- The Fos Dyke or Fosse Dyke, was a Roman Canal constructed in c. 120 CE, that connected Lincoln and the River Witham to its Junction with the tidal River Trent at Torksey.
- It is Navigable today by means of a set of locks that permit access to the tidal river Trent at all states of the tide.
Medieval Torksey
- Torksey was a Saxon settlement in 873 CE when a Danish Army raided it. By the time of the Domesday Book (1086 CE) it was considered a suburb of Lincoln. But as the Roman canal repeatedly silted up, its importance diminished after 1335 CE.
Tolls
- ‘Usages governing the collection of tolls at Torksey’ are listed in a Medieval document written in Latin and dating from 1228 CE, which resides in the British Library (Rot.Cott. ii, 14).
- It lists the Tolls and their Exemptions for Goods onboard Ships (and by Land) passing through Torksey.
- The Tolls are priced from 4d (pence) down to a 1/2d on Goods such as 100 Cod, a sack of Wool or a Tun of Wine.
- The document also refers to a network of toll stations along the inland waterway network.
- It can be supposed that Tolls were imposed here during the Roman Period.
Fos Dyke at Torksey