The Stamford Canal book Appendix
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1633:- A Commission is set up to oversee the construction of the canal. The future King James II is born at St. James's Palace. Samuel Pepys is born in Fleet Street.
1636:- David Cecil, 3rd Earl of Exeter, offers to complete the work on the canal but cannot reach agreement with Stamford Town Council.
1664:- Daniel Wigmore reaches agreement with the canal commission. Dutch drainage experts begin work on draining 60,000 acres in the Isle of Axholme, North Lincolnshire. 1665:- Daniel Wigmore signs an eighty year lease on the canal. The great plague of London kills up to 100,000 people. The second daughter of James II, destined to become Queen Anne, is born at St James's Palace.
1670:- Scheduled date of completion of work on the canal' The second Conventicle Act which imposes further strict controls on non-conformist religions
1679:- Earl of Exeter builds new wharf on St Martins side of the river in Stamford where maltings developed.
1863:- The Stamford Canal is used for the last time in April. The Metropolitan line between Paddington & Farringdon stations via Euston, St Pancras and King's Cross (The worlds first underground railway) opens in London.
The River Welland Navigation Act Signed By Queen Elizabeth I in 1571
River Welland Billa to make the River of Wellande navigable que communi omnium Procerum Assensu conclusa est. 22 May 1571 Riv. Welland. Conclus. Prima. To make the River of Weylande navigable.
The following is a transcription of the petition to Elizabeth I regarding the building of the Welland Canal (The spelling and format has been retained where possible although abbreviations and the like have been extended for ease of reading):
In their moste humble wise shewe and compleine to youre moste excellent majestie youre true humble and faithfull subiecte the Aldermen Burgesies and comonallie of the boroughe and towne of Stamforde in youre highnesses cowntie of Lincoln, That wheare it appeareth by the pyttifull sighte of the ruynes decayes and remaynes as well of the anncient buildinge of manye parishe churches as of other lardge and stronge howses and bewtfull monumente sometyme errected and builded within the said towne and borough of Stamforde that the same hathe not onlye ben heretofore suryrroned and walled with a walle of good strengeth for that tyme, but allso verye populast and well inhabited by a number of sondrie welthie and notable marchaunts whose welthe and ryches, began, grewe, and increased, partely for that a Staple of wolles was there kepte and maynteined whereof they had the name of merchauntes of the Staple. But speciallie by the benefite and comoditie that the saicl boroughe and towne had of an anncient ryver named Welland whiche passed from and through that towne to the sea and so to the Porte of Boston was in that age and tyme (as it maye yett evidently appeare) navigable for boates and vesselles to passe as well to and from the said porte of Boston, as to and from the porte of Lynne and after the lowe countries Lincolnshire, Norffolk and Cambridgeshire to the greate enrychinge of the said towne and boroughe of Stamforde and of the said cuntries and neighboures tyme irrecoverable consyderinge the preasent condition of the quantities of the wolles used in former tymes by merchauntes of the Staple now into the Drapinge and making of woollen clothe in a greate number of places of the Realme, Whiche .... and .... Miseruye neyther in former tyme used nor nowe can be for wante of woodes beinge there .... scarse...' but to have and enjoy agayne ...... the benefite user and comodytie of the said Ryver Wellande and to make the same navigable (as before tymes hathe ben) is by the judgement of wise and experience men feasible and manifestly to be proved howe it maye be well don althoughe the acron and doinge thereof be chiefly hindered by alteration and deversions of thc anncient course and passage of the said ryver into dyveres streames ryvers and brannches for crieation of syx or seven water mylles now standing betwtixte the said boroughe of Stamforde and the towne of Markett Deppinge within the said cowntie of Lyncolne and within fyve myles distaunce from the said boroughe whiche mylles (respectinge the .... chardges expences and waste of tymber which is imployed uppon the reparacions of them) we are clear .... proffitt and comodytie to the . ....of them as the same adjacent of whiche two aides that of the staple for wolles is in all appointment att this.
A Table of the Rates, Tolls and Duties
Authorized to be demanded and taken pursuant to an Act ot Parliament passed 3rd June, 1821, for improving the Outfall of the River Welland, for and in respect of Goods, Matters, and Things carried or conveyed along any Part of the new Cut or Channel made or hereafter to be made below the Reservoir.
For every Chaldron of Coals - 2d
For every Last of Oats or Malt - 4d
For every Half Last of Wheat, Rye, Barley, Barley Big, Beans, Peas, Cole, Linseed, Hempseed, or Mustard Seed - 4d
For every Ton of Iron, Salt, Lead, Rags, Tobacco, Pipe Clay, Pebbles, Cobbles, Reed, Sedge, flay, Flax, Hemp or Turves - 4d
For every Butt of Currants, Chaldron of lime, and Chaldron of Grindstones - 4d
For every two Pipes, three Hogsheads or Puncheons, eight Barrels or Half hogsheads of Wine or other Liquors - 4d
For every eight Packs of Wool- reckoning ten Tods to the Pack 4d
For every sixteen Kilderkins, thirty-two Firkins or Quarter Barrels and Bushels of Sand - 4d
For every five Hundred Pantiles or Paving Tiles., five Hundred Bricks twenty Feet of Stone, one Hundred of Battens, and Half a Hundred of Deals - 4d
And for every Ton Weight of all other Goods, Wares, and Merchandise -4d
And also for every fifty Feet of Fir Timber and forty Feet of all other Timber, Calliper-Measure, whether floated carried, or conveyed - 4d
And for every Hogshead of Soap, Tallow, Ashes, Barilla, and Whiteing -2d
And for every two Puncheons of Molasses, four Barrels of Rice, four Casks of Russia Tallow - 2d:
And for every Quantity of Goods, Articles, or Things less than respective Quantities before mentioned, there shall he demanded taken a rateable Part or Proportion of the said several Rates, Tolls, Duties.
The letter 'd' after the numeral in the list of rates, tolls and duties indicates 'old pence' (pre decimalisation). There were 240 'old pence' to one pound.
A Chaldron was a unit of dry capacity used in England during the 15th to 19th centuries. In Scotland the unit was called a 'chalder'. The Chaldron was abolished by the Weights and Measures Act of 1963, it was variously used for different commodities with different mass or capacities in different locations! One wonders why it took so long to abolish it! In England the chaldron's dry capacity was four quarters or thirty two bushels except when used for coal. When used for coal it equalled thirty six bushels! Unless that is, when it referred to coal using the 'Newcastle chaldron'. The Newcastle chaldron was standardised in 1695, on seventy two heaped bushels weighing fifty three hundredweights (twenty hundredweights equal one ton). Prior to 1695, its weight was taken to be forty two hundredweights! As coal was taxed by the chaldron one can understand the incentive to make it as large as possible on board ship. One score of chaldrons was, in fact, twenty one chaldrons (similar, perhaps, to a baker's dozen being thirteen!).
In February 1843 The 'Rutland and Stamford Mercury' carried the following advertisement published under the by-line - Spalding wharf.
SHIPPERS of GOODS from LONDON & HULL to SPALDING, DEEPING, STAMFORD, OAKHAM, UPPINGHAM and all the places adjacent to the RIVER WELLAND:- JOHN MOATS, Wharfinger and Shipping agent, and Dealer in Coals and Lime, takes this opportunity of informing the Shippers of goods from London that the Vessels upon this line of transit continue to leave BEAL'S Wharf regularly every Saturday morning; and, as Boats are always in waiting at SPALDING to convey the goods up to DEEPING, STAMFORD, OAKHAM, UPPINGHAM and all places adjacent to the River Welland, it cannot fail being the most direct as well as cheapest line of conveyance, which may be ascertained at once by reference to the New Tariff, to be had at Mr. Harper's Office, Stamford. With regard to the Hull line of transit, Messrs. HOLDEEN AND SAMPSON, Wharfingers there, have come to the determination o a sailing vessel regularly every New and Full Moon, so as to ensure the arrival at Spalding at least every Spring Tide; and to expedite the dispatch of those Goods, every attention will be paid with Boats to forward the same to Stamford, where they will be delivered to the care of Mr. Harper. J.M. also begs to acknowledge with gratitude the many favours received in the Coal and Lime Trade, and to assure his friends and the public generally that it will always be his anxious desire to merit a continuance of such favours by supplying them with a good article on the most reasonable terms of trade. N.B. a constant supply of Sea, Silkstone, Oven and Pit Coals and fresh burnt Lime. In Spalding in 1792 Thomas Goodwin, Robert Richardson and Samuel Dring were all boat builders and repairers. Samuel Dring repaired lighters that carried road gravel to Stamford and Peakirk.
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