Durham E-Theses Some physical and economic aspects of water use in the wear basin Kirby, D. A. How to cite: Kirby, D. A. (1968) Some physical and economic aspects of water use in the wear basin, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/9371/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk SO^E PHYSICAL AND BC0N0Iffl3 ASPECTS OF WATER USE IN THE WEAR BASIN being a thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Iftiiversity of Durham D.A. Kirby, B.A. Hatfield College Sona Ftiyateal and Booiiaaip AsDocte of \.&tm Use in the Uoar iiagdn xlbstraet of a thioeio eubcdtted for tho dogroe of Doctor of Hiilo&Gifdii7 by Tfaa ttosls anolyeos tlio ohonglng pat ^om of iiater utiUssation ndtbln ttio vear eatchOEmt ovor tte hlatorio poriod* Firob the evolutLoQ and jjroaont charactaristlce of tiio Durfaco iiater cgrstoa are axoainad* Ulvor dlschar^ ovor tiio imtrloA 1965<"SeptaE)ber 1967 osasurod tlie ereotiw of a gougiiig atstioa at the Alibey i^ir« iXirham^ and rainfall recorder I:;ept ovor fhd oaro fxiriod ^»re appUed to t!^ ccaqputecl reoulta* Seoondly tho XXBQ of t3ieoo viator reaotireea io ciHisidered. Oefore ^030 viater poijor was tdxlocproed and ucod ao a prino OOVCRT in ££tcy aspects of a prodiiotivo ocoocqy* \.ator supply uao org^nisod on a local and facdJy basie^ sntl aIthou{^ tho dralnaf:^o functiono 6C vmtorcGursos vjsre ubiquitous, tlie d^^ty of pcipulation had littlo effeet on the quality of rivor tmter« After 1830 mtcr potior doolinod and \mtor supply be^^on to be argonlsed on a ooisounity basis, iiitli f^straotion fron one ptoit csi a local stroam and the di0tr^J:>ixtlQn of \aatcr by pipe tdthln tlie comunlty, subsequsntly OKtencled iffrbil tho mit of suJifJly bocare a statutcoy area ancl contaiiiod mcQr cora^iiunitlss. The clrainaf^ 2m funeticm of vm^^sapocmroos b^sijo^ mro l^ixectsmt idth the developoent of urban oornmltAQH, and the east&nnlon of sbaSt Qining for coal anc^ load* Sine© 1945 ^mtcr poi^r lum alnsxst cUsappoarod. ^atar Dt^ply is being thonc^t of in rogionaX teros^ aiai tho rolo of l^e l^e^ haa been roduood* Tlio draSxtaga fiction of waierooureea rori^alns lqxa*tant« although effXuoita oust nen/ mintain a hl^ degree of puDrit;^ eoDsecpKxt 0£i the iiicrea&lng ubo of mtercouraea as en r emnXtty* Thia bao aX^asre been of com icpertanee, vdth angLSiig v&EBt±0red since tho dasrs of the 'Latabton Uora* and pleasure boatiiie since th© late aoveniteentdi centm^*- Acknowledgement In the preparation of this thesis many people have given vdll- ingly of their time and interest, and in particular I wish to grate• fully acknowledge the help given by the Lord Barnard, T.D., D.L., J. P., J.E. Fagg, Esq., 11. A. of the Department of Paleography and Diplomatic, University of Durham, and his staff, the Rt. Rev, I'lgr, Paul Grant, L.Ph,, late President of Ushaw College, Professor Russell Hoyle, B.A., Ph.D., M.I. l^ch.E., Hon. A.C.G.I., C. Hunt, Esq., B.A., A. L.A., of the University Library, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, D. Johnson, Esq., Assistant Clerk of Records in the House of Lords, G. Manvers, Esq., of Gateshead Public Library, C.T. Marshall, Esq., B. Sc., Ri.D., and the staff of the Northumbrian River Authority, iC.G. ^^Lller, Esq., Engineer and Surveyor to Durham Rural District Council, and the many other district engineers who were so co-operat• ive, J. Itophy of the Department of Geography of this University for his willing assistance in erecting the gauging station at the Abbey Weir, R.C. Norris, Esq., B.A., A.L.A., of the Chapter Library, Durham, the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Scarbro\:igh, K.G., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., T.D., B.A., LL.D., D.C.L., the Science Research Coimcil for financial suppoirt, W.A.L. Seaman, B.A., Ph.D., Durham County Record Office, and his staff, A. Stoyel, Esq., B.Sc, F.G.S., W. Tulip, Esq., B.Sc., M.I. ^fech.E., North East Regional Secretary C. E.G.B., C. Wade, Esq., Director of the Anglers* Co-operative Association and the many secretaries of local angling clubs, A.C. Wildsinith, Esq., M.I.C.E., M.I.VJ.E., Durham County Water Board, and his staff, and not least ly supervisor for the past four years Professor W.3. Fisher, B.A., Doc. de l»Univ., F.R.A.I., lastly I gratefully acknowledge the considerable debt I owe to :y wife, not only for typing this thesis, but for her imfailing support and encouragement throughout its preparation. CONTENTS Acknowledgement Foreword Part I; The River System Chapter I The River and Its Basin 1 II River Gauging 13 III The Readings and Results 28 Part II: Water Use Chapter IV Water Corn Mils 41 V Other Water tSJLls 63 VI The Lead laming Industry 90 VII The Wear Navigation 107 vin Water Supplies in the pre-Industrial Pferiod 136 IX Water Supply and Drainage 1847-1920 145 X Water Supply and Drainage 1920-1967 196 XI Recreational Use of the Wear 239 Conclusions Select Bibliography Appendix A: Statistical Tables Appendix B: Gazetteer of Water lails List of Figures Pacing Page 1 Geology about the Wear Basin 1 2 Surface Drainage in the Wear Basin 20 3 Daily Discharge at the Abbey Weir,May, 1965 - September,1967 28 4 Precipitation in the Wear Basin 30 5 Precipitation and Drainage Density 31 6 Discharge and Precipitation Regimes I965-7 33 7 Weekly Discharge at the Abbey Weir,May, 1965 - September,1967 35 8 Rainfall Regime for the Abbey Weir over the Standard Period I9I6-I95O 39 9 Water Corn Mills A.D. 1200 45 10 Water Corn Mills A.D. I4OO 46 11 Water Corh Mills A.D. l820 59 12 Sites of Paper Mills 76 13 Water Undertakings in the Wear Basin, I914 I55 14 Evolution of Durham County Water Board I56 15 Piped Water Supply in the Wear Basin,by Districts,1914 I86 16 Water Consumption and Annual Precipitation, 1903 - 1965 190 17 Water Amenities, I95I 217 18 Water Amenities, I96I 218 19 Water Amenities, I966 225 20 Durham County Water Board,Mains Water Distribution, I967 230 21 D.C.W.B. Northern Area of Supply 231 22 D.C.W.B. Central Area of Supply 232 23 D.GW.B. Southern Area of Supply 234 24 Water Abstraction in the Wear Basin 237 25 Recreation and the Wear Basin 245 List of Plates Pacing Page I Gauging Station at the Abbey Weir 15 II The Jesus Mill, Durham 44 III The Abbey Mill, Durham 48 IV The Bishop's Mill, Durham 51 V John Shirley's Map of the River Wear,1731 108 VI The Pant Head, Praawellgate, Durham 140 FOm-JORD 'The dominant idea in all geographical progress', wrote Vidal de la Blanche in 191B 'is that of terrestial imity', and this holistic concept is not out of place fifty years later when Chorley and Haggett quote Ackerman's reminder that the philosophical goal of geography 'is nothing less than the landerstanding of the vast interacting system comprising all humanity and its natural environment on the face of the earth'^. It could thus be said that no geographical study is satisfactory -vijhich did not take into account every aspect of this interacting system, but the fact that innumerable agents are at work does not mean that the role of the individual agent or the place of the individual aspect should not be studied, and this is witnessed by the work of all the specialised scientists. l^hilst no scientist would suggest that he was studying any particular aspect or agent without any reference to its context in the world system, it is the special responsibility of the geographer qua geographer to place the focus of his study very firmly in the context of this 'vast interacting system', and thus in this study of a river system and the use man has made of its waters the physical and human environments have been strongly i. Chorley, R.J. & Haggett, P., I-bdels in Geography, iisthuen, 1967, 35. " — invoked as the essential framework within which the particular aspect ought to be studied. Accordingly, therefore, the following pages contain an examination of the river Wear and its tributaries above the tidal estuary. The thesis . falls into two parts, first a description of the river system, vath an analysis of its origins and present characteristics, followed by a study of the functional inter• relationship of the river and man, set in the context of a changing technological environment. PART I THE RIVER SYSTEM I < CO q: < LiJ $ LiJ I o CD < (5 § a CHAPTER I 1.