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The harbour of Rye in the 19th Century
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Failure of the New Harbour (Smeaton’s Harbour) after 1787 necessitated re-opening the old channel, choked with mussel beds and beach. Shipping had declined but revived slowly and was followed by the imposition of a Toll of 1 shilling a ton. Coal imports, unloaded within the harbour, had increased from 439 tons (1718) to 44521 tons (1820). There was constant trouble between the large landowners and the people of Rye over the sluices built at Scot Float and on the River Brede. In 1812, the Scot Float gave way and sea water reached Bodiam. |
Successive tides scoured and deepened the Rother; commercial traffic using the Royal Military Canal peaked at this time. Hopes for Rye developing a flourishing entrepot were dashed by the upstream landowners (who were also Commissioners of the Upper Levels). They rebuilt the sluice in such a way that silting prevented barges from using the waterway.
| The Brede sluice was also built so that scouring was impossible and in a short time the river became an agricultural drain instead of a trading waterway. In 1817, the sluice was attacked by ‘ Ryers’ and subsequent legal action found favour with the Harbour Commission. Similar threats were made against the Scot Float sluice and again the decision favoured Rye. Reconstruction of the Float was to take place but nothing happened until 1830 when this sluice was attacked - despite the Riot Act being read! |
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At this time legislation put certain requirements on sluice construction, these were ignored and manipulated by landowners resulting in the water above the sluices being only just navigable. However, downstream of the sluices, the Harbour maintained and improved coastal trade in fishing and shipbuilding. In 1835, a stone jetty was constructed on the Eastern side of the Harbour running to the sea. This increased freshwater and ebb tide flow by forcing the water through a channel, thus scouring and deepening the harbour mouth.
