218
DISCOVERY OF TREES.
times the circumference of the globe. His wife, who sur-
vived him, was not long afterwards married to a Mr.
Thomas Parr, of Nottingham, but she is since dead.
Remarkable discovery of Trees, and antique Curiosities in
the Levels of Hatfield, in Yorkshire.
The levels of Hatfield Chase, in Yorkshire, were the
largest chase of red deer that King Charles I. had in all
England, containing in all above 180,000 acres of land,
about half of which was annually drowned with vast
quantities of water, which being sold to oue Cornelius
Vermuiden, a Dutchman, he effectually discharged and
drained the water from it, after which he reduced it into
arable and pasture land at the expence of above 40,0001.
In the soil of all the said 180,000 acres of land, whereof
90,000 acres were drained even in the bottom of the
river Ouse and the adventitious soil of all Marshland, and
about the skirts of the Lincolnshire wolds as far as Gains-
borough, Bawtry, Doncaster, Bain, Snaith and Holden,
are found vast numbers of roots, and trunks of trees of
all sizes, and of all species which this island formerly
did or at present does produce: as Firs, Oaks, Birch,
Beech, Yew, Wirethorn, Willow, Ash, &c. the roots of
all or most of which stand in the soil in their natural po-
sition as thick as ever they could grow, and the trunks of
most of them lye by their roots. Most of the large trees
lye along about a yard from their roots, (to which they
belonged, as appears very plainly by their situations and
the likeness of the wood) with their tops commonly north
east, though indeed the smaller trees lye almost every
way across the former, some over and others under them.
The third part of all, which are Firs, are some of them
30 yards long and upwards, and sold for masts and keels
of
DISCOVERY OF TREES.
times the circumference of the globe. His wife, who sur-
vived him, was not long afterwards married to a Mr.
Thomas Parr, of Nottingham, but she is since dead.
Remarkable discovery of Trees, and antique Curiosities in
the Levels of Hatfield, in Yorkshire.
The levels of Hatfield Chase, in Yorkshire, were the
largest chase of red deer that King Charles I. had in all
England, containing in all above 180,000 acres of land,
about half of which was annually drowned with vast
quantities of water, which being sold to oue Cornelius
Vermuiden, a Dutchman, he effectually discharged and
drained the water from it, after which he reduced it into
arable and pasture land at the expence of above 40,0001.
In the soil of all the said 180,000 acres of land, whereof
90,000 acres were drained even in the bottom of the
river Ouse and the adventitious soil of all Marshland, and
about the skirts of the Lincolnshire wolds as far as Gains-
borough, Bawtry, Doncaster, Bain, Snaith and Holden,
are found vast numbers of roots, and trunks of trees of
all sizes, and of all species which this island formerly
did or at present does produce: as Firs, Oaks, Birch,
Beech, Yew, Wirethorn, Willow, Ash, &c. the roots of
all or most of which stand in the soil in their natural po-
sition as thick as ever they could grow, and the trunks of
most of them lye by their roots. Most of the large trees
lye along about a yard from their roots, (to which they
belonged, as appears very plainly by their situations and
the likeness of the wood) with their tops commonly north
east, though indeed the smaller trees lye almost every
way across the former, some over and others under them.
The third part of all, which are Firs, are some of them
30 yards long and upwards, and sold for masts and keels
of