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Mere (lake)
Encyclopedia
Mere in English
refers to a lake
that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere
. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline
.
The word once included the sea or an arm of the sea
, in its range of meaning but this marine usage is now obsolete (OED). It is a poetical or dialect word meaning a sheet of standing water, a lake or a pond (OED). The OED's fourth definition betrays a confusion between mere and wetland
such as fen
in the minds of users of the word which is reflected in the lexicographers' recording of it. In a quotation from the year 598, mere is contrasted against moss (bog) and field against fen. The OED quotation from 1609 does not say what a mere is, except that it looks black. In 1629 mere and marsh were becoming confused. But in 1876 mere was 'heard, at times, applied to ground permanently under water': in other words, a very shallow lake.
The online edition of the OED's quoted examples relate to:
From this it is clear that the balance of the way the word has been interpreted has changed with time but that the 'lake' view of it is the predominant and persistent one.
A good indication of what people of the past thought the word meant can be found in place-names. Though care must be taken to avoid confusion with words derived from the same root as the Latin murus (wall) which generally include the concept of 'boundary'. Also, the Anglo-Saxon ‘mŏr’, from which the modern 'moor
' derives, also refers to low-lying wetlands (such as Sedgemoor, SW England) of which people are no longer generally conscious because they were almost all drained long ago. It is only in place names such as Morton that they are preserved. Conceivably, the Cheshire meres take their name from ‘mŏr’, In the traditional Lancashire, this is unlikely since the nomenclature in that part of the country tends to be Scandinavian rather than Anglo-Saxon so that the lowland moors were called mosses. In early medieval England, its neighbour Cheshire was more of a cultural borderland. However, the mere, Bar Mere is a neighbour of Willey Moor, both well below 500 feet altitude. The Mercian Angles who settled there appear to have recognized the difference. It is also near Bickley Moss, so it appears that the Scandinavians who followed them also found lowland moor but the mere remains a lake.
However 'meres' are found in the south western part of England and were called meres meaning lake despite that the lakes dried up there just before the Roman period, suggesting a possibly Germanic language that developed into old english was spoken in the area. Moors and Meres mean different things and settlers knew this. Also names are hard to change once established especially geographical features, so in Lancashire a change from an Old English name to a Viking one would be difficult considering original names usually stick as is the case for most placenames and names of rivers, streams, mountains etc.
The name Windermere
makes it clear that the narrow meaning adopted by this article has not invariably been taken. Windermere is a lake as much as sixty metres deep in a glacially over-deepened valley. In summer there is a distinct thermocline (M&W). On Wimbledon Common in London
, there are two meres, Rushmere and Kingsmere which almost certainly result from gravel extraction by hand as deeply as the ground water permitted. Kingsmere is beside the A3 road
, the king's road from London to Portsmouth
. They are quite uniformly shallow. In the same place however, Queensmere is dammed in a small valley so that it is a little deeper and narrower. The pre-drainage Martin Mere, in its shallow depression in the sheets of glacial deposits and the ‘flashes’ of Cheshire
, caused by subsidence when underground rock salt deposits have been dissolved away are meres but the archetypal mere is that of fenland which possibly explains the confusion between it and fen. The mere in which Grendel and his mother lived seems clearly to have been of this sort. The Beowulf
story, in which we read of them, was probably written in the seventh or eighth century (C-H p. 29 though this date is far from secure). OED (Supplement) quotes use of the word mere in translations of the Beowulf story from 1849 onwards.
The populations from the English Danelaw
who settled in Normandy
around the 10th Century used the Old Norse marr 'sea' combined with the Old English mere to mean 'stagnant water' or 'pond', that became mare. They dug out such ponds in every property especially in The Caux region
and the Roumois region
. That is the reason why the place-names ending with -mare in these regions resemble so much those ending with -mere in England . A part of them are composed of the owner's name (mainly Scandinavian or Anglo-saxon), for instance : Alvimare
'Alwin's pond'; Colmare 'koli's pond'; Vicquemare
'Vigi's pond'; etc. or adjectives (Romance or Anglo-Norse) like Brémare 'large pond' or Houllemare 'hollow pond'.
and bog
, the remnants of the original mere remain until the whole is filled with peat. This can be delayed where the mere is fed by lime-rich water from chalk or limestone upland and a significant proportion of the outflow from the mere takes the form of evaporation. In these circumstances, the lime (typically calcium carbonate
) is deposited on the peaty bed and inhibits plant growth therefore peat formation. A typical feature of these meres is that they are alongside a river rather than having the river flowing through them. In this way, the mere is replenished by seepage from the bed of the lime-rich river, through the river's natural levée
, or by winter floods. The water of the mere is then static through the summer, when the concentration of the calcium carbonate rises until it is precipitated
on the bed of the mere.
Even quite shallow lake water can develop a thermocline in the short term but where there is a moderately windy climate, the circulation caused by wind drift is sufficient to break this up. (The surface is blown down-wind in a seiche
and a return current passes either near the bottom or just above the thermocline if that is present at a sufficient depth.) This means that the bed of the shallow mere is aerated and bottom-feeding fish and wildfowl can survive, providing a livelihood for people around. Expressed more technically, the mere consists entirely of the epilimnion
. This is quite unlike Windermere where in summer, there is a sharp thermocline at a depth of 9 to 15 metres, well above the maximum depth of 60 metres or so. (M&W p36)
At first sight, the defining feature of a mere is its breadth in relation to its shallow depth. This means that it has a large surface in proportion to the volume of water it contains. However, there is a limiting depth beyond which a lake does not behave as a mere since the sun does not warm the deeper water and the wind does not mix it. Here, a thermocline develops but where the limiting dimensions lie is influenced by the sunniness and windiness of the site and the murkiness of the water. This last usually depends on how eutrophic (rich in plant nutrients) the water is. Nonetheless, in general, with the enlargement of the extent of a mere, the depth has to become proportionately less if it is to behave as a mere.
of eastern England, as well as fen, lowland moor (bog) and other habitats included a number of meres. As at Martin Mere in Lancashire
, when the fens were being drained to convert the land to pasture and arable agriculture, the meres went too but some are easily traced owing to the characteristic soil. For the reasons given above, it is rich in both calcium carbonate and humus. On the ground, its paleness stands out against the surrounding black, humic soils
and on the soil map, the former meres show as patches of the Willingham soil association, code number 372 (Soil Map).
Apart from those drained in the medieval period, they are shown in Saxton's map of the counties (as they were in his time) of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. The following is a list of known meres of the eastern English Fenland with their grid references
.
Saxton's meres are named as:
In Jonas Moor's 'map of the Great Levell of the Fenns' of 1720, though Trundle Mere is not named, the above are all but one, included with the addition of:
In the interval, Stretham Mere had gone and the main features of the modern drainage pattern had appeared.
Ugg, Ramsey and Benwick meres do not show in the soil map. Others which do but which appear to have been drained before Saxton's mapping in 1576, are at:
The last appears to be the "mare 'Wide' vocatum" of Robert of Swaffham's version of the Hereward
story (Chapter XXVI). If it is, it will have been in existence in the 1070s, when the events of the story took place.
, particularly in Holland. See Haarlemmermeer, for example. However, the Dutch word meer is used more generally than the English 'mere'. It means 'lake'. When the Zuider Zee
was enclosed and its salt water became fresh, it changed its status from a sea (zee) to being known as the IJsselmeer
, the lake into which the River IJssel
flows.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
refers to a lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere
Martin Mere
Martin Mere is a mere near Burscough, Lancashire, England on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around that, until it was drained, was the largest body of fresh water in England.-History:...
. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline
Thermocline
A thermocline is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid , in which temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below...
.
Etymology
The word mere is recorded in Old English, corresponding to Old Saxon meri, Old Low Franconian *meri (Dutch meer), Old High German mari / meri (German Meer), Goth. mari-, marei, Old Norse marr (Swedish mar-, French mare). They derive from reconstituted Germanic *mari, itself from Indo-European *mori, the same root as marsh and moor. The Indo-European root gave also birth to similar words in the other European languages : Latin mare 'sea' (Italian mare, French mer), Old Celtic *mori 'sea' (Gaulish mori-, more, Irish muir, Welsh môr, Breton mor), Old Slavic morje.Signification
Arm of the sea
An arm of the sea may refer to a sea loch or:*Arms of the Sea, a 2006 album by Celtic musician Heather Alexander*Nullah, in Hindi*Gulf of Lune, a fictitious sea arm in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy universe...
, in its range of meaning but this marine usage is now obsolete (OED). It is a poetical or dialect word meaning a sheet of standing water, a lake or a pond (OED). The OED's fourth definition betrays a confusion between mere and wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
such as fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
in the minds of users of the word which is reflected in the lexicographers' recording of it. In a quotation from the year 598, mere is contrasted against moss (bog) and field against fen. The OED quotation from 1609 does not say what a mere is, except that it looks black. In 1629 mere and marsh were becoming confused. But in 1876 mere was 'heard, at times, applied to ground permanently under water': in other words, a very shallow lake.
The online edition of the OED's quoted examples relate to:
- the sea: Old English to 1530: 7 quotations
- standing water: Old English to 1998: 22 quotations
- arm of the sea: 1573 to 1676: 4 quotations
- marsh or fen: 1609 to 1995: 7 quotations
From this it is clear that the balance of the way the word has been interpreted has changed with time but that the 'lake' view of it is the predominant and persistent one.
A good indication of what people of the past thought the word meant can be found in place-names. Though care must be taken to avoid confusion with words derived from the same root as the Latin murus (wall) which generally include the concept of 'boundary'. Also, the Anglo-Saxon ‘mŏr’, from which the modern 'moor
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
' derives, also refers to low-lying wetlands (such as Sedgemoor, SW England) of which people are no longer generally conscious because they were almost all drained long ago. It is only in place names such as Morton that they are preserved. Conceivably, the Cheshire meres take their name from ‘mŏr’, In the traditional Lancashire, this is unlikely since the nomenclature in that part of the country tends to be Scandinavian rather than Anglo-Saxon so that the lowland moors were called mosses. In early medieval England, its neighbour Cheshire was more of a cultural borderland. However, the mere, Bar Mere is a neighbour of Willey Moor, both well below 500 feet altitude. The Mercian Angles who settled there appear to have recognized the difference. It is also near Bickley Moss, so it appears that the Scandinavians who followed them also found lowland moor but the mere remains a lake.
However 'meres' are found in the south western part of England and were called meres meaning lake despite that the lakes dried up there just before the Roman period, suggesting a possibly Germanic language that developed into old english was spoken in the area. Moors and Meres mean different things and settlers knew this. Also names are hard to change once established especially geographical features, so in Lancashire a change from an Old English name to a Viking one would be difficult considering original names usually stick as is the case for most placenames and names of rivers, streams, mountains etc.
Windermere (lake)
Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. It is a ribbon lake formed in a glacial trough after the retreat of ice at the start of the current interglacial. It has been one of the country’s most popular places for holidays and summer homes since the arrival of the Kendal and Windermere...
makes it clear that the narrow meaning adopted by this article has not invariably been taken. Windermere is a lake as much as sixty metres deep in a glacially over-deepened valley. In summer there is a distinct thermocline (M&W). On Wimbledon Common in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, there are two meres, Rushmere and Kingsmere which almost certainly result from gravel extraction by hand as deeply as the ground water permitted. Kingsmere is beside the A3 road
A3 road
The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road for much of its length, is a dual carriageway, or expressway, which follows the historic route between London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified as a trunk road...
, the king's road from London to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. They are quite uniformly shallow. In the same place however, Queensmere is dammed in a small valley so that it is a little deeper and narrower. The pre-drainage Martin Mere, in its shallow depression in the sheets of glacial deposits and the ‘flashes’ of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, caused by subsidence when underground rock salt deposits have been dissolved away are meres but the archetypal mere is that of fenland which possibly explains the confusion between it and fen. The mere in which Grendel and his mother lived seems clearly to have been of this sort. The Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
story, in which we read of them, was probably written in the seventh or eighth century (C-H p. 29 though this date is far from secure). OED (Supplement) quotes use of the word mere in translations of the Beowulf story from 1849 onwards.
The populations from the English Danelaw
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
who settled in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
around the 10th Century used the Old Norse marr 'sea' combined with the Old English mere to mean 'stagnant water' or 'pond', that became mare. They dug out such ponds in every property especially in The Caux region
Pays de Caux
The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French département of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs on the English Channel coast - its coastline is known as the Côte d'Albâtre...
and the Roumois region
Roumois
The Roumois, , the region round Rouen is a region of plateau located in the northwestern part of the Eure département in Normandy.Its boundaries are the Seine downstream of Elbeuf to the north, to the west the Risle valley and the plain of Le Neubourg to the south. The communes are Bourg-Achard...
. That is the reason why the place-names ending with -mare in these regions resemble so much those ending with -mere in England . A part of them are composed of the owner's name (mainly Scandinavian or Anglo-saxon), for instance : Alvimare
Alvimare
Alvimare is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A farming village situated some east of Le Havre, at the junction of the N15 and the D104.-Population:-Places of interest:...
'Alwin's pond'; Colmare 'koli's pond'; Vicquemare
Prétot-Vicquemare
Prétot-Vicquemare is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A very small farming village situated in the Pays de Caux, some northwest of Rouen at the junction of the D25, D27 and the D106 roads....
'Vigi's pond'; etc. or adjectives (Romance or Anglo-Norse) like Brémare 'large pond' or Houllemare 'hollow pond'.
Characteristics
Where land similar to that of Martin Mere, gently undulating glacial till, becomes flooded and develops fenFen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
and bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
, the remnants of the original mere remain until the whole is filled with peat. This can be delayed where the mere is fed by lime-rich water from chalk or limestone upland and a significant proportion of the outflow from the mere takes the form of evaporation. In these circumstances, the lime (typically calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...
) is deposited on the peaty bed and inhibits plant growth therefore peat formation. A typical feature of these meres is that they are alongside a river rather than having the river flowing through them. In this way, the mere is replenished by seepage from the bed of the lime-rich river, through the river's natural levée
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
, or by winter floods. The water of the mere is then static through the summer, when the concentration of the calcium carbonate rises until it is precipitated
Precipitation (chemistry)
Precipitation is the formation of a solid in a solution or inside anothersolid during a chemical reaction or by diffusion in a solid. When the reaction occurs in a liquid, the solid formed is called the precipitate, or when compacted by a centrifuge, a pellet. The liquid remaining above the solid...
on the bed of the mere.
Even quite shallow lake water can develop a thermocline in the short term but where there is a moderately windy climate, the circulation caused by wind drift is sufficient to break this up. (The surface is blown down-wind in a seiche
Seiche
A seiche is a standing wave in an enclosed or partially enclosed body of water. Seiches and seiche-related phenomena have been observed on lakes, reservoirs, swimming pools, bays, harbors and seas...
and a return current passes either near the bottom or just above the thermocline if that is present at a sufficient depth.) This means that the bed of the shallow mere is aerated and bottom-feeding fish and wildfowl can survive, providing a livelihood for people around. Expressed more technically, the mere consists entirely of the epilimnion
Epilimnion
The epilimnion is the top-most layer in a thermally stratified lake, occurring above the deeper hypolimnion. It is warmer and typically has a higher pH, but lower dissolved oxygen concentration than the hypolimnion....
. This is quite unlike Windermere where in summer, there is a sharp thermocline at a depth of 9 to 15 metres, well above the maximum depth of 60 metres or so. (M&W p36)
At first sight, the defining feature of a mere is its breadth in relation to its shallow depth. This means that it has a large surface in proportion to the volume of water it contains. However, there is a limiting depth beyond which a lake does not behave as a mere since the sun does not warm the deeper water and the wind does not mix it. Here, a thermocline develops but where the limiting dimensions lie is influenced by the sunniness and windiness of the site and the murkiness of the water. This last usually depends on how eutrophic (rich in plant nutrients) the water is. Nonetheless, in general, with the enlargement of the extent of a mere, the depth has to become proportionately less if it is to behave as a mere.
English meres
- Aqualate MereAqualate MereAqualate Mere is the largest natural lake in the English Midlands and is managed as a National Nature Reserve by Natural England. It is a remnant of the prehistoric Lake Lapworth....
, StaffordshireStaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders... - Horsey MereHorsey MereHorsey Mere is one of the Norfolk Broads in the east of England; it is one of the more northerly broads close to the North Sea coast.It is reached by Hickling Broad and the River Thurne. The nearest settlements are Horsey and West Somerton....
, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county... - Scoulton Mere, Norfolk
- ButtermereButtermereButtermere is a lake in the English Lake District in North West England. The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. Historically within the former county of Cumberland, the lake is now within the county of Cumbria. It is owned by the National Trust, forming part of their...
, CumbriaCumbriaCumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
(Lake District) - GrasmereGrasmere (lake)Grasmere is one of the smaller lakes of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It gives its name to the village of Grasmere, famously associated with the poet William Wordsworth, which lies immediately to the north of the lake....
, CumbriaCumbriaCumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
(Lake District) - ThirlmereThirlmereThirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. It runs roughly south to north, with a dam at the northern end, and is bordered on the eastern side by the A591 road and on the western side by a minor road....
, CumbriaCumbriaCumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
(Lake District) - WindermereWindermereWindermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...
, CumbriaCumbriaCumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
(Lake District) - Many examples in CheshireCheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, including:- Comber Mere
- Tatton Mere
- Rostherne Mere
- Pick Mere
- Budworth Mere
- Oak Mere
- Hatch Mere
- Shakerley Mere
- Redes Mere
- Radnor Mere
Fenland
The FensThe Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
of eastern England, as well as fen, lowland moor (bog) and other habitats included a number of meres. As at Martin Mere in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, when the fens were being drained to convert the land to pasture and arable agriculture, the meres went too but some are easily traced owing to the characteristic soil. For the reasons given above, it is rich in both calcium carbonate and humus. On the ground, its paleness stands out against the surrounding black, humic soils
Muck (soil)
Muck is a soil made up primarily of humus from drained swampland. It is known as black soil in The Fens of eastern England, where it was originally mainly fen and bog. It is used there, as in the United States, for growing specialty crops such as onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes...
and on the soil map, the former meres show as patches of the Willingham soil association, code number 372 (Soil Map).
Apart from those drained in the medieval period, they are shown in Saxton's map of the counties (as they were in his time) of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. The following is a list of known meres of the eastern English Fenland with their grid references
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
.
Saxton's meres are named as:
- Trundle Mere TL2091
- Whittlesey MereWhittlesey MereWhittlesey Mere was an area of open water in the Fenland area of the county of Huntingdonshire , England.It occupied the land south-east of Yaxley Fen, south of Farcet Fen and north of Holme Fen. The town of Whittlesey lay to the north-east.Whittlesey Mere was the last of the 'great meres' to be...
TL2291 - Stretham Mere TL5272
- Soham Mere. TL5773
- Ug Mere TL2487
- Ramsey Mere TL3189
In Jonas Moor's 'map of the Great Levell of the Fenns' of 1720, though Trundle Mere is not named, the above are all but one, included with the addition of:
- Benwick Mere TL3489
In the interval, Stretham Mere had gone and the main features of the modern drainage pattern had appeared.
Ugg, Ramsey and Benwick meres do not show in the soil map. Others which do but which appear to have been drained before Saxton's mapping in 1576, are at:
- TL630875
- TL6884
- TL5375
- TL5898
The last appears to be the "mare 'Wide' vocatum" of Robert of Swaffham's version of the Hereward
Hereward the Wake
Hereward the Wake , known in his own times as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile, was an 11th-century leader of local resistance to the Norman conquest of England....
story (Chapter XXVI). If it is, it will have been in existence in the 1070s, when the events of the story took place.
Meres in the Netherlands
Meres similar to those of the English Fens but more numerous and extensive, used to exist in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, particularly in Holland. See Haarlemmermeer, for example. However, the Dutch word meer is used more generally than the English 'mere'. It means 'lake'. When the Zuider Zee
Zuider Zee
The Zuiderzee was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km inland and at most 50 km wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 metres and a coastline of about 300 km . It covered...
was enclosed and its salt water became fresh, it changed its status from a sea (zee) to being known as the IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer is a shallow artificial lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. The IJsselmeer is the largest lake in Western Europe....
, the lake into which the River IJssel
IJssel
River IJssel , sometimes called Gelderse IJssel to avoid confusion with its Hollandse IJssel namesake in the west of the Netherlands, is a branch of the Rhine in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel...
flows.