by Michael Wright

It is a peculiarity of Hale Moss, north of Yealand Redmayne, that it drains both to the east, into Holme Beck, and to the west, into Leighton Beck. The gradients of the ditches draining the Moss are so low that alterations of a few feet in depth can induce reversal in the water-flow direction. The water flowing east once helped to power the mills on the River Bela, while that flowing west down Leighton Beck was needed by Leighton Furnace, which was built by the Backbarrow Company in 1713.

John Bolton has suggested that the drainage west from Hale Moss into Leighton Beck was man-made, intended to augment the flow down the Beck and so keep the furnace working¹. Strong support for this suggestion comes from two letters in the estate papers of the Earl of Derby, which show that the managers of the furnace were seriously concerned to maintain a flow of water from the Moss into the Beck, and were actively involved in organising drainage of the Moss. Both of the letters are addressed to the Earl of Derby’s Agent at Knowsley².

In the eighteenth century the Earl of Derby owned the Beetham Hall Estate and he wished to improve the drainage of about five hundred acres of the low lying land that extends from the River Bela south to Holme Moss and Hale Moss. The improved land would then command a higher rent from the Earl’s tenants. This was evidently planned to be a large-scale undertaking, in contrast to the routine cleaning of ditches regularly demanded of tenants, evidence of which is revealed by the records of the Beetham Manor Court. The work was apparently to be supervised by a local agent, Thomas Sill.

The first letter to the Earl’s Agent at Knowsley is from Anthony Lickbarrow, agent to the Leighton Furnace Company. Though he was in favour of the drainage scheme he was concerned that any work that improved the drainage on the east side of the moss could reduce the flow to the west into Leighton Beck, so affecting the waterpower available at the furnace. His comments show that his company was fully involved in matters concerning the drainage of the moss since he refers to the poor state of the ditching on the east side of the moss, and writes that recently he had ” … damed the watter at the head to turn it down to Bethom … “.

It is quite clear that the second letter to the Earl’s Agent, which is from his employee Thomas Sill, was written in response to enquiries from the Agent following his receipt of Anthony Lickbarrow’s letter. Thomas Sill hastens to reassure the Earl’s Agent that Lickbarrow has been involved in discussions on the drainage work and has raised no objections to it at these meetings. In irritation he comments that “This Duplicity of Conduct is convincing proof, that the Garb of Humility is sometimes a Disguise to Sincerity and Truth.”

Thomas Sill explains that much of the effort in the new drainage works will be put into improving the flow of water in Holme Beck between Pye’s Bridge and the Bela. He assures the Agent that the furnace has no prescriptive right to water from the moss, and he appends a copy of an agreement dated 1747 which had a term of seven years. This states that Leighton Furnace had permission to take ” … so much of the Water as can be conveniently spared from Beethom Millns … “ This delightfully vague arrangement seems tailormade for argument and dispute.

Thomas Sill’s letter may throw further light on the origin of the Furness Runner, the ditch that cuts across the moss plots near the north side of Hale Moss. He mentions that during discussions with Anthony Lickbarrow they had considered the possibility of diverting water to the west from Holme Mills Beck. Though not specifying how this was to be achieved, it must be significant that the eastern end of the Furness Runner reaches the Beck, and could no doubt be lowered to capture its water. As John Bolton has suggested, the Furness Runner may be more correctly designated the Furnace Runner, dug to supplement still further the flow down Leighton Beck.

Adjustments to the flow from the mosses also had repercussions on the supply of water to the farms down Leighton Beck. The 1747 Agreement specifies that the watercourse to the west should be well maintained so that water does not damage the land in Arnside belonging to the Hon. and Rev. John Stanley (presumably a relative of the Earl of Derby). And Anthony Lickbarrow mentions that he has on occasion controlled the flow to ensure a water supply for cattle downstream.

Today the fact that water in the County Dyke that crosses Hale Moss can flow west from one end of the dyke and east from the other is largely a matter of curiosity. But in the eighteenth century the direction and volume of the flow had very important implications for local wetland drainage and for waterpower for local industries.

Notes

1. James Bolton Leighton Beck ↩︎
2. The letters are in the papers of the Earl of Derby at the Lancashire Record Office; DDK/432/43 (Anthony Lickbarrow’s letter); DDK/432/37 (Thomas Sill’s letter, with appended copy of the agreement with Leighton Furnace Company).
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