Men of Wainfleet. King and council. [This petition is damaged, and illegible in places.]The...

Petitioners

Men of Wainfleet.

Addressees

King and council.

Nature of request

[This petition is damaged, and illegible in places.]The men of Wainfleet state that in former times the fresh water flowing from a marsh called the East Fen, and from the low country, meadows and pastures adjoining it, used to flow into the sea through three channels, passing through Wrangle, Friskney and Wainfleet, but that Wrangle and Friskney allowed their channels to silt up, so that the entire flow of water, and the burden of maintaining the channel, and of stopping it up in summer so that the water can irrigate the surrounding land, falls on them, although others have more benefit from it. They ask that the people of Wrangle and Friskney might be ordered to open up their channels again, or that the people who live near the marsh and who benefit from this channel might take charge of its maintenance; and that justices might be appointed to take charge of this matter especially, because the justices who have a commission to examine other ditches and channels cannot do it, as their commission is too general.

Nature of endorsement

Robert de Malberthorp, justice, is to be associated with those previous assigned, and the justices [are to be ordered] that they, or three or two of them, [are to proceed] as swiftly as possible etc.

Places mentioned

Wainfleet, Lincolnshire

East Fen, Lincolnshire

Wrangle, Lincolnshire

Friskney, Lincolnshire.

People mentioned

Robert de Malberthorp (Malberthorpe), justice.

For transcript, see no.95 of PRO 31/7/95