnshire, just to

15759-540: The peat archives. In Quaternary Palaeoecology , first published in 1980, Birks and Birks described how paleoecological studies "of peat can be used to reveal what plant communities were present (locally and regionally), what period each community occupied, how environmental conditions changed, and how the environment affected the ecosystem in that time and place." Scientists continue to compare modern mercury (Hg) accumulation rates in bogs with historical natural archives records in peat bogs and lake sediments to estimate

15912-433: The peat holds water. This slowly creates wetter conditions that allow the area of wetland to expand. Peatland features can include ponds, ridges and raised bogs . The characteristics of some bog plants actively promote bog formation. For example, sphagnum mosses actively secrete tannins , which preserve organic material. Sphagnum also have special water-retaining cells, known as hyaline cells, which can release water ensuring

16065-460: The peat moors. He died in 1882, just as ideas to use the peat commercially began to replace the concept of attempting to make the moors suitable for agriculture. The change was brought about by an agricultural depression and the high price of straw for animal bedding. Peat was more absorbent than straw, and as there were huge numbers of working horses at the time, it was promoted as a replacement for straw. It could also be used for packing of fruit, as

16218-469: The peat, the chief of which was called Boating Dyke. Up to forty boats were operating in the 1790s, but competition from coal, which was a more efficient fuel, resulted in a decline, and only eight or nine boats were still operating in the 1820s. Internal canals on the moors had ceased to be used by the 1830s, with turves being transported by cart to Thorne or to the Stainforth and Keadby Canal. There followed

16371-792: The pipeline to the Lindholme site. Here the gas is dehydrated with glycol and compressed using a gas-turbine driven compressor to a pressure suitable for export back to Beltoft and into the National Transmission System. Peat Peatlands, particularly bogs , are the primary source of peat; although less common, other wetlands, including fens , pocosins and peat swamp forests , also deposit peat. Landscapes covered in peat are home to specific kinds of plants, including Sphagnum moss, ericaceous shrubs and sedges . Because organic matter accumulates over thousands of years, peat deposits provide records of past vegetation and climate by preserving plant remains, such as pollen. This allows

16524-462: 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

16677-678: The potential human impacts on the biogeochemical cycle of mercury, for example. Over the years, different dating models and technologies for measuring date sediments and peat profiles accumulated over the last 100–150 years, have been used, including the widely used vertical distribution of 210Pb, the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-SMS), and more recently the initial penetration (IP). Naturally mummified human bodies, often called " bog bodies " have been found in various places in Scotland, England, Ireland, and especially northern Germany and Denmark. They are almost perfectly preserved by

16830-441: The presence of a heat source (e.g., a wildfire penetrating the subsurface), it smoulders. These smouldering fires can burn undetected for very long periods of time (months, years, and even centuries) propagating in a creeping fashion through the underground peat layer. Despite the damage that the burning of raw peat can cause, bogs are naturally subject to wildfires and depend on the wildfires to keep woody competition from lowering

16983-562: 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

17136-521: The rails by two horses. However, no indication of a date is given. The rails were quite light, at 9 or 12 pounds per yard (4.5 or 6.0 kg/m), but were gradually increased to 18 pounds per yard (8.9 kg/m), and by the 1980s, when locomotives were in use, rails of 30 pounds per yard (15 kg/m) were installed. The flat-bottomed rails were initially made of iron, but were later replaced by steel rails. The tracks were referred to locally as trams, rather than tramways. The first use of powered vehicles on

17289-545: The reconstruction of past environments and the study of land-use changes. Peat is used by gardeners and for horticulture in certain parts of the world, but this is being banned in some places. By volume, there are about 4 trillion cubic metres of peat in the world. Over time, the formation of peat is often the first step in the geological formation of fossil fuels such as coal , particularly low-grade coal such as lignite . The peatland ecosystem covers 3.7 million square kilometres (1.4 million square miles) and

17442-614: The rewetting of peatlands and revegetation of native species. This acts to mitigate carbon release in the short term before the new growth of vegetation provides a new source of organic litter to fuel the peat formation in the long term. UNEP is supporting peatland restoration in Indonesia. Latvia has been the biggest exporter of peat in the world by volume, providing more than 19.9% of the world's volume, followed only by Canada with 13% in 2022. In 2020, Latvia exported 1.97 million tons of peat, followed by Germany with 1.5 and Canada with 1.42 million tons. Nevertheless, although first in

17595-436: The right to continue extracting peat on some of it. By 2002, Scotts owned the cutting rights but most cutting of peat effectively ended in 2001, since the government buy-out in 2002 of the extraction rights from Scotts occurred before the cutting season had begun. Removal of peat stockpiled on the moors continued into 2006. Since then the moors have been managed as a National Nature Reserve by Natural England . Scotts still have

17748-565: The rise, particularly in the UK, peat is still used as raw material for horticulture in some other European countries, Canada, as well as parts of the United States. Peatland can also be an essential source of drinking water , providing nearly 4% of all potable water stored in reservoirs . In the UK, 43% of the population receives drinking water sourced from peatlands, with the number climbing to 68% in Ireland. Catchments containing peatlands are

17901-611: The same bog about 60 metres (200 ft) from the Tollund Man. She is believed to have lived during the late 3rd century BC and was a ritual sacrifice. In the Bronze and Iron Ages, people used peat bogs for rituals to nature gods and spirits. The distinctive ecological conditions of peat wetlands provide a habitat for distinctive fauna and flora. For example, whooping cranes nest in North American peatlands, whilst Siberian cranes nest in

18054-552: The south of the M180 motorway and to the east of Hatfield Moor. From Beltoft, 9.3 miles (15.0 km) of pipeline carry gas westwards to the Lindholme Compression Site, on the western edge of Hatfield Moor, and back a further 0.95 miles (1.5 km) to the well injection site, located on the Moor within the SSSI. The main pipeline is 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter, while the pipeline to the well site

18207-405: The south, Swinefleet to the east, and Old Goole in the north, together with the mill on Hatfield Moors. Old Goole mill closed in 1902, although peat was stored there for another twelve years. The new company did not have complete control of the moors, as there were several small independent peat works on Crowle Moor. The company was restructured in 1899, by winding up the original company and creating

18360-507: The state whilst 23% belong to the municipalities Bogs in Latvia are considered important habitats due to their ecological values, and up to 128,000 hectares, or 40% of the areas in the territory, are protected by environmental laws. The most famous national parks and reserves are the Ķemeri National Park , Cenas tīrelis and Teiči Nature Reserve . The climate, geography and environment of Finland favours bog and peat bog formation. Thus, peat

18513-434: The temporary track, one at a time, to be filled by a 'filling gang'. Each wagon held about a ton, and once all twelve had been manoeuvred over the turntable back onto the main line, they would be pulled to the works by horses. With the advent of the small Lister engines, a new system was used, where three curved sections of track were used, the end one being clipped onto the top of the main line track. The engines could then push

18666-502: The topic. In 2010, IPS presented a " Strategy for Responsible Peatland Management ", which can be applied worldwide for decision-making. Peat extraction is forbidden in Chile since April 2024. Often, restoration is done by blocking drainage channels in the peatland, and allowing natural vegetation to recover. Rehabilitation projects undertaken in North America and Europe usually focus on

18819-472: The tramways occurred in 1947, when one of the fitters at Moorends Works built a machine from a wooden wagon frame and parts from an Austin Swallow car. Although trials were carried out in which peat wagons were towed, it was mainly used to transport personnel around the moors. It had an 8-horsepower (6.0 kW) engine, was later based at Swinefleet Works, and was derelict by 1960. The first purpose-built locomotive

18972-410: The tropical to boreal and Arctic zones from sea level to high alpine conditions. A more recent estimate from an improved global peatland map, PEATMAP, based on a meta-analysis of geospatial information at global, regional and national levels puts global coverage slightly higher than earlier peatland inventories at 4.23 million square kilometres (1.63 million square miles) approximately 2.84% of

19125-412: The two formations contained about 8.5 billion cubic feet (241 million m) of gas. The sites were initially owned and operated by Edinburgh Oil and Gas plc, and commercial extraction of the gas started in 1986. A small gas treatment plant and a pipeline were constructed, to supply the gas to Belton Brickworks, to the east of the moors. In 1994, the gas processing plant was replaced by a new installation, and

19278-671: 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

19431-453: The war, several of the men were assisted by their wives, who helped with the stacking of the peat, but did not get paid for their labour. Numbers had dropped to 118 by the 1960s, although a number of unpaid wives were still working on the moors. With the increasing sales of peat for gardeners, the workforce increased to 185 by the mid-1970s, swelled by up to 90 contract workers during busy periods. The total annual output of dried peat at this time

19584-805: The water table and shading out many bog plants. Several families of plants including the carnivorous Sarracenia (trumpet pitcher), Dionaea (Venus flytrap), Utricularia (bladderworts) and non-carnivorous plants such as the sandhills lily , toothache grass and many species of orchid are now threatened and in some cases endangered from the combined forces of human drainage, negligence and absence of fire. The recent burning of peat bogs in Indonesia, with their large and deep growths containing more than 50 billion tonnes (55 billion short tons; 49 billion long tons) of carbon, has contributed to increases in world carbon dioxide levels. Peat deposits in Southeast Asia could be destroyed by 2040. It

19737-753: The water yellow or brown due to the leaching of tannins . Peat is widely used in balneotherapy (the use of bathing to treat disease). Many traditional spa treatments include peat as part of peloids . Such health treatments have an enduring tradition in European countries, including Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Some of these old spas date back to the 18th century and are still active today. The most common types of peat application in balneotherapy are peat muds , poultices and suspension baths . Authors Rydin and Jeglum in Biology of Habitats described

19890-473: The week, the peat extraction company Fisons would cut drains to begin the process of lowering the water table. During the weekends, Bunting's Beavers , as his team became known, would walk onto the moors and construct dams across the new ditches, to retain the water levels. By the summer, the Beavers appeared to be winning the battle, and their activities were featured on BBC television. Fisons dynamited eighteen of

20043-575: The work. He ran into financial difficulties, however, and the land was repossessed by his backers. The main emphasis of the Thorne Moor Improvement Company, set up in 1848, was the " draining, warping and otherwise improving " of Thorne Waste, but the railway across the moors proposed by the Great Northern Railway Company , which was to provide transport for the products of the improved land, did not materialise, and little

20196-553: The workers has been partially recorded through the Thorne and Hatfield Moors Oral History Project. In contrast, the ecology of the moors has been better documented, through the publication of the Thorne and Hatfield Moors Papers, first published by the Doncaster Naturalists Society in 1987. Since 1989, the Thorne and Hatfield Moors Conservation Forum have taken over this responsibility. These papers now run to nine volumes, and

20349-567: 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

20502-436: The world by volume, in monetary terms, Latvian comes second in the world behind Canada . As an example, Latvia's income from exports was US$ 237 million. Latvia's peat deposits have been estimated to equal 1.7 billion tons. Latvia, as Finland due its climate has several peat bogs, which account for 9.9% of the country's territory. More than two thirds of the licensed areas for peat extraction are state-owned; 55% belong to

20655-469: The world land area. In Europe, peatlands extend to about 515,000 km (199,000 sq mi). About 60% of the world's wetlands are made of peat. Peat deposits are found in many places around the world, including northern Europe and North America. The North American peat deposits are principally found in Canada and the Northern United States. Some of the world's largest peatlands include

20808-466: The worldwide 500,000 km of degraded peatland may exceed 2.0 Gtons (including emissions from peat fires), which is almost 6% of all global carbon emissions. Peat can be a major fire hazard and is not extinguished by light rain. Peat fires may burn for great lengths of time, or smoulder underground and reignite after winter if an oxygen source is present. Peat has a high carbon content and can burn under low moisture conditions. Once ignited by

20961-592: Was achieved. Two drains were built, of which the most successful was the Swinefleet Warping Drain, pioneered by Ralph Creyke and T.H.S. Sotheron, and authorised by an Act of Parliament . Opened in 1821, poor-quality land was reclaimed for around forty years. The other scheme was Durham's Warping Drain, to the north of Thorne, which ran westwards to a sluice on the River Don. The drain was completed in 1856 by Makin Durham, but he failed to achieve much reclamation of

21114-459: Was also based at Swinefleet, and was bought in 1955. It was probably built by James & Frederick Howard of Bedford, and was a four-wheeled machine, fitted with a petrol engine, which was replaced by a Dorman diesel engine within a year as petrol was rationed at the time, due to the Suez Canal crisis . It was sufficiently successful that two horses were retired, and the company soon realised that

21267-509: Was around 45,000 tonnes, produced from 400,000 tonnes of wet peat, all of it going to the horticultural industry. Swinefleet Works stopped production in July 2000, and was fully decommissioned by September. Subsequently, peat from Thorne Moors was transferred to Hatfield for processing. Several redundant locomotives were bought for preservation by Cliff Lawson of Tring . The group included three machines made by Ruston and Hornsby, two made by Hunslet, and two made by Lister. The eighth engine bought

21420-517: 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 the Isle of Tholen in

21573-489: Was concern among local people that they would lose their own jobs. Dutch tools and working practices were introduced, and the immigrants cut around 14 miles (23 km) of canals to transport peat to the mill at Moorends. The iron barges used on the canals were 40 feet (12 m) long, and were double ended, as they could not be turned round. A total of twelve were built in the Netherlands, and remained in use until 1922, when Moorends Mill burnt down. The barges were cut up, and

21726-561: Was first discovered in the 1960s, when British Petroleum and the Gas Council where searching for possible deposits of oil. Drilling for oil-bearing formations took place in 1981, and the Hatfield Moor natural gas field was discovered when the drill broke through into it. A major blow-out occurred, which ignited and destroyed the drilling rig. After 17 days of burning, the Texan oil fire specialist "Boots" Hudson arrived to bring it under control, and

21879-446: Was mixed with iron ore at Creyke's Siding. By the late 1940s, it was finding a new market as litter for battery hen houses , and by then around 90 per cent was baled. The works at Creyke's Siding was closed in the early 1960s, after fire destroyed much of it, Swinefleet Works was damaged by fire in 1962, and a fire on the moors at Hatfield destroyed huge stocks of dried peat. Despite this, the agricultural supplies company Fisons bought

22032-479: Was much finer than the previous peat sods, and the mesh-sided wagons were unsuitable for transporting it. A programme of fitting wooden boards to the insides of the wagons was begun, but by 1989, solid steel wagons were being fabricated, reusing the frames from the original wagons. All the wagons at Hatfield had been upgraded by May 1990, with those at Swinefleet completed afterwards. Trains of the new wagons were much heavier, particularly when loaded with milled peat, and

22185-413: Was much of the commercial exploitation of his time. He seemed to have a good deal of evidence to support his claims, and took several major utilities to court over acts which he felt were illegal. He won a series of high-profile cases, which he used as publicity to advance the case for conserving the moors. In 1972, Bunting began direct action, aided by local residents, local naturalists, and students. During

22338-614: 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

22491-744: 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

22644-545: Was signed in April, before the cutting season began, and no cutting occurred on Thorne Moors after 2001. Stockpiles of cut peat continued to be removed from the moors until 2005. Scotts worked with English Nature to return worked areas to a condition where they could start to regenerate, until their involvement with this contract on Thorne Moors ended in March 2006. Since 2005, 4,020 acres (1,625 ha) of Thorne Moors have been designated as

22797-439: Was sold as bales, with 'fine' peat being used by gardeners and the growing of mushrooms and 'litter' being used for animal bedding, while 'tailings' were used for floor covering at show-jumping events and for bulking up feed for cows. Around one-fifth was not baled, and was used for various purposes, including the production of firelighters , for health cures at Harrogate baths, and the purifying of gas by gas companies, for which it

22950-569: Was the Diema, which was a hybrid made from the frames of two machines. Restoration involved splitting the components apart, and using them to rebuild both of the original locomotives, resulting in nine locomotives being preserved. Lawson re-gauged all of them to 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ), and they have all been restored to working order. Lister 53977 was loaned to the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery in 2007. The Crowle Peatland Railway

23103-484: Was the introduction of peat milling in 1985, where a thin layer of peat was stripped from a wider area. Thus in 1910, around 56 tonnes per acre were extracted from 1,240 acres (500 ha) of the moors, whereas in 1985 the yield was 10 tonnes per acre over double that area. As early as the late 1960s, academics and conservation agencies expressed concerns that the moors had been so badly damaged by peat extraction and farming that they were not worth saving. A scheme to cover

23256-438: Was the introduction of surface milling, which began at Hatfield in 1986 and at Swinefleet in the following year. Once an area had been drained, all vegetation was removed from the surface, and a thin layer of peat was removed by a mechanical harvester. It was stockpiled on the moors, and later loaded into wagons by a Hymec loader, to be bagged at the works. Most peat by this time was used for compost or in growbags . The milled peat

23409-435: Was upgraded and reopened. Although official attitudes did not place much value on the moors, William Bunting moved to Thorne after the Second World War and became an advocate for moor preservation. Thought to be rude and irascible, he began a campaign to recognise the ecological importance of the moors. He asserted that the enclosures of the 1800s, when common rights were replaced by private ownership, had been illegal, as

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