Image ID: 15583

Chesterfield Canal

Drakeholes
England

The following is an account of the Chesterfield Canal extracted from John Piercy's 'History of Retford' (1828)..'This highly useful undertaking, which forms a prominent feature in the history of this place, was begun in the year 1771, and first opened throughout the whole line on the 12th of September, 1777. Previous to this, the northern districts of this county were greatly deficient in that mode of commercial intercourse, and the trade much clogged and impeded from the high rate of land carriage. In the year 1770, the scheme appeared so manifestly advantageous, and its result so certain, that an Act of Parliament was obtained, constituting 175 individuals, as trustees of the body corporate, under the title of 'The Company of the Proprietors of the Canal Navigation, from Chesterfield to the River Trent;' to have perpetual succession, and a common seal. The ground space on the line specified in the Act, including the canal, towing paths, ditches, drains, fences, &c . was not allowed to exceed twenty-six yards in breadth, except in such places where the canal shall be raised higher, or cut more than five feet deeper than the present surface.' By another clause it is enacted that no person or persons whatever, 'shall cause to be erected or built any wharf or warehouse, or other building, upon or within one hundred yards of either side of the said cut or canal, in any part of a certain common called East Retford Common, between a point of the said canal, beginning ten yards west of the south-east corner of a certain ground or garden in East Retford aforesaid, belonging to the heirs of John White, Esq. deceased, and now or late in the occupation of William Wilson, adjoining the said common, and a certain place called the Spaw, situate upon the said common.' This canal enters the county of Nottingham near Shireoaks, and after passing Worksop, Osberton, and Babworth, in a circuitous course, comes into this parish in the south-west, and just skirting the town on the south, it suddenly changes its course towards the north, and after passing through eleven or twelve parishes, falls into the Trent at Stockwith. The distance from Chesterfield to Stockwith, taking the line of the canal, is about forty-six miles, and from Norwood its regular fall is three hundred and thirty-five feet. The quantity of land taken up in this parish by the excavations, banks, &c. was the property of those free-holders of Retford, who possess the right of pasturage upon the cars and commons, amounted in the aggregate to six acres and fourteen perches; the canal company's allowance for the same, was

Date: 01/08/1972

Organisation Reference: NCCN002014

Organisation: