THE LEVEL OF HATFIELD CHACE AND PARTS ADJACENT

Facsimile edition of the 1882 first edition, published by the author in collaboration with Wyman and Sons, London. Deluxe edition. Limited edition. Publisher's original half dark-green morocco with dark green cloth, with titles in gilt to the upper board and with gilt decoration to the spine, and borders in red and stamped in black to the upper board and spine. Housed in marbled paper slipcase. Top edge gilt. Marbled endpapers. Illustrated throughout with twelve black and white engravings and two fold-out linen backed maps in colour, as issued. Two publisher's notices loosely laid in. A very near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth and gilt fresh, very lightly rubbed to the extremities, and with one small crease to the head of the spine. The contents are clean throughout, and without previous owners' inscriptions or stamps. Housed in the very good, lightly rubbed and scuffed original slipcase, which is slightly creased at the edges. Scarce.

Issued in an edition of 75 copies, from which this example is numbered 52. A full list of the contemporary subscribers to the facsimile editions faces the foreword by librarian Stanley Houghton. Epworth Mechanics' Institute's series of historiographical texts concerning the Isle of Axholme comprises three large volumes, two quartos, and a royal octavo. Tomlinson's 'Level of Hatfield Chace and Parts Adjacent' was chronologically the third book to be written, and is the third book to be republished in this series. The first portion of this extensive volume examines the influence of Roman, Norse and Norman rule upon the immediate area, before tackling the infamous Drainage of Hatfield Chace in 1626. The controversial project was led by Dutch engineer Sir Cornelius Vermuyden (1595-1677) and commissioned by King Charles I. It involved the re-routing the Rivers of Don, Idle and Tome and construction of drainage channels to forcibly transform the Isle of Axholme's natural landscape from an islet of swamps and royal hunting ground, into a landlocked and rich agricultural region for strip farming. Yet, since the project's inception, drainage efforts were met with hostility by local residents and numerous attempts were made to obstruct its progress, with legal disputes continuing throughout the rest of the century. Tomlinson's report of the project is extensive and includes graphic accounts of the rebellions against Vermuyden and his Dutch participants. Two petitions presented to Parliament on behalf of the local Isle of Axholme community are included in the Appendices of this volume, and capture their strong sense of local identity and industriousness. The final portion is dedicated to cataloguing the buildings, markets, charities, burials, notable visitors and points of local interest in the areas of Hatfield, Thorne, Fishlake, Sykehouse, Barnby-Dun, Bramwith, Stainworth, Lindholme, and Sandtoft.