The Tofts facts for kids

The Tofts is a long, raised strip of land on the coast of Lincolnshire, England. It stretches for about 0.8 to 1 kilometer (about half a mile) wide. This land runs next to The Wash, a large bay on the east coast. It goes between the villages of Wainfleet All Saints and Wrangle.

What Are The Tofts?

The Tofts is much higher than the land around it. At its highest point, Sailholme, it reaches about 8 meters (26 feet) above sea level. Near Wainfleet All Saints, it is 7 meters (23 feet) high. Most of the Tofts is 5 to 6 meters (16 to 20 feet) above sea level.

This is much higher than the 'Low Grounds' to the north, which are only 2 to 3 meters (7 to 10 feet) high. It's also higher than 'the Marsh' near the sea, which is 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) high.

Even though we call the whole area "The Tofts," different parts are named after the nearby villages. These include Wainfleet Tofts, Friskney Tofts, and Wrangle Tofts.

How The Tofts Formed

The exact way The Tofts formed is not fully clear. During the time of Roman Britain, about 2,000 years ago, the land between Sibsey and East Keal and West Keal was likely a large, low area. This area probably had fenland (wetlands), salt marshes, and muddy areas covered by tides.

Experts from the British Geological Survey say that the side of The Tofts facing the sea is made of sand and stones left behind by strong storms. Other experts who studied the Fenland Project believe that the way tides work in The Wash would not normally create a natural sand bar like The Tofts. This suggests that people might have helped create it. However it formed, by about AD 500, a sand bar was definitely in place along the coast where The Tofts now stands.

People and The Tofts

Early Settlements

There isn't much proof of people living on The Tofts before the 11th century. But by the 1000s, villages like Friskney, Wolmersty, and Wrangle had grown on this raised land. Wainfleet was built on a natural ridge of land (called a roddon) at the northern end.

The Tofts was very important because it acted as a natural barrier against the sea. An old path that ran along The Tofts was even called a "sea-dyke" by a historian named H. E. Hallam.

Salt Making History

During the Middle Ages, people made salt near The Tofts. In 1086, the Domesday Book mentioned 56 places for making salt (called salterns) between Leake and Wainfleet. Many old documents also talk about salt production by the people living there.

The long, narrow pieces of land used by salt makers were called "tofts." This is how the area got its name! The process of making salt from salt marshes also created a lot of waste material. This waste slowly built up in the harbors (havens) at Wrangle, Wainfleet, and Friskney, and along the rivers (estuaries) near The Tofts.

A geographer named Ian Simmons suggested that this salt-making process, with all the salterns along the coast, actually caused the coastline to move further out to sea. The top 2 to 3 meters (7 to 10 feet) of The Tofts are made of fine soil (silt) and sand. These layers are probably human-made, left over from all the salt-making waste.

Changes Over Time

Over time, the large piles of salt waste on The Tofts were flattened and turned into farmland. We don't know exactly when this happened. The salt-making industry faced problems because of storms in the late 1500s and stopped completely in the early 1600s.

The Marsh area, which faces the sea, also grew bigger as people started reclaiming land from the sea in the 1600s. Maps from the 1800s show many long, thin fields. These fields likely show where the old salterns used to be. In some places, the old medieval salt-making huts have been replaced by farms and houses today.