Foss Dyke

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Foss Dyke
legend River Trent Torksey Junction A156 road bridge Torksey Lock Sheffield - Lincoln Railway A57 bridge, Saxilby River Till Burton Waters marina A46 Newark Road bridge Catchwater drain B1273 bridge Brayford Pool, Lincoln River Witham Witham Navigations

The Foss Dyke, or Fossdyke, is the oldest canal in England still in use, constructed by the Romans around 120 AD. It connects the Trent at Torksey to the Witham at Lincoln, and is about 18 km (11 miles) long and possibly follows an earlier line of the Trent, which emptied into the Wash in prehistoric times. Together with the 90km (56 miles) of Car Dyke it formed part an important transport route from Peterborough to York.

It was used by the Danes when they invaded England and by the Normans to carry stone to build Lincoln Cathedral. King Henry I is recorded as having deepened the canal in 1121 but it deteriorated until by the 17th century it was virtually impassible. Katherine Swynford, who lived in the area, is credited with having organized a protest to repair it, in 1375^[1]. King James I transferred ownership to the Corporation of Lincoln and acts of Parliament were passed in 1753 and 1762 for straightening and dredging it. It received further work in 1840 but with the coming of the railway in 1846 its use declined.

At one time a major waterway for the transport of wool, it is now mostly of leisure use, though the transport of grain continued until 1972. It has one lock at Torksey, has a new marina at Burton Waters and passes through the village of Saxilby.

[edit] See also

• Canals of Great Britain
• History of the British canal system
• Nicholsons Guide to the Waterways (vol 6)

[edit] References

Coordinates: 53°18′N 0°45′W / 53.3, -0.75