Marl Pit rather than Farmland Pond

Not quick enough tonight to catch the 4 mallard ducks on this Marl Pit just off Elston Lane on the Ribble Way near Grimsargh. There are many of these ponds all over this area.

Marl pits are particulary abundant in the till covered areas of W. Lancs . near Preston and in the Fylde. The first edition 6 in. to 1 mile (1: 10560) Ordnance Survey maps for the area were published in the period 1845-49 and many of the ponds shown at that date still existed in 1970, when most of the survey work was completed. This indicates that the pits are at least 135 years old.

The practice consisted of extracting the marl and spreading it over the fields, often after a crop of hay had been gathered, at a rate in the order of 100 tons per acre. The field was then left fallow for atleasta year before further cultivation. In order to extract the marl , pits were dug, usually with a gentle slope at one side to allow carts to get into and out ofthe pit and with a correspondingly steep opposite bank. Sooner or later in the extraction process springs were encountered and the pits filled with water making further extraction impossible.