The SALTFLEETBY VILLAGE HISTORY Website

A Working Demonstration using land drainage tools and techniques that would have been used on a small Lincolnshire farm in Days Gone By.

On Saturday 17th February 2007

You were invited to Grab a Warm Coat, put on your Wellies and go along to:- White House Farm, Saltfleetby. to watch as they turned the 'Clock Back' to the age before mechanisation and see how the 'Old Boys' drained their land by hand mowing, digging out dykes and "gripping" to put pipes in.

So that is exactly what we did! And what a fascinating event it turned out to be!

From the moment we arrived it was evident that this was a very well organised event.

We were directed by the two car park attendants to the parking area (which was already almost full at that time) and then told where all the 'amenities' were placed. We could either go to the 'refreshment tent' where we would be able to join a group for a guided tour if we wished or just wander around and watch the demonstrations. We opted for a guided tour!

After introducing ourselves to Simon, our guide and meeting the other members of our group we set off for our tour. As we walked Simon talked about the clothes worn by the 'Old Boys', the Army Greatcoat, an extremely heavy coat to wear, but very beneficial for keeping the cold out, the Hessian Sacking wrapped around the legs, again a must for keeping the legs warm! Our first stop was to look at an actual 'chain' that had been fastened out along the fence to show the full length (22yds = 1chain), this was the unit of measuring used by farmers in the past and still in use by some today. Simon also explained about the design of the 'chain' and how it folded almost flat, so it could be stored without tangling and could be thrown out without any kinks along the ground when in use.

We continued on our tour of the site, to watch how the drainage dyke/ditches were 'mown' the in the old way, by scything and raking by hand, both to keep the sides clear and in preparation for the digging out of the waterway to keep it in good order.

At the next stage, we were able to watch and listen as the 'Old Boys', demonstrated how the drainage dykes/ditches were cleaned out and explaining about the tools used. How many of us knew the name for each tools, did we know our Ritter from the Slough (pronounced "sluff") or the reason why a piece of string was tied around the shaft of the Slough?

In an extremely interesting talk and demonstration given by the 'Old Boys' we soon learned what they all were and just what they were used for. The Short Handled Ritter and Long Handled Ritter are both used for cutting down the sides of the dyke/ditch and through the strong roots of the reeds. The Short Handled Ritter is used again for cutting the roots across the centre of the dyke/ditch into sections ready to be pulled out by the extremely long handled Four Pronged Drag Rake. The Slough is then used for cleaning the bed of the dyke/ditch.

This was a wet job as you can imagine, for the man in the bottom with the Slough, who could get his arms and sleeves soaked from water running down the shaft as the waste was thrown out of the dyke/ditch. Now, this is where the string comes in, it was tied around the shaft a few inches above the spoon with a short tail of string hanging down, this allows the water from the spoon to go as far as the string and run off the tail, instead of soaking both arms and sleeves of the user.

So, we have learnt how the dyke/ditch was maintained, but how does the water get from the land into the dyke/ditch?

Simon took us on to see a demonstration of Gripping - The Laying of the Clay Land Drainage Pipes. We were shown how the narrow trench, not much wider than the pipes themselves, or the thickness of a mans leg, was dug and cleaned ready for the pipes to be laid. Once the pipes were in place, thorny brash cuttings were laid and trodden in on top to allow the water to drain through to the pipes beneath, the soil was then replaced.. We were told that the thorn cuttings remain intact in the ground for around ten years before needing replacing.

At this point, we were invited to have a go ourselves, I politely declined this invitation!!!!

The 'Have a Go Area', we were told, had proved very popular with the children from the seven schools that visited on Thursday & Friday, but only one of our group was determined enough to give it a go!

We then continued on to the next section, crossing over the dyke/ditch that we had seen being cleaned out. This was where we were able to look back and see just how well this had been done, and the difference it had made.

But then, how does the farmer find the drainage pipes that he has laid, if they need replacing? This is just what the next demonstration showed us.

The 'Tile Pricker', is a simple but efficient tool, a long metal rod with a wooden handle. A plan is drawn showing the position of the Land Drain Pipes for each field and is kept by the farmer. The plan shows the measurements between each pipe run, and if drainage problems occur in any area of a field it is then relatively easy to locate the position of a pipe. The pipe position is then confirmed using a 'Pricker' to be sure that the pipes were there.

By pushing the Pricker down into the ground they were able to locate the run of pipes, not as easy as it sounds, even on a day when there had been plenty of rain and the ground was wet, extra water was still needed to stop the clay from grabbing hold of the 'Pricker' as it was pulled out. Once the first pipe run had been located, then the farmer can measure to where the next run should be, locate it with the 'Pricker', and so on.

And finally, we moved on to see the Modern Day Machinery, that does the jobs of the 'Old Boys'.

Remember the men who we saw hand mowing the dyke/ditch, with the scythe and rake? Below can be seen the modern day method, the tractor fitted with the flail mower, this has a long reach and can mow along the top and sides of the dyke/ditch with ease.

Next comes the cleaning out of the dyke/ditch. Out go the men with the Ritter, Rake and Slough, and in comes the  Modern Day Machinery, covering large areas in a much shorter time. The cabs of these machines are heated and air conditioned, no more need for the Army Great Coat or the sacking tied around their legs!

And finally we moved on to the Mechanised Land Drainage Pipe laying, no longer with the clay pipes as we saw in the 'Gripping' demonstration, but with long continuous plastic piping that can be jetted out should an obstruction occur. We were told that the pipe laying machine could also be fitted with a shoot for laying clay pipes!

As we ended our tour, we realised that if it was not for the work carried out by the Dykers of days gone by, The Lindsey Marsh Drainage Board and the Farmers themselves, then we would all have very wet feet!

As we walked back across the field to the 'refreshment tent', everyone agreed that all of the demonstrations had been most  interesting and well presented. The knowledge and enthusiasm from everyone involved was clearly evident. Our tour ended with delicious Cote Farm Cheese, Plum Bread and hot tea/coffee and a chat with other visitors. The refreshment tent also housed a display of the old tools that were once used.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable and educational morning.

If you would like to see all of these photos in more detail Click Here to View a Slideshow.

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