WOODBRIDGE,
SUFFOLK
In
a late nineteenth century account of the geology of this area it was mentioned
that it was a common practise in Suffolk to cover manure heaps with the sand
from the Crag as it acted as an absorbant; but, a
more profitable use was referred to. The shelly Crag
contained a high percentage of phosphate, as well as carbonate of lime from the
shells and this was used on the soil as a fertiliser. The earliest notice of
the employment of Crag as a fertiliser was recorded in a geological paper on
the county.
At
Woodbridge in Suffolk,... there are some Pits...
consisting of several Strata of Shells from the Bottom to within about nine
Feet from the Surface, where the natural Soil of Gravel and Sand begins... The
Farmer, in whose Ground these Shells are, has, as I am informed, laid the
Foundation of an ample Fortune from them. The Man contented himself in the old beateb Track of the Farmers,...
till a happy Accident forced him on a bold Improvement. He used to mend his Cartways... with these Shells; in which Business his Cast
one Day broke down, and threw the Shells out of the Cart Track into the
cultivated Part of the Field. This spot produced so remarkable a Crop next
Year, that he put some Loads upon a particular Piece, kept the Secret to himself,
and waited the Event. This Trial answering Expectation, he directly took a
Lease of a large Quantity of poor Land, a about five Shillings the Acre; and
having manur‘d it heartily with these Shells, in
about three Years it turned to so good an Account, that he had 15 Shillings an
Acre proffer‘d to take the Lease out of his Hands.”
(Rev.R.Pickering,Phil.Trans.vol.xliii,1745, no.474, pp19 1-2; in W.Whitaker, ”Geology of Ipswich Etc.”1885,
pp101-2.)
Whilst
there has been no actual documentation for workings in the parish the 1873
trade directory pointed out that,
Since
1845, considerable excavations have been made in the neighbourhood for ”coprolites”, so called. These phosphorated
nodules are found in the crag. They are chemically prepared and are extensively
used for agricultural purposes. The diggings have brought to light numerous
fossils, which appear to have been washed from the London clay and other
strata, as they present, like the nodules, a water-worn appearance.”
(Kelly‘s 1873)
There
is the possibility that Edward Packard, one of the leading manure manufacturers
during those days and who lived in Woodbridge, may
have had arrangements made with farmers or landowners where the coprolites were
found in the numerous crag pits that dotted the valley sides and had the
fossils sent to his Ipswich works. Unfortunately no records exist of such
undertakings.