EMS Guest Speaker – Angus Townley – The Great Drainage: Cornelius Vermuyden’s Battle Against Water and Resistance in 17th Century Lincolnshire
December
01,
2025
On its 400th Anniversary, Angus Townley will talk about Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden’s 1626 project to drain Hatfield Chase, a low-lying area in South Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, England, which was often flooded. The work involved re-routing the Rivers Don, Idle, and Torne, and the construction of drainage channels that changed the whole nature of a wide swathe of land including the Isle of Axholme. The effects of this project remain today in the topography of the communities of the Isle.
The Epworth Men’s Society is held at several venues. When meetings are held at either the Imperial Hall, Chapel Street, or the Thurlow Pavilion, Epworth, members can bring their own refreshments and snacks.