The Stamford Canal book Chapter 4
The Canal in Operation Ch.4 Photos >
"The canal had the ability to receive boats of 7 foot beam. The voyage from Stamford to the mouth of the Witham took 3-4 days"
When Thomas Surbey stopped at Stamford on his way to York in 1699 he noted that "they trayle 2 boats lashed together... with one horse, a boy to Drive and a man to guide....the boats they use here are sumthing less than those at Huntingdon for they carie from 14 to 13 ton." (the lock pen at Huntingdon would have been on the river, not on a canal). Evidence suggests that the Stamford Canal was finished in approximately 1670 but there are no details of the opening date. It would appear however that the boats Surbey saw in 1699 may have been atypical. Research suggests that the usual sight would have been of four lighters lashed together. Surbey was correct, however, in his tonnage, as each had to be a maximum weight of 15 tons, and "not carrying together more than 36/40 tons" (Harod).
The Stamford boats brought down from the High Country vast quantities of Flour, which being of a superior quality had a sale all over the Low Country. Also malt for which they were famous at Stamford. The main trade up the river was in coal, timber, groceries, great quantities of limestone for the supplies of the limekilns, clapboards, paving stones and free stone for Buildings. The barges also carried Collyweston and Ketton limestone slates.
It is difficult to be sure exactly what the shape and size the barges were as there are no formal records. However, it is possible to make an educated guess. Chales Hadfield in 'The Canal Age' (Pan Books) describes canal boats as some 68 foot (20.9 metres) long, 13 ft 11 inches (approximately 4.3 metres) in beam and drawing just 10 inches (26 centimetres) of water when unladened. When loaded with a full 40 tons a boat would draw 33.4 inches (approximately 86 centimetres) of water. Thomas Surbey commented in his diary that boats on the canal carried just 14 to 15 tons each and referred to pairs of boats lashed together to give a total chargeable load of around 30 tons.
Using the information available, it can be assumed that for a 40 ton load capability a vessel would have a draught of 33.4 inches (86 centimetres). This would mean the vessel would have a rectangular enclosing deck area of 68 foot by 14 feet (20.9 metres by 4.3 metres) - an area of 952 square foot (about 90 square metres). If these measurements are translated to a 14 ton capacity vessel the deck area would be reduced to some 320 square feet (30.5 square metres). From research carried out it is known that the vessels on the canal had a beam of some seven feet (2.15 metres) which means that each barge would be some 45 feet (13.8 metres) in length.
Priestley comments in 'Navigable Waterways' "they... also carry up all the Grocery Goods brought thither from London, also Fir Timber, deals, pitch and other commodities imported from Lynn, Hull and Lincoln which are brought hither from those parts either by their own Vessels or the Spalding Barges". Priestley also reports "that there were several fairs annually at Market Deeping for the sale of wood and timber, there are people who buy falls of oak timber and bring them down to these fairs, and others who make good gates, trays etc. and timber sawn into planks and scantlings fitted for carpenters and wheel wrights. These are purchased by persons who want and those who deal in these articles. Also large quantities of posts used for the fencing in the marshes. All these heavy commodities are sent down in the Welland and distributed all over the county."
Coal was a major commodity transported by the canal. Priestley again reports "From Stamford and Deeping they send down gangs of lighters to be loaded with coals for the supply of those parts of the country and a large district in the neighbourhood of Stamford". Thomas Hawkes wrote in 1792 that "goods to be shipped from London to Spalding and adjacent parts were sent on boats for Boston, generally being sent by Mr Perkins from the Gun and Shot Wharf in Southwark or from Stanton’fs Wharf whence a vessel sailed every Tuesday with groceries. These goods were put on board the Spalding barges at the scalp without being landed at Boston". The Scalp (pronounced Scawp) was the great mud-flat in the corner of the wash where the outfalls of the rivers Witham and Welland flowed together. Coal merchants were very wealthy and built large houses along the banks of the River Welland at Spalding. These houses can still be seen today (2005), the coal yards, owned by these merchants, were on the opposite bank. Hawkes also stated that "there were no regular vessels sent by the Spalding merchants to Kings Lynn or Hull, though they did occasionally send their vessels thither when a freight offered. For the Tuesday market there were inland boats for goods and passengers from Crowland and Bourne", but Hawkes said that "these conveyances are not to be depended upon". With the enclosure of the commons around Deeping Fen and the growing of more cereals and other crops there was even more produce to be shipped through Spalding.
Coal dealing was not however trouble free. In 1695 Charles Halford (Daniel wigmore's son-in-law) petitioned parliament against a tax on sea coal claiming he was receiving an annual bill of £00 - £00.
House of Commons Journal Volume 11, 13th January, 1696 Duties on Coals,&c
A Petition of Charles Halford Esquire was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner's Father-in-law, Daniel Wigmore, being encouraged by an Act of Parliament, did, about 20 Years ago, at the Expence of above £,000 make the River Welland, from Deeping to Stamford, in the County of Lincoln, navigable; which has been a great Improvement of Trade, and Advantage to the Town of Stamford, and Country adjacent: That the Banks and Navigation of the said River is maintained at a great yearly Charge to the Petitioner, for which he is paid a Duty, by way of Tonage, for all Vessels, passing up and down the said River laden; the Profit whereof chiefly consists by Importation of Sea- Coal to Stamford; and, before the War, was worth betwixt £00 and £00 yearly, by reason of the Cheapness of Sea-Coals, which then were never above 20 shillings per Chaldron (20 shillings equalled £); but now they are risen to Three-and-thirty Shillings per Chaldron, by reason of an Act, made the last Parliament, for granting to his Majesty certain Duties upon Glass Wares, Stone and Earthen Bottles, Coals, and Culm, for carrying on the War against France, whereby a Duty of 5 shillings per Chaldron is laid upon all Coals water-borne; so that Stamford, and the Towns adjacent, can be supplied with other Coals, by Land-carriage, at a much cheaper Rate; whereby the said Duty will be avoided; the Petitioner will lose his said Estate; the said River become unnavigable; and many Families, whose Livelihoods depend upon the said River, will be ruined: And praying the Consideration of the House in the Premises, and Relief therein.
Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee appointed to consider of the Doubts and Complaints relating to the said Act.
His case however was unsuccessful, so he tried again in 1706 protesting the tax had reduced traffic from 3,000 to 500 chaldrons. Bartholomew Margerum of Deeping St. James also complained of high tolls. The canal must, however, have continued to be profitable as the lease was sub-let in 1814 for £40 per annum. The amount of coal brought to Stamford each year is said to be in the order of 3,800 tons.
In 1802 there were over seventy barges, in the port at Spalding, carrying from ten to fifty or sixty tons. In the 1820's barges of about forty tons burden could come up to the centre of the town but larger vessels could not come further in than the Scalp. These differences in tonnages reflect the varying state of the River Welland at different times. Despite this limitation, carrying and coastal trade was extensive. From Spalding to Stamford the carrying trade was done by means of lighters but by 1822 no vessel over fifteen tons burden navigated between the two towns. Goods were usually carried to Stamford in a gang of four lighters, of from seven to fourteen tons burden, carrying together no more than forty-two tons. The voyage from Fosdyke to Stamford usually took three or four days. After 1863 it was only possible to get upstream as far as Market Deeping, the canalised portion into Stamford having deteriorated since the opening of the railways. An elderly Market Deeping resident, whose family have lived in the Deepings for many generations said that his father had said that barges were still coming up to Market Deeping at the end of the 19th beginning of the 20th century. Market Deeping had a large malting business and two breweries. The former premises were converted into flats some years ago and one of the breweries is now home to the 'Sense' organisation.
The River Welland was still prone to silting up. Priestley commented that "the boatmen generally have a freight up and down and thereby maintain their gangs in a pretty constant source of trade when the river is of a sufficient depth of water". Landowners obviously were not interested in keeping the canal in good repair even though they could be fined for not doing so. In 1809 Bevan's survey of the canal reported that there were several shallows and fords between Deeping and Stamford but that deepening would restore good order. Canal maintenance must have been done on a regular basis because the 'Rutland and Stamford Mercury' for July 1821 reports that "the navigation will be laid dry in the first week of August for repairs to locks between James Deeping and Stamford."
A map entitled 'River Welland Plan showing proposed improvements referred to in Mr Walker's report', dated 17th November 1835, shows a proposed cut from Market Deeping through to the South Drove Drain and thence back to the River Welland. This cut would have involved, just after it enters Deeping St. James, the construction of a new cut to link the river with the South Drove Drain and would have involved improvements to the South Drove Drain itself. The proposed plan would, if followed through, have cut out various meanderings of the River Welland between Deeping St. James and the point near Cowbit wash where the new cut was proposed to rejoin the main river. That this was being actively considered in 1835, only 28 years before the canal was used for the last time, indicates that even after 175 years of use the Stamford Canal and Welland navigation was still viewed as an important method lor the transportation of goods.
Wharves, businesses along the Welland
In Stamford the obstruction by the significant bridge over meant that wharves had to be built on the banks downstream from the bridge. The Marquis of Exeter built a wharf in 1676 on St. Martin's side of the river, where malting developed. According to the court Rolls, Henry Ward made a quay on the north side of the Welland east of the bridge. Others existed on the north side of Water Street, where coal was landed and grain and malt sent down river. In 1740 James Bellaers was landing coal and sending grain down river. He had an office at 24 St. Mary's Street, which was the first of it's kind in Stamford. Alderman Collington was, according to the 'Rutland and Stamford Mercury' of 1731, importing Scandinavian timber and clay from the Isle of wight.
In the Deepings Joseph Mawby, William Laxton and John Perkins were boat owners. There were two wharves/landing stages and three or four narrow jetties leading from the river to the main street. Benjamin Goodwin had a boat building business in Deeping St. James from 1826 to 1849. The 'Rutland and Stamford Mercury' in 1843 carried the following advertisement "John Moats, wharfinger and shipping agent, dealer in coals and lime . . .boats are always waiting at Spalding to convey goods to Deeping, Stamford and all placed 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."
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. The 'Jolly Crispin', run by John Pennell, had a slipway for boat repairs. In 1826 there were six rope walks. Although all these businesses were in existence due to the canal, trade had halved between Stamford and Spalding by 1832 due to the bad state of the canal.
Apart from wharfage there were various public houses along the towpath, for example the 'Crown and Anchor' at Deeping St. James, opposite Briggin's lock, the 'Crooked Billet'(now a private house) at Tallington and the 'Boat Inn' at Stamford. There were boathouses at Deeping St. James and at Uffington. At Deeping St. James there is a house on the river that used to supply lodgings for canal workers.
Schemes to link the canal to the main network
The late 18th century and early 19th became known as the "Canal Age". During this time there were plans to link the Stamford Canal to the rest of the system in order to improve transport links to the rest of the country, and thus hopefully improve the prosperity of Stamford and district.
In 1786 Thomas Telford was asked to report on a plan for the construction of the Stamford Junction Navigation. He wrote as follows "entering the River Welland above Stamford bridge there is ample concruence for wharfage on both sides of the river. It will be necessary to continue in the river and present Navigation to the top of the third lock but I propose to deepen and widen the latter to suit boats of 14 feet beam and in place of the two clumsy ruinous locks to construct one, with new wastes and sluices more suitable to the trade and quantity of water. The distance from Stamford to the top of the third lock is 3 miles 506 yards and the fall is 7 feet. From the top of the third lock I propose to proceed...towards Boston... to carry the line under the road from Stamford to Deeping and nearby in direct line to the Caer Dyke".
In the early 19th century too, there was much debate about linking the, canal to the Trent and Market Harborough, but all the schemes were opposed by the Cecils, the Corporation and other adherents, so nothing was done.
The original lease on the canal had been Daniel Wigmore's. This was passed on to his son-in-law, Charles Halford who had married Wigmore's daughter Frances. During 1700s the lease passed on to Sir Felix and Dame Anna Feast and then to Edward and Frances Buckley. Thomas Smith and his heirs had the lease in 1830. The lease for the canal was obtained from the mayor of Stamford and the Council. Those persons who had the lease for the stretch from Stamford to Deeping St. James, via the canal and river navigation, were responsible for the condition of the canal. They had to ensure the bed was cleansed and scoured. They had to ensure that the banks, ditches and bridges were kept in good repair together with the drains and locks. If, after three months notice of the need for maintenance, nothing had been done, the Corporation could claim the canal's profits to enable the repairs to be made. In 1815 the Corporation took such action against Felix Buckley because his section of the canal had fallen into disrepair.
The Stamford Canal << The earliest proper canal in England? <<
