Dengie Marsh (EHER 48440)

A small area of improved grassland containing Glebe Farm, which comprises a single large barn and two smaller sheds attached to walled stock enclosures. A cropmark of a counter-wall is visible on the aerial photographs. The boundaries comprise a mix of sinuous and straight ditches.

2014. Historic Grazing Marsh Project. Historic environment character: The marsh was reclaimed by the time of the Chapman and Andre map of 1777 <1>. It is centrally sited within what was once a much larger marsh. An earlier counter wall is recorded from aerial photography on the northern edge of the area. The boundaries comprise a mix of straight and sinuous ditches. Glebe Farm is shown on the 1st edition OS map <2>, there are still buildings there, comprising two narrow sheds with attached stockyards, to the immediate north a large barn has been added. The site is linked by a trackway to Sandbeach to the south and Hockley Farm to the northwest. Character of vegetation: Grassland, remnant of formerly extensive marsh and locally important. Grassland dominated by Meadow foxtail Alopecurus pratensis, soft-brome Bromus hordeaceus, cock’s-foot Dactylis glomerata, Perennial rye-grass Lolium perenne, timothy-grass Phleum pratense and rough meadow-grass poa trivialis. Herbs Grass Vetchling Lathyrus nissolia and Spotted medick Medicago arabica characteristic of grazing marsh are restricted to ditch edges. Sea club-rush Scirpus maritimus, Common reed Phragmites australis, reed sweet-grass Glyceria maxima and lesser-reedmace Typha angustifolia dominant in ditches. Nationally rare species Soft hornwort Ceratophyllum submersum and Golden dock Rumex maritimus also occur in ditches. Threats: Biodiversity – Rare ditch vegetation threatened by drying out and agricultural run-off from surrounding fields. Threatened longer term by land-take for agriculture and lack of traditional management. See <3>.