One of the big attractions for local walkers and holidaymakers alike, in the Lower Otter Valley is the Nature Reserve and the use of the footpath from Limekiln Car Park to White Bridge.  The path is on an embankment, which continues beyond the bridge, northwards parallel with the Otter.

At the turn of the 19th century, the estuary below Clamour Bridge and now enclosed by these embankments was known as The Runnie, with the River Otter meandering across the area at low tide.  At high tide it was completely awash with water, in some parts deep enough for craft of 70 to 80 tons to navigate up to Bankly Dock and beyond.  Captain Washington, R.N.’s Report of 1851 prepared for a public meeting to discuss the loss of maritime usage in the estuary stated that ...  

“The Otter afforded a fair harbour. Vessels drawing 7 feet of water could lie afloat in the Salmon Pool at the entrance to the Estuary . The whole Estuary  covered 220 acres at high tide, entirely covered with water.  The entrance being 200 feet wide, formed a small harbour for coasters and yachts”.  

In 1802 Lord Rolle had a “stone” boat of 74 tons built at Topsham to bring stone up to Bankley Wharf, near Pulhayes Farm.  John, Lord Rolle was the owner of the river Otter and its valley and by 1808 decided to straighten out the Otter by building an embankment to confine it to the east side of the estuary, creating 163 acres of grassland to the west. 

In 1808 Lord Rolle commissioned James Green to produce a plan for the construction of an embankment, which he sent to his Lordship on July 12th.  Earlier in the year Green had accepted the post of Surveyor of Roads and Bridges for Devon.  After protracted negotiations, John Daw, Lord Rolle’s agent drew up a specification of work to be carried out dated July 20th, 1810 and to be completed by December 25th, 1811 at a cost of £2,862, and to be kept in repair for three years after completion.  The original contract of the work has not come to light, but is stated in a further memorandum to be dated December 11th, 1810.  The plan was received by R. Eules, Clerk of the Peace on September 30th, 1810. 

The original specification is divided into eight sections beginning with the diversion of the Budleigh Brook to run in a straight cut across The Runnie from Lower Budleigh entering the Otter opposite the “Park Pond”.  Previously the Brook had run by various tortuous channels down The Runnie to enter the river near the old Kersbrook Haven.  Green in his original plan had proposed that the Kersbrook which ran into the river near the Budleigh Brook entrance should be “carried under the cliffs to the Limekiln”.  This is the route it takes today. 

It is of interest that on his map Green marks out a canal running along this route, continuing northward, running parallel with Frogmore Lane and crossing the road out of Otterton.  No doubt he intended to use this to bring trading vessels, such as the “stone” boats, inland.  This was before the age of the railways and Lord Rolle was a leading advocate of canal travel in the South West, hence the Torrington/Rolle Canal which he had built in 1827. He was also involved with the proposed Axmouth/Bridgewater Bay ship canal which did not materialise. 

The next four sections of the plan deal with the construction of the embankment to commence at Thornmill, cross The Runnie, parallel with the Budleigh Brook, then turning south parallel with the river.  About 100/150 yards north of where White Bridge now stands, the river swung westwards back across The Runnie in its meanderings.  At this point a cut was to be made to carry the river a further 100/150 yards to link up with the meandering river which had swung back eastwards again.  

Meanwhile the embankment was to continue parallel with the New Cut, eventually swinging west, as it does today, to finish below the Limekiln, having cut across the Salmon Pool (now the Limekiln Car Park).  This pool at high tides was the principal berthing area for boats bringing in coal and limestone for the kiln and other cargoes. 

The dimensions for the embankment varied in different parts of its route, from four to six feet in height, three feet wide at the top and between twenty-one and twenty-six feet at the base.  The seaward end, from the beginning of the New Cut was to be six feet or two feet above the high spring tides.  Earth to be used was to come from both the Budleigh Brook Cut and the New Cut.  Stones were to be taken from the river mouth and used to pave the embankment from the beginning of the New Cut.  There had to be ten feet between the outer foot of the embankment and the verge of the river.  Excavated earth from the New Cut was to be deposited one half on the east side and the other on the west within the embankment. 

The New Cut was to be “excavated to such depth as to give the water a regular fall from the low water at the upper end to the low water at the lower and the bottom to be 24 feet wide and the slopes on each side as 3 feet horizontal and 1 foot perpendicular”. 

Sections 6 and 7 deal with trunks or sluices, both built under the embankment to “discharge the backwater which may accumulate on the land whilst the tide is up”. 

By December 1810 it was evident to Mr.Green that the embankment at the northern end, from Thornmill to the river, would cause damage to John Cockeram’s land at high tides and he proposes to build a second embankment.  This embankment was to run from the river, near where today, the aqueduct from East Budleigh discharges into the river, in an arc and running south to South Road. Later the railway was built above this path.  The embankment was to be three feet above high water mark.  Mr. Green quotes a price of £419. An amendment to the contract signed in January 1811 states: 

“it has been discovered that in conveying the same into execution a certain watercourse will be diverted and formed to the injury of certain lands belonging to Mr. John Buncombe Cockeram.  Now to avoid such injury the said James Green does hereby agree in consideration of £150 to be paid”   

Then on March 25th, 1811 floods hit the estuary which carried away a bridge in Salterton and did much damage to the street and public highway.  Funds were raised by eleven Salterton residents and Mr. Green was engaged to carry out the necessary repairs and build a new bridge.  Presumably he had to divert labour from the embankment to do this, which caused delays to that work.  By   October  9th, 1811 more delays occurred owing to “a very unusual high tide and other circumstances” quoted by Lord Rolle in a letter to his solicitors, Eales & Jones in Exeter.  He goes on to write: 

“He (Mr. Green) cannot proceed with the Embankment at Otterton, as he informs me, until Spring. This does not accord with the Contract”  

His Lordship did not object to the postponement, but insisted that a bond be raised guaranteeing that the work on the embankment be completed by Midsummer (June 24th) 1812 in the sum of £1,000.  Presumably the work was completed by that time as no further information has come to light.  A letter written by Lord Rolle on October 16th, is of interest where he speaks of Mr. Green :- 

“He is so often starting new matters that I wish I had never been plagued about the Embankment”! 

Two years later Mr. Cockeram at Pulhayes Farm is complaining that the embankment built to carry water off his land (see January 1811 amendment above) “is not now carried off as quickly as heretofore”.  A further agreement was drawn up that a further embankment be built ... 

“joining to present embankment at the river side and continuing to then high ground near Budley Mill (Thornmill) in the line it was formerly made and shall lay down a trunk under the said new embankment, 4ft wide and 20 inches high in the clear with a proper tide door in front by which trunk any backwater that may accumulate between the embankment already made and the new one agreed to be made, may be discharged into the river when the tide is down”.  

This was signed in March 1814. This was effectively increasing the height and width of the original section from Thornmill to the river, as it is today.  A letter dated February 6th, 1815 advising that 230 pipes of caste iron had been landed at Topsham Quay and were being held at Matthew Wardoll’s wharf for collection, these may have been for use at the Embankment.  We have not seen any further papers/letters etc. on the construction of the embankments but assume that the project was finished during 1815.  

There have been for some years stories of French Prisoners of War being employed in building the embankments.  During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793/1815) officers  held on parole  were billeted in the west country in nine towns, which do not include any in South East Devon, the nearest being Tiverton.  The men, mainly naval, were kept in hulks in Millbay, Plymouth or, after 1809, in the new Dartmoor Prison.  This also applied to Americans captured in the war of 1812.  

The P.O.W. system was under the strict control of the Government Transport Board.  P.O.W.’s are recorded as being employed outside their prisons, for a trial period from Dartmoor in February 1810, cutting turf for prison use, and also repairing local roads at 6d per day. “In July 1811 Sir Thomas Tyrwitt successfully applied to the Board to employ 20 French Prisoners to cultivate the Moor under guard. In all 122 prisoners were employed as masons during this period”   

In 1812 twenty French prisoners were employed by the Dartmoor & Roborough Turnpike Trustees to work on building the road in the vicinity of the Prison.  In 1813 more work was carried out, all in the vicinity of the prison until there were rumours of an escape plan.  Work continued until May 19th, 1814 when French prisoners were started to be repatriated, which left room for more American prisoners to be housed. 

A letter written by Lord Rolle to his Exeter Solicitors of 1811 would indicate that Mr. Green organised the labour building the embankment.. 

“Mr. Green has expressed himself in great need of money arrears to pay his labourers, whom, he stated, are very clamourous”. 

This implies that Green is employing local labourers as French P.O.W.’s would not be paid.  If they were employed, Green would have been paying the Transport Board for their services!  There is a possibility that after peace was declared with France on May 20th, 1814 that P.O.W.’s kept at Dartmoor awaiting repatriation, might have been employed building the  extension of 1814, but there are no official records existing to substantiate this and American P.O.W.’s were not used.  

On November 23rd, 1824 a violent storm hit the estuary and town. 

“Considerable damage was caused to houses on the front at Salterton.  Houses and fields were washed away.  The sandy beach became pebbles” “ boats and bathing machines were dashed to atoms” “The Preventive Service House suffered much and their boats drifted out to sea”. (Fairlynch Museum Notes). 

The embankment was breached necessitating repairs during 1825.  It is not known where the breach occurred, but repairs took place starting on August 1st and being finished by November 5th.  Labour cost £600 and total cost including draining the embanked lands was £1,886 17s 6d.

Compiled and researched © Gerald Millington, 2009 

SOURCES:- 

Clinton Devon Estates Archives

Devon Records Office

Fairlynch Museum

Dartmoors War Prison & Church 1805/1817 by Elizabeth Stanbrook 2002

Napoleons Lost Legions, French Prisoners of War in Britain by Gavin Daly 2000

Prisoners of War in Britain 1756 to 1815 by Francis Abell 1914

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