History of Wisbech and neighbourhood, during the last fifty years - 1848-1898

Front matter

wi' mii j ii ■ i "u 1 1 i p* ii " ' ii i i El HHk -SiHk \m\\\\\\\\\\\w A ■^r.s.'^.^B *-^.^B -"-r-'H*-**'^^ HF7..>****|k.^nj flHn fl iBallwl Hvh irAJHl LtayJ i^l EM z ll H = t\\ MaaWWW l| H^ssssssst H sssssssV JB .sssssssP^ ssssTsH H T*T*T^ HISTORY OF WISBECH AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. Wisbech Citizens— Past and Present. The late Rev. J. S. Howson, d.d. The late Jonathan Peckover, Esq., f.s.a. The late Rev. Canon Scott, m.a. The late Rev. Jer. Jackson, m.a. Alexander Peckover, Esq., ll.d., f.r.g.s. The late Col. Wm. Watson, f.s.a. The late Robt. Wherry, Esq.,j.p. The Late Richard Young, Esq., George Dawbarn, Esq., J.r. m.p. for Camus. HISTORY of WISBECH AND NEIGHBOURHOOD, DURING THE LAST FIFTY YEARS-1848-1898. BY FREDERIC JOHN GARDINER, F.R. Hist.S. (Editor of "The Isle of Ely and Wisbech Advertiser.") Illustrated with Twenty-Four Pages of Engravings, Maps, &c. WISBECH : GARDINER & CO., PUBLISHERS, "ADVERTISER" OFFICE.

LONDON: MARLBOROUGH & CO., 51, OLD BAILEY, E.C. 1898. "There is hardly a town or village in England that does not contain some interesting record of the past, or some great man whose name is a household word, and who has lived, toiled, and played the hero's part. This is eminently true of your old towns, whose corporate existence dates back centuries." — Rev. Augustus Jessop, D.D., in Random Roaming. TO THE LORD-LIEUTENANT OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE, Alexander Peckover, Esq,, LL.D., F.R.G.S., IN RECOGNITION OF VALUABLE HELP WHICH HE AND HIS FAMILY HAVE RENDERED TO THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF THE BOROUGH OF WISBECH, THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR

Preface

. -o-O-o ■• It is with some diffidence that the preparation and publication of a History of Wisbech and of the Neighbourhood has been undertaken, with a view to recording some of the changes which have taken place in the Borough and Port of Wisbech and the surrounding district daring the latter half of the Nineteenth Century. This responsibility was intended to have been placed in other and more experienced hands, but the task was declined, because of the labour it would necessarily involve, and it seemed to be likely that the century would pass away without any steps being taken for the collection and preservation of records of notable and important events which have occurred during the last fifty years. Although the exacting duties of journalistic life did not give much hope that this work, when undertaken, would make very rapid progress, the author nevertheless felt that the indulgence of the public would not be wanting under the circumstances, provided the undertaking was accomplished within a reasonable period of time.

The completion, in 1895, °f half-a century of the existence of the Isle of Ely and Wisbech Advertiser had furnished, in the first instance, the motif for bringing together many recollections of past events, and these were primarily in tended to have been published in the form of a small brochure. But in making the necessary research of newspaper files during that period, and compiling an index of occurrences, so much interesting information was forthcoming that it appeared desirable to rescue from oblivion some of this material. The compilation of this work has not been without its laborious side, having mainly filled leisure hours, though it has been relieved by the kind help received from many friends. It is with gratitude that we acknow ledge the help which has thus been given, though it is mingled with regret that two or three of those who have corrected the earlier proofs have passed away, and are mentioned in the latter portion of the work among those who are past and worthy citizens of our Borough.

Amongst those who are contributors we may specially refer to the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Mr. Alexander Peckover, LL.D., F.R.G.S., who has kindly furnished particulars relating to our excellent Museum, a description of Bank House, which contains much that has not before appeared in a work of this character, and a paper on Wisbech Castles. Mr. Richard Bunbury Dawbarn, has, we regret to say, passed away during the progress of this work, but, before his last illness, he revised his lectures on " Wisbech in the Days of Our Grandfathers," which are incorporated in this volume. The late Mr. Robert Bennett, Deputy Town Clerk, whose knowledge of local matters was extensive, also gave valuable help in revising proofs. To Mr. Robert Dawbarn, Clerk to the Middle Level Commissioners, we are indebted for a very complete record of the Middle Level Inundation and particulars respecting the Drainage of the Fen District.

The Rev. R. E. R. Watts, M.A., Mr. Edward Hugh Jackson, Clerk of the Peace and of the Charity Trustees, Mr. George Carrick, Town Clerk of Wisbech, Mr. J. T. Marshall, of Tydd, and Mr. H. Musson, Public Auditor of Friendly Societies, have assisted to lighten the difficulties, and to help forward the completion of the work. To Mr. Kenerell, Mr. E. Johnson, Mr. H. Mehew, and others, we are also in debted for assistance in the numerous illustrations with which the work is provided. The manager and staff of our establishment have given considerable care and thought to the printing and correction of the work, and the demands made upon a newspaper office will, we hope, account for any shortcomings in this direction that may be found in its arrangement or printing, although it is with some satisfaction that we are able to state that the book has been wholly printed in Wisbech.

It will be a source of gratification to Wisbechians, in view of the memorable Jubilee Celebrations in the Borough, and Royal visits, to know that Pier Majesty the Queen, who visited Wisbech, when Princess Victoria, with the Duchess of Kent, in September, 1835, nas requested that a copy of the work may be forwarded to Windsor Castle. Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales have also intimated, through Sir Francis Knollys, K.C.B., their wish that a copy may be sent to Sandringham House. One incident, which occurred last year, may serve to show why this volume may claim a wider range of usefulness than its merely local interest. The late Mr. William Ewart Gladstone, formerly Prime Minister of this country, delivering a speech at Hawarden, referred, with perfect truth, to Wisbech as a centre of fruit and flower culture, but proceeded to describe it as situated in the County of Suffolk !

To refresh Mr. Gladstone's recollection of the geographical position of Wisbech, a copy of Walker and Craddock's History was forwarded to him. Mr. Gladstone cour teously replied, in acknowledging the gift (which was added to his library), in the following terms : — Dear Sir. I have to thank you for the undeserved kindness of a very inter esting gift. And I regret that a defect of memory, incident to old age should (as is probable) have been the very unsatisfactory instrument which has thus qualified me to be the recipient of your courtesy. Yours very faithfully, Hawarden, August 5th, 1897. W. E. Gladstone. Mr. Gladstone's graceful acceptance of the volume leads to the presumption that, in like manner, this work may define and increase the knowledge of many, who, living in distant parts of the country, are not aware of the interest surrounding the borough and locality.

Not a few who have migrated to Colonial or Foreign lands, have assured us that it will revive pleasurable recollections of this home of earlier days, and of associations with the memory of many honoured citizens Whose distant footsteps echo, Through the corridors of time. The Nineteenth Century is fast passing away, but before it is gone, and at no greater distance than June next, three-and-a half centuries will have elapsed since Edward VI. , on June ist, 1549, granted a Charter to the Town of Wisbech, thus constituting it among the older of the Incorporated Boroughs in the Kingdom. It has had, during that period of time, many enterprising and noble sons, who have left behind them a record on the page of history, which is deserving of emulation by a generation in whose hands the future destiny of our town and district lies.

May the next century, whomsoever may live to see its advent, be characterised by more distinctive progress and development, and greater advantages, in the highest sense of the word, to Wisbech and its inhabitants, than the fifty years which are here recorded, is the sincere wish of THE AUTHOR. Trevordale, Wisbech, December, 1898. CONTENTS OF CHAPTERS. -©a-K)- Chapter. Page. I. — King John's Regalia Lost at Wisbech — The Castle as a State Ecclesiastical Prison . i II. — Wisbech in the Nineteenth Century and its Historians 22 III. — Wisbech in the Days of Our Grandfathers, and Description of Bank House .... 33 IV. — Wisbech Newspapers of the Past and Present 65 V. — Coaching Days and the Construction of Railways and Tramways 75 VI. — The Corporation of Wisbech and its Insignia 87 VII. — Nene Valley Schemes and River Works — The Stone and Iron Bridges at Wisbech . , . 100 VIII. — The Battle of the Dams — A Memorable Corporation Victory 115 IX. — Dock Schemes and River Improvement Works — Failure of Sutton Bridge Dock .... 130 X. — The Upper River Navigation, the Court of Sewers and Rivers Conservancy .... 154 XL — Works of Sanitation — The Water Supply and Drainage Improvements ....;...

Chapter. 1>age XII. — Improvements and Public Works of the Present Century 181 XIII. — Public Educational Institutions — The Wisbech Museum and Literary Society — The Working Men's Club and Institute 197 XIV. — Public Schools and the School of Science and Art 225 XV. — Religious Progress in the Last Half-Century — The Church of England 238 XVI. — Religious Progress in the Last Half-Century — The Nonconformists 259 XVII. — Public Memorials, Provident and Charitable Societies, and Assembly Rooms 279 XVIII. — The Isle of Ely and its Government — Poor Law Administration in the Wisbech Union 304 XIX. — Royal Visits, Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee Celebrations — The British Archæological Society's Congress 317 XX. — Inauguration of the Volunteer Movement — Middle Level Inundation 335 XXI. — The Fenland : Its Development, and the Growth of Industries Around Wisbech . 350 XXII. — The Marshland Churches and some Neighbouring Villages 366 XXIII. — Some Wisbech Worthies of the Past and Present 39S XXIV. — Some Wisbech Worthies of the Past .... 418 XXV. — Retrospective and Prospective Page, Appendix 453 Wisbech St. Peter's Church, Sir G. G. Scott's Paper, 453 ; Wisbech Castle as an Ecclesiastical State Prison, 455 ; Fruit Growing Industry, quantity of Fruit sent from Wisbech Stations in 1S98, 455 ; Commissions of Sewers, Paper by Mr. J. R. Bambridge, 456 ; Parliamentary- Elections in Cambridgeshire, 1660 to 1895, 458 ; Expenses of Elections, 461 ; Members for Wisbech Division, Biographies of, 461 ; Sir T. G. Fardell, 462 ; Lord Lieutenants of Cambridgeshire, Custos Rotulorum, High Sheriffs, Clerks of the Peace, Bishops of Ely, and Vicars of Wisbech, 463 ; Town Bailiffs, Mayors, Aldermen, Aid.

Ford's Jubilee, Mr. J. H. Foster's Presentation, Town Clerks, Treasurers, and Corporation, 466 ; Corporation Officers and Urban District Council, 467 ; Statement of Wisbech Corporation Stock, to March 31st, 1898, 467 ; Appropriation of Stock, 468 ; Wisbech Borough and Poor Rates, 469 ; Isle of Ely County Council, 469 ; Wisbech Board of Guardians, 470 ; Marshland and Wisbech Rural District Councils, 471 ; Justices of the Peace for Isle of Ely, Norfolk, and Wisbech, 471 ; Charity Trustees, 471 ; Map of the Fen Country, 472 ; Wisbech Castles, Paper by Mr. Alexander Peckover, 473; Newspapers, &c. , published or circulated in Wisbech, 476 ; Population of Wisbech and Walsoken, 477 ; Pamphlets by the late Rev. Canon Fardell and others, 478 ; White Hall, Wisbech, 479 ; Books Printed in Wisbech. 479 ; Poll Books, Cambridgeshire, 481 ; Rainfall at Wisbech, 1859 to 1897, 482 ; Growth of Timber Imports at Wisbech, 483; Other "Wisbech Worthies," 483.

Additions and Corrections 484 General Index 485 List of Subscribers LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. — ••*>■$■**••• — To Face Number. Page I. — Wisbech Citizens, Past and Present : Alexander Peckover, LL.D., Jonathan Peckover, F.S.A., Richard Young, M.P., Robert Wherry, J. P., George Dawbarn, J. P., Dr. Howson, Canon Scott, Rev. Jeremiah Jackson, Colonel W. Watson Frontispiece II. — Bird's Eye View of Wisbech ii III. — Wisbech Castle : Vaults, Seal of Governor, Sir John Colvile. Seal of Trinity Guild .... 18 IV. — North Brink : Showing Bank House, Residence of the Lord Lieutenant. The Market Place . 34 V.— Views of Old Wisbech : Old Shire Hall and Shambles, Market Mews, Obelisk, King's Hall 58 VI. — Wisbech Xewspapers of the Present Century . . 72 VII. — Beaupre Hall, Wisbech. and Upwell Steam Tramway.

An Old Toll-bar 82 VIII. — Wisbech Stone Bridge, Butter Cross and Justices' Room 112 IX. — Timber Laden Steamers discharging at the New Quay, Wisbech. The Wharves, showing the Baltic Steamers 144 X. — Opening of Wisbech Waterworks by Lord Robert Montagu. Opening of North Cambridgeshire Hospital by Miss Trafford-Southwell, and View of the Hospital and Park 186 XI. — Art Objects in Wisbech Museum 204 XII. — Grammar School (Ancient Town Hall) and the Public Hall. Wisbech Barton School . . . 234 XIII. — View of Wisbech Church and Castle in 1800 . . To Face Number. Page XIV.— Wisbech Churches: St. Peter's, St. Augustine's (interior), Octagon Church or Chapel of Ease . 252 XV. — Nonconformist Places of Worship: Free Methodist Chapel, Ely Place Baptist Church, Interior of Wesleyan Chapel, Crescent 268 XVI. — Portrait of Thomas Clarkson, The Clarkson Memorial, and Town Hall 2S0 XVII. — Dinner on Wisbech Market Place" to celebrate Coronation of Queen Victoria, June 28th, 1838 3.20 XVIII. — Celebration at Wisbech of Jubilee of Queen Victoria's Accession, June 21st, 1887 .... 324 XIX. — Celebration at Wisbech of Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria's Accession, June 22nd, 1897 . 528 XX. — The Middle Level Sluice and Coffer Dam.

Skating Match on the Nene 344 XXI. — The Marshland Churches: Walsoken, Walpole St. Peter, and West Walton 366 XXII. — Churches of the Neighbourhood : Leverington, Upwell, and Outwell 392 XXIII. — Drinking Fountain in Old Market to Memory of Mr. and Mrs. G. D. Collins. New Grammar School, South Brink 448 XXIV. — Map of Wisbech and District, showing Roads, Railways, &c 496 ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT. .0-^0. Diagram of Dimensions of Shambles formerly on Wisbech Market Place 58 Wisbech Museum : Fig. I., Relief Brick, St. Matthew and the Angel. Fig. II. , Passant Guardant. Fig. III., Badge of Charles V 207 Fig. IV., Relief Brick from Ramsey Abbey 208 Fig. V. and VL, History of Susanna 209 Fig. VII. and VIII., History of Susanna 210 Sword and Pruning Hook 211 Leather Pilgrim's Bottle 212 Map of Fen Country AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. ••o^o«-

Chapter I. Ring John's Rfgalia Lost At Wisbech

THE CASTLE AS A STATE ECCLESIASTICAL PRISON. HE old local proverb, "Rising was, Lynn is, Wisbech will be," appears to have tersely expressed the relative positions of those places in the earlier portion of the present century, or at a still more distant period. It probably indicated the decadence of Castle Rising, the consequent increased importance of King's Lynn, and the anticipated development of Wisbech. The two Members of Parliament who once sat for Castle Rising have long since disappeared from the precincts of Westminster, and the Municipal Act deprived it of its Mayor, although at one time Castle Rising Mayors took precedence of all others in the County of Norfolk." Some of the ancient glory pertaining to Castle Rising in its halcyon days, has been transferred to the seaport town of King's Lynn, I which, owing to the patronage of * Castle Rising, or, as Camden calls it, Rising Castle, is a Corporation, and sends two members to ihe British Senate.

It was formerly the most considerable seaport in the County next to Lynn and Yarmouth, but the harbour is now choking up It was once governed by a Mayor, recorder, high steward, twelve aldermen, and fifty burgesses, but it has now two aldermen only, who serve the office of Mayor and take precedence of all other Mayors in Norfolk — Cooke's Topographical Description of Norfolk. t There is a couplet which says — Rising was a seaport town, when Lynn was but a marsh ; Now Lynn, it is' the seaport town, and Rising fares the worse. B King Henry VIII.* — its proximity to Sandringham having further increased its importance— ranks as a Royal borough, and has still one representative in Parliament, though it is not long since that it could boast ot two. The originator of this proverb, whosoever he may have been, also foresaw, apparently with prophetic in tuitiveness, that there were possibilities of greater prosperity in the future of Wisbech.

That this prophecy has proved a per fectly correct one, will not be questioned, but to what extent that forecast has been realized at the present time, or is likely to be in the future, the readers of this volume will be able to draw their own conclusions from the description given of the material improvements which have been made in its administration, and in its commercial and social aspects, during the last half century. Shakespeare reminds us in King Henry II. that — There is a history in all men's lives Figuring the nature of the time deceas'd, The which observed a man may prophecy With a near aim of the main chance of things, As not yet come to life ; which in their seeds, And weak beginnings, lie intreasured. That which applies to the history of men's lives may also be applicable to communities, and in tracing the vicissitudes of the town and neighbourhood, it will be seen that its " weak begin nings" have developed into that greater vigour and strength, typical of many well-administered centres of industry in the present progressive age.

Looking back for half a century or more, when there were no railways, when letters were few and far between, and when few people travelled out of their own locality, a wide difference is discernible in the greater enterprise and commercial activity which to-day characterizes this borough, for though limited in population, yet its citizens are by no means indifferent to its advancement and prosperity, whether regarded from a religious, social, or commercial standpoint. It is quite certain, then, that the material progress made in Wisbech has justified the forecast of the proverb of long ago that Wisbech "will be." Less than a century ago, it is told that so little was Wisbech known in those benighted days, that its geographical position was sometimes an enigma to strangers. One individual having important business to transact at Wisbech, thought it prudent to proceed from Dublin to London, and then to write to the Wisbech authorities to know the exact locality of * King Henry VIII., who granted various privileges to Lynn, changed the name of it from "Bishop's Lynn ' to Lynn Regis or "King's Lynn." ■J 3 the borough and how he might safely journey into the unknown Fen country.

Possibly, he may have thought that the Fenland folk were living in the midst of a swamp, infested with aguish fevers, and that the inhabitants resembled the ancient Swiss lake dwellers who built their houses on piles above the water-level ! At no greater distance than Norwich, an intelligent manufac turer offered an extra discount upon his goods rather than arrange to pay the carriage to a place, of which his knowledge was of the most shadowy nature. Even such an authority as Bradshaw's Railway Guide was unmistakably at fault, for, in an early copy, one finds the sailing of the old "Forager" steamer, plying between Hull and Wisbech, included in the list of " Steam Packets to Foreign Stations." In what part of a foreign land Wisbech was supposed to be located, we are not told. Twice only have we heard of another place of the same name.

A native who had emigrated to America, when coaching in Canada, alighted at a village which he was startled to find was called " Wisbech." " Why," he replied to his informant, " I was born at Wisbech, in England, but how came this place to be so called ? " The coach went on without the mystery being solved, though it is probable that some settler from the mother country had desired to perpetuate the memory of his far-off Fenland home in the New World to which he had migrated. It has also been affirmed that there is a place named Wisbech in Scandinavia, but its locality is not known, unless, it may be, that the seaport town of Wisby, capital of the Island of Gothland in the Baltic, is supposed, from the similarity of name, to have given rise to the statement. It is not the intention of this volume to recapitulate the ancient history of Wisbech, further than to hastily review the more prominent facts, and to refer to some fresh data with regard to King John's disaster, and the history of its successive Castles, which more recent researches have brought to light.

To denomi nate Wisbech as an ancient borough is no groundless assertion. It can certainly trace its history back for more than 1,200 years — to a.d. 657. In that year Wisbech is mentioned in the charter of grants made to Peterborough by the Saxon king, Wulfere or Wulpher, which refers to " the principal river that goethe to Elme and Wisbeche," viz., the Great Ouse, thus specifying the limits of that monastery's possessions. The late Mr. Jonathan Peckover, F.S.A., stated that the earliest mention of Wisbech occurs in the Thorney Red Book, in the possession of the Earl of West moreland, at Apethorpe. This book is dated at some time in the sixth century, which would carry its history back still further. Most probably, it was a fort of the Romans, by whom, it is supposed, the river banks in the neighbourhood were constructed, Roman remains and coins of that period having been discovered.

At a later period, Wisbech is mentioned, in iooo a.d., in the time of Etheldred II., as one of the manors given by Oswy, father of Ailwyn, Bishop of Elmham, Norfolk, to the monastery of Ely, on his son being admitted to the convent. It was thus one of the oldest possessions of the Church of Ely. When the famous Hereward, usually regarded as a Fen hero, but whom a well known Bishop is said to have lately described as a " vulgar free booter," was driven out of the fens and morasses in the Isle of Ely, which afforded him a secure refuge for a long time, William the Conqueror built a strong Castle at Wisbech, where probably an entrenched camp before existed, in order to overawe the sturdy Fenmen who had given him so much trouble. It was begun in 1086, the last year of his reign, hence no mention of its erection occurs in the Domesday Book, that " spring and fountain of all chorography," as Col. Watson denominates that work.

But if the town or castle is not mentioned, " the manor of Wisbece," belonging to the Abbot of Ely, finds a place in it, and its prolific fisheries are recorded, especially those of eels — from which the Isle of Ely derives its name — no less than 14,000 finding their way annually to the abbot and his dependents. This ancient Norman Castle commanded the estuary formed by the Welle stream, or the Ouse, Nene, and Wyse, having a drawbridge towards the church, "the gate towards Elme ' mentioned by Dugdale. The only known representation of this Castle is to be found in the rude outline of a fortress, with circular keep, somewhat like that of Windsor, which is depicted on the official seal, made of steel, used by Sir John Colvile, one of the Governors or Constables of the Castle in 1410, and now in the possession of Colonel Sir H. E. Colvile, C.B., (Grenadier Guards) at Lullington.

That this represents the Castle of William the Conqueror is also confirmed by the seal of the Trinity Guild, which has three human figures surmounting a castle, similar to that on the official seal of the Governor. The capital of a Norman respond, decorated with angle-volutes, was unearthed some years ago from the Castle moat, and deposited in Wisbech Museum. Some archæo logists have thought that this might have been a part of the ancient hall or chapel of the Castle. The Bishop of Glasgow (Robert Wishart) and the wife of Robert Bruce were said to have been prisoners in this Castle in 1314. From an historical point of view, the visit of King John to Wisbech Castle, at the time that his army was overwhelmed with the disaster and loss which caused that monarch's speedy death, is the most memorable event in its annals.

King John found loyal supporters in Wisbech and Lynn against his barons, and recom pensed their loyalty by confirming to the former borough a charter granted by Richard I., exempting it from toll in the markets and fairs of England. But otherwise his associations with Wisbech Castle must have been very far from happy, for it was "in the vicinity of the town, in all probability, that he met with that disaster which cost him not only the loss of his regalia, treasures, and baggage, but hastened his death. Mr. Richard B. Dawbarn, in his interesting paper on " Wisbech Castle," which was read before the British Archæological Society, refers to the dates given in the 22nd volume of the Archæologia taken from King John's Itinerary, (said to have been found among some documents in the Tower) as follows : — Oct. 7 and 8, 1216, Spalding; Oct. 9, 10, and 11, King's Lynn; Oct. 12, Wisbech.

Walker and Craddock, the local historians, fix the point at which the King crossed the estuary as scarcely more than a mile below the present bridge, where the stream ran between the Leverington and Walsoken banks. But Mr. J. T. Marshall, of Tydd, holds a different theory, which we give in his own words : — As it is well authenticated that King John left Lynn on Oct. nth, 1216, and slept in Wisbech Castle on the next night, the 12th of that month, it is clear that he must have crossed both the Little Ouse, near Lynn, and the Great Ouse, near Wisbech. Now as he was evidently aiming for Wisbech, it seems very probable that he crossed the Little Ouse either near to Lynn, or about Wiggenhall St. Germans, then followed the high parts of Marshland by Wiggenhall St. Mary's, Lord's Bridge, and Tilney Buck to Tilney St. Lawrence.

Then he would journev bv what has since been called the "highways," and — previous to the making of the Eau Brink Cut and the Free Bridge at Lynn — until recently, the Turnpike road from Lynn to Wisbech, which would bring him to Walsoken. Between Walsoken and Wisbech there would only be a ford over the Great Ouse or the Welle stream at low water, and a ferry opposite the " Ferry Boat" Inn, in Timber Market, now Norfolk Street East, at high water. Now the ford, say between New common Bridge near Wisbech. and the town, seems the most likely place for King John and his followers to cross to get into Wisbech, and it is here that he most probably met with the great disaster which cost him his life. Having reached Wisbech in order to get into Lincolnshire, it would not be necessary for him to cross the estuary between Wisbech and Walton Dam, as Walker and Craddock in their history state that he probably did, or "within a mile of Wisbech Bridge," as Mr. R. B. Dawbarn suggested in his paper on Wisbech Castle, for at either of these points the estuary would be a mile to a mile-and-half in width ; nor would the King cross from the " Cross Keys " at Walpole to the green marsh on the Lincolnshire side, some three to four miles wide, but simply take his army over the little "bee" or stream called the Wyse, from Guyhirn, near the bridge, or by the bridge itself, if there were one, for at this point the stream would probably be not many feet wide.

He would then follow the green marshes skirting the Roman bank and, possibly, lingering to recover some of his treasure, he may have slept in King John's house, (if there were such a house then) a mile north of what is called Sutton Bridge, but not at that time existent, even as " Sutton Wash " (its original name) on the 13th October. The foregoing may be a novel theory as to where King John's disaster occurred, but it corresponds with the account given by Matthew Paris, the historian, (who lived at the time and wrote the King's life) as to its occurring in the Welle stream. Marshland, at that time, evidently had no communication either with Cambridgeshire or Lincolnshire, except as regards the former, by a ford or ferry, over the Great Ouse or Welle stream, and as regards the latter, over the Estuary from Walpole Cross Keys to the opposite side.

Its only communication with higher Norfolk and Lynn would seem to have been, possibly by a bridge at Wiggenhall St. Germans or by fords over the Little Ouse, so that Marshland, at that time, might very appropriately have been called an " island." In the narrative of the disaster, by Matthew Paris, a contem porary chronicler who died in 1259, it is stated that the King lost his baggage in crossing the Welle stream. The translation of this account, which is in Latin, is as follows : — Leaving the town of Lynn, which he had greatly distinguished and honoured with donations, he attempted to force a passage over the water which is called Welle stream, and there suddenly and irre coverably lort all his waggons, treasures, costly goods and regalia. A whirlpool in tbe middle of the water absorbed all into its depths, with men and horses, so that hardly one escaped to announce the misfortune to the King.