Talk:Somerset Levels

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good article Somerset Levels has been listed as one of the Geography and places good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can delist it, or ask for a reassessment.
July 6, 2007 Good article nominee Listed
This article is within the scope of the following WikiProjects:

Contents

[edit] Human habitation

The Bronze Age should precede the Iron Age, though I know nothing of the local archaeology in the Levels. --10:36, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Willow

Shouldn't it be pollarding rather than coppicing that is 'cutting back to the main stem'? Backdooruk 16:12, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

I think coppicing is correct and the description perhaps unclear? 80.42.11.240 23:23, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
Perhaps, however though no longer harvested, most willows on the levels are currently pollarded. Backdooruk 22:48, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Clyst???

In the sea defences a "clyst" is mentioned. What is a clyst? --Cheesy Mike 16:09, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

I think it must be a local term for a dam or sluice gate but I can't find any sources for it.— Rod talk 16:18, 10 June 2007 (UTC)
I now have a copy of Williams, Robin; Romey Williams (1992). The Somerset Levels. Bradford on Avon: Ex Libris Press. ISBN 0948578386.  from the library & it talks about "clyses" (the local name for a sluice) (p72) therefore I will change this (& reference).— Rod talk 10:44, 16 June 2007 (UTC)
Clyses is the pural, the singular is Clyse. Williams, Michael (1970). The Draining of the Somerset Levels. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. The local definition for a tidal sluice. It also appears in Devon, e.g. Clyse Honiton, Clyse Hydon, Clyse St George, Clyse St Lawrence & Clyse St Mary. Pyrotec 17:50, 30 October 2007 (UTC)
I was just browsing maps and found Stoke Clyce, ST 457 487 on the Axe. I can't tell from the map if there is a structure here, but it too far inland to be tidal. This spelling does seem to provide online references to sluices, so this would seem to be an alternative spelling.--Derek Andrews 22:14, 30 October 2007 (UTC)
Found it on the map. Its not tidal now, but in the 12th century the River Axe was navigable to Glastonbury - there are records. Williams (1970) mentions drainage of the Axe valley, 1770-1810, and there are footnotes about Enclosure Acts mentioning sluices, cuts and rhynes. I suspect your clyce is defined in the Enclosure Acts for Stoke and Draycott Moors.Pyrotec 22:41, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Area of proposed inland seas

In a House of Commons debate on the Somerset levels it talks about "Two inland seas projects have been considered, involving low-level water-holding catchment areas, one covering 4,000 sq m, at the cost of £23,000, and the other covering some 75,000 sq m." (Column 298WH) - does anyone think this is miles or meters?— Rod talk 16:14, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

Square miles seems huge, but at the same time in square metres the area looks tiny. There is some interesting context in this document - look at the stuff on "managed realignment". It gives much more information on the option to return part of the levels to the sea. --Cheesy Mike 17:16, 10 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] GA Review

(this is not yet a GA review) It would be realy good to have a map here to show the different rivers, places etc mentioned in the article. GB 08:04, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

I don't have the knowledge skills or software to do this, but I have made a request to User:SFC9394 who has kindly made a variety of maps for wikipedia articles I've been involved with which show the topography of he area. These include Image:Mendip Hills Map.png which already covers some of the Levels area - so I'm hopeful that this may be possible.— Rod talk 09:42, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Article on hold

I have placed the GA nomination of this article on hold. The quality of the article is good, but the lead paragragh seems poor, whilst many many facts in the article seem to go unreferenced (even though in parts of the article the referencing seems ok), there is no referencing on the size of the area. etc. Francisco Tevez 10:48, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the comments - I have reworded the lead & added references for various parts of the article including the area, Alfred the great & willow. Any further advice appreciated.— Rod talk 14:18, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

No problems now. I will mark the nominee as a pass. Francisco Tevez 15:11, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rivers and Drains

The following rivers and drains: Oldbridge River, River Banwell, Lox Yeo, River Sheppey, Decoy Rhine, Whitelake, Pillrow Cut, North Drain, South Drain, Black Ditch, Eighteen Foot Rhine, Horsey Pill, Lopen Brook, Chinnock Water, Sedgemoor Old Rhine, Sowey River, Hamp Brook, Cobb's Cross Stream, North Moor Main Drain, Cannington Brook, River Yeo (Ivel), Bearley Brook, River Cam, Somerset are all redlinks on List of rivers of England. Perhaps they could be incorporated into this article as they may not be notable enough on their own.— Rod talk 07:49, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

Well a good portion of these are manmade. There is already a section on drainage - Somerset Levels#Drainage - if we are going to add all these, perhaps we should spilt drainage out into its own article and link it in back in using:
Main article: Drainage of the Somerset Levels
. Pyrotec 08:09, 23 September 2007 (UTC)
I've also added them to List of locations in the Somerset Levels when I tidied that list up.— Rod talk 19:30, 1 October 2007 (UTC)