Contemporaries opposed fen drainage on ecological rather than merely economic grounds

Evidence

Intellectual opposition to the fen projects was based on both ecological and social arguments. Some people maintained that it was wrong to interfere with the design of nature, because “Fens were made fens and must ever continue such.” William Camden, noting the example of the ill-famed Pontine marshes of Italy, which had been beset by periodic erosion, flooding, and malaria, admonished that “Many think it the wisest and best course … not to intermeddle at all with that which God hath ordained.” (In Italy, as in England, marsh dwellers destroyed dikes and sluices.) Winter floods, it was stated, had served a useful function in making the summer meadows more fruitful: “Overflowing much enricheth those grounds, so that more draining would be very hurtful to them. These grounds … cannot be spared or bettered by the industry of the undertakers.” In some instances, draining the fens had made them too cold for pasture, and their value had actually been lowered. — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature, 301

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Fen drainage enriched wealthy landlords while destroying peasants’ common-supported livelihoods — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology,…, 296

Broader Connections

• Fen drainage enriched wealthy landlords while destroying peasants’ common-supported livelihoods #complicates (0.80) — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature, 296