Bourne-Morton Canal
Encyclopedia
The Bourne–Morton Canal is an archaeological feature to the north east of Bourne
in Lincolnshire
, England
. In old maps and documents it is known as the Old Ea. It was a 6.5 km artificial waterway linking the dry ground at Bourne to the ancient edge of the sea near Pinchbeck
, or perhaps to a navigable estuary in the area. There is now no visible trace
Excavation at Cross Drove in the 1990s suggests it was around 2.6 m deep at high tide, 6 m wide at the base and 10 to 12 m wide at the surface
It appears to date back to Roman times although very little is known. Despite the extensive agricultural reworking of the area the route can still be traced with cropmarks, straight as a die from Bourne to Morton Fen.
The alignment is obvious enough that it can be traced on web based satellite photography services between
The line of modern Spalding Road from near Queens Bridge to the bottom of Meadow Drove follows the southern bank of the alignment, which can then be followed out across the fields as crop marks. Several farm buildings in Barnes Drove and Morton Fen lie alongside the alignment, causing speculation about the antiquity of their sites.
The location of the south western end is an interesting speculation. It would make little sense to stop short of the dry ground to the west of the Car Dyke
or of the Roman Road
in the town, and projecting the line of Spalding Road takes us to The Austerby and across the line of the modern Eau
and south of the Abbey Lawn
. This area has been extensively re-engineered many times, for the Castle, Abbey and Railway, at least, and is now under 20th century housing. It is unlikely that new evidence will emerge.
Bourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parish on the western edge of the Fens, in the District of South Kesteven in southern Lincolnshire, England.-The town:...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In old maps and documents it is known as the Old Ea. It was a 6.5 km artificial waterway linking the dry ground at Bourne to the ancient edge of the sea near Pinchbeck
Pinchbeck
Pinchbeck may refer to:People*Christopher Pinchbeck, English watchmaker who developed the alloy*Daniel Pinchbeck, American author*William Pinchbeck, American pioneerPlacenames*Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire, England*Pinchbeck Engine, A drainage museum nearby...
, or perhaps to a navigable estuary in the area. There is now no visible trace
Excavation at Cross Drove in the 1990s suggests it was around 2.6 m deep at high tide, 6 m wide at the base and 10 to 12 m wide at the surface
It appears to date back to Roman times although very little is known. Despite the extensive agricultural reworking of the area the route can still be traced with cropmarks, straight as a die from Bourne to Morton Fen.
The alignment is obvious enough that it can be traced on web based satellite photography services between
The line of modern Spalding Road from near Queens Bridge to the bottom of Meadow Drove follows the southern bank of the alignment, which can then be followed out across the fields as crop marks. Several farm buildings in Barnes Drove and Morton Fen lie alongside the alignment, causing speculation about the antiquity of their sites.
The location of the south western end is an interesting speculation. It would make little sense to stop short of the dry ground to the west of the Car Dyke
Car Dyke
The Car Dyke was, and to large extent still is, an eighty-five mile long ditch which runs along the western edge of the Fens in eastern England. It is generally accepted as being of Roman age and, for many centuries, to have been taken as marking the western edge of the Fens...
or of the Roman Road
King Street
-Australia:*King Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia*King Street, Newtown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia*King Street, Perth, Western Australia, Australia*King Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia*King Street, Devonport, Tasmania, Australia-Canada:...
in the town, and projecting the line of Spalding Road takes us to The Austerby and across the line of the modern Eau
Bourne Eau
Bourne Eau is a short river which rises in the town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, England, and flows in an easterly direction to join the River Glen at Tongue End. It is an embanked river, as its normal level is higher than that of the surrounding Fens...
and south of the Abbey Lawn
Abbey Lawn
The Abbey Lawn in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England, is a centrally-located space used as the principal recreation ground in the town. The cricket, tennis, bowls, pétanque, and football clubs play their home fixtures here. The hockey club practices here, though it now plays its fixtures on an...
. This area has been extensively re-engineered many times, for the Castle, Abbey and Railway, at least, and is now under 20th century housing. It is unlikely that new evidence will emerge.