Agricultural History Review, Volume 62 Part 1 (2014), pp. 83–97

Warping was the practice of letting turbid river water flood onto arable land, so that its suspended sediment could settle to form a fertile layer, before letting the water drain away. In this way poor soils were covered with fine silt, and their rentable value was increased. A necessary precursor to warping was enclosure by private or parliamentary means, as this would establish ownership of land, enable its demarcation into ‘warpable’ areas and provide the opportunity to make space for warping drains. Little has been written on warping and enclosure but this article suggests that in areas of poor low-lying land adjacent to the Trent in north-west Lindsey, the desire to use the technique was a principal driver to parliamentary enclosure. 

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