Page 96 THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS.

THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS.

DECOYS IN THE COUNTY OF HUNTINGDON.

Decoys in use. None.	Decoys not in use. Holme Fen.


The fens and meres of Huntingdon before they were reclaimed lay in the NE. of the county, chiefly between Ramsey and Peterborough. The larger meres consisted of Whittlesey (3,000 acres) and Ramsey (1,500 acres), and the smaller, of those known as Ugg Mere and Trundle Mere, as well as other still smaller ones. The fens in partial cultivation surrounded these meres in all directions for many miles, and the principal of them were Farcett Fen, north of Whittlesey Mere, Holme Fen on its south side, Stilton Fen on its west side, and Middle Moor or Fen on its S E. shore. South of Holme Fen was the vast tract of swamp known as The Great Fen. From Earith, near the river Ouse, to Ramsey Mere, the fens covered the entire country, extending a distance of 11 miles uninterruptedly. These fens and meres comprised an area of 44,000 acres, and the latter were finally drained and cultivated in 1852. As far as I can discover, no Decoys existed in Huntingdonshire save that known as Holme Fen Decoy, near Whittlesey Mere. The fens of this county were so frequently flooded that they were not adapted for Decoys, and the difficulty of growing trees or shrubs on such wet land also militated against their formation.

Holme Decoy, between Ramsey and Peterborough, in Holme Fen, 2½ miles E. of Holme, 6 miles S. of Peterborough, and a mile from the south shore of Whittlesey Mere, before the latter was drained. A Decoy was constructed here in the year 1815 by Richard Skelton, son of old George Skelton, who stated to my correspondent, F. Coles, now occupying a farm in Holme Fen, that for the first three or four years the Decoy was drowned by the floods, and he caught no ducks. In the following year he took 200 dozen in seven days, which, counting Teal and Wigeon as half birds, probably represented 3,000 fowl. The pool was about an acre in extent, with three pipes, and was surrounded by 10 acres of rough land, the surrounding fen being then uncultivated.