THE DUCK DECOYS OF ESSEX.
193
how many pools were operating in any given year, apart from
the immediate past. Five lists of the duck decoys of Essex
have been published. The first was the account given by Sir
R. Payne-Gallwey in 1886 in "The Book of Duck Decoys."
This is the account which is the basis of what knowledge we
have of this Essex industry. This list included three pools in
use, namely: Marsh House, Grange and Old Hall, and twenty-six
out of use, in all twenty-nine decoys. J. E. Harting read a
paper, "Wildfowl Decoys in Essex," before the Essex Field Club
on February 26th, 1887, his list being the same as that of Payne-
Gallwey. The next article was that included in Christy's
The Birds of Essex, published in 1890. This author described
thirty-two decoys, those still in use being Marsh House, Grange
and Old Hall, the last being used only occasionally. Since the
publication of Payne-Gallwey's list E. A. Fitch had discovered
Mayland, Northey Island and Goldhanger (No. 3) Decoys.
In The Victoria History of the County of Essex, 1903, Christy
enumerated thirty-five decoys, the additions being Southminster,
Kirby-le-Soken and Felsted. The present writer gives a list
of thirty-five Essex Duck Decoys, the same as that of Christy,
in A History of the Birds of Essex, published in 1929, the positions
of the pools being marked on the map which accompanies the
book; the only decoy then active was the Grange, the Marsh
House Decoy having been out of use for some years. Harting
and Christy (The Birds of Essex) refer their readers to a map,
on which they had marked the decoys, but I have not been able
to find these maps.
The list which forms part of this paper describes thirty-seven
decoys, the additions being Rolls Farm (Nos. 1 and 2). Of
these, thirty-five are out of use, and in 1936 the Grange was in
full use and the Marsh House partly so, one pipe having been
restored and used during week-ends only.
It is probable that the Dutch type of duck-decoying
commenced in Essex in the second half of the seventeenth
century. The earliest reference to the industry that has come
to my notice is 1679, although it does not prove the existence
of a decoy at that time, and is associated with No. 35, Felsted
Decoy. Steeple Decoy, No. 9, was constructed in 1713 and
first used in 1714. This is the earliest date of the existence of a
decoy in Essex, but the position will be more fully understood
when it is explained that this is the only one for which the date
of construction is known.
What may be described as three classes of decoy-ponds have
been used in our county: 1 Pochard Ponds, 2 Teal Ponds, 3
Pipe Decoys. Pochard Ponds were specially constructed for the
capture of the ducks after which they are named ; being diving