Tue 18 Mar 1845
Subcommittee meeting. Memorial to Board of Admiralty explaining links to Stroudwater. By South Wales Railway Bill, it is contemplated to erect two bridges across Severn to southwest of entrance of Stroud Canal at Framilode which will entirely obstruct free and open navigation of river. Proposal to cut a ship canal from Hock Crib to Framilode across isthmus, the Horseshoe. Without canal impossible or extremely dangerous for vessels to navigate river. Impossible to enter at Hock Crib except at high tide, and cannot exit until next high tide. Hock Crib extremely dangerous when south west wind prevails. Humble submission not to sanction scheme.
At a Meeting of the Sub Committee held at Wallbridge on Tuesday the 18h day of March 1845
PresentL M^r W^m Fryer, Jn^o Gurney, W^m J Wood
A Memorial to the Board of Admiralty was agreed upon and measures taken to ascertain when a Deputation should wait on Capt Berkeley.
Copy of the Memorial
To the Lords Commissioners of the Board of Admiralty
The Memorial of the Stroudwater Navigation Company to which their Seal is hereunto affixed.
The Stroud Canal commences at Framilode on the River Severn and ends at the town of Stroud. It is used for the conveyance of Coal from South Wales, the Forest of Dean, Staffordshire and Shropshire and for all kinds of Merchandise and Cord with which it supplies the Manufacturing Districts of the County of Gloucester together with portions of the Counties of Oxford and Berks.
By a Bill now before Parliament called the South Wales Railway it is contemplated to erect two Bridges across the Severn to the South West of the entrance to the Stroud Canal at Framilode either of which your Memorialists submit will entirely obstruct the free and open Navigation of the said River.
Your Memorialists submit that the promoters of the intended Railway are of the same opinion in as much as they propose to cut a Ship Canal from the Hock Crib to Framilode across the Isthmus which is locally termed the Horse Shoe shewing there by that they consider that without such Canal it would be impossible or at least extremely dangerous for Vessels to navigate the said River.
Your Memorialists submit that the proposed Ship Canal will not be an adequate Substitute for the Severn nor afford sufficient accommodation to persons navigating the same, because amongst other reasons, it will be impossible for any Vessel to enter the Hock Crib Entrance of the said Canal except at High Water, because there must be a Tidal delay of twelve hours upon all Vessels entering the said Canal at Hock Crib and bound up the River and because the entrance at Hock Crib will be extremely dangerous especially when a south west wind prevails.
Your Memorialists therefore earnestly implore your Honourable Board to interpose your authority and not to sanction a scheme which as your Memorialists humbly submit will inevitably impeded the free Navigation of the said River and endanger the lives and property of persons navigating the same.
