The Wash, as seen looking west from Heacham, Norfolk

The Wash is also the name of a 2001 film.

The Wash is the square-mouthed estuary on the north-west margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, "where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire". It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom. It is fed by the Rivers Witham, Welland, Nene and Great Ouse. Jump to: navigation, search ImageMetadata File history File links The_Wash,_Heacham_beach. ... Jump to: navigation, search ImageMetadata File history File links The_Wash,_Heacham_beach. ... The Wash was a film released in 2001 starring Dr. Dre and DJ Pooh and directed by DJ Pooh. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Jump to: navigation, search Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... Jump to: navigation, search Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing numerous ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits and services. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK... For alternative meanings see: Norfolk (disambiguation) Norfolk (pronounced NOR-fk) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the East Midlands of England. ... The River Witham is a river in the east of England. ... The River Welland is a river in the east of England, 56 km (35 m) long, and it has been a main waterway across the part of The Fens called South Holland for thousands of years. ... The River Nene is a river in the east of England. ... The Great Ouse at St Neots The River Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. ...

Geography

The Wash is a large indentation in the eastern coast of England, separating the curved coast of East Anglia from Lincolnshire. It is formed by a large bay with three roughly straight sides meeting at right angles, each about 25 kilometres (15 miles) in length. The eastern coast of the Wash is entirely within Norfolk, and extends from Hunstanton in the north to the mouth of the River Great Ouse at King's Lynn in the south. The opposing coast, which is roughly parallel to the east coast, runs from Gibraltar Point to the mouth of the River Welland, all within Lincolnshire. The southern coast of the Wash, which runs roughly northwest-southeast, connects these two river mouths, and is punctuated by the mouth of a third river, the River Nene. Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the East Midlands of England. ... For alternative meanings see: Norfolk (disambiguation) Norfolk (pronounced NOR-fk) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ... Hunstanton is a large seaside town in Norfolk, England, facing The Wash. ... The Great Ouse at St Neots The River Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. ... Jump to: navigation, search Map sources for Kings Lynn at grid reference TF6120 Kings Lynn (usually known simply as Lynn locally) is a town in Norfolk, England (population 34,564) on the River Great Ouse. ... Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve is an area of approximately 430 hectares. ... The River Welland is a river in the east of England, 56 km (35 m) long, and it has been a main waterway across the part of The Fens called South Holland for thousands of years. ... The River Nene is a river in the east of England. ...

Inland from The Wash the land is flat, low-lying, and often marshy: This is The Fens of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. Redgrave and Lopham Fen. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the East Midlands of England. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... For alternative meanings see: Norfolk (disambiguation) Norfolk (pronounced NOR-fk) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ...

Owing to deposits of sediment, the coast line of The Wash has altered markedly within historical times; several towns once on the coast of The Wash (notably King's Lynn) are now some distance inland. Much of The Wash itself is very shallow, with several large sandbanks - such as Breast Sand, Bulldog Sand, Roger sand, and Old South Sand - exposed at low tide, especially along its south coast. For this reason, navigation in The Wash can be hazardous for boats. A lightship marks the entrance to the Lynn Channel, the one safe channel from the North Sea to The Wash's south coast. The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ...

Wildlife

The Wash is a Special Protection Area (SPA) under European Union legislation. It is made up of very extensive salt marshes, major intertidal banks of sand and mud, shallow waters and deep channels. The sea-wall at Freiston has been breached in three places to increase the saltmarsh area, to provide an extra habitat for birds, particularly waders and also as a natural flood prevention measure. This last aspect is and example of the recently developing exploration of the possibilities of sustainable coastal management by adopting soft engineering techniques. The same scheme includes new brackish lagoon habitat. A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Commission Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC). ... Jump to: navigation, search Freiston is one of eighteen parishes which, together with Boston, form the Borough of Boston in the county of Lincolnshire, England. ... Habitat (from the Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species lives and grows. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... Families Charadridae Jacanidae Rostratulidae Ibidorhynchidae Recurvirostridae Haematopodidae Scolopacidae Dromadidae Burhinidae Glareolidae Thinocoridae Waders, called Shorebirds in North America (where wader is used to refer to long-legged wading birds such as storks and herons), are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. ... Sustainable - the ability to maintain into perpetuity. ... It has been suggested that Groynes be merged into this article or section. ... Brackish water is water that is saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as sea water. ... A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral reef, or similar feature. ...

On the eastern side of the Wash, one finds low chalk cliffs with their famous stratum of red chalk, at Hunstanton, and gravel pits (lagoons) at RSPB Snettisham which are an important roost for waders at high tide. This SPA borders onto the North Norfolk Coast Special Protection Area. The Needles, part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation Chalk is a soft, white, porous form of limestone composed of the mineral calcium carbonate. ... Cliffs on the banks of the River Severn, near Bristol, England In geography, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. ... Gravel being unloaded from a barge Gravel is rock that is of a certain size range. ... RSPB Snettisham is a nature reserve in the care of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, situated in the county of Norfolk, England, north of Kings Lynn, and close to Sandringham. ...

To the north-west, the Wash extends to Gibraltar Point, another Special Protection Area.

The partially confined nature of the Wash habitats, combined with the ample tidal flows, allows shellfish to breed, especially shrimps, cockles and mussels. Some water birds, e.g. Oystercatchers, feed on shellfish. It is also an important breeding area for Common Terns, and a feeding area for Marsh Harriers. Migrating birds, such as geese, ducks and wading birds, come to The Wash in huge numbers to spend the winter, with an average total of about 300,000 birds. Shellfish is a term used to describe shelled molluscs and crustaceans used as food. ... Superfamilies and families Alpheoidea Alpheidae - snapping shrimps Barbouriidae Hippolytidae Ogyrididae Atyoidea Atyidae Bresilioidea Agostocarididae Alvinocarididae Bresiliidae Disciadidae Mirocarididae Campylonotoidea Bathypalaemonellidae Campylonotoidae Crangonoidea Crangonidae Glyphocrangonidea Galatheacaridoidea Galatheacarididae Nematocarcinoidea Eugonatonotidae Nematocarcinidae Rhynchocinetidae Xiphocarididae Oplophoroidea Oplophoridae Palaemonoidea Anchistioididae Desmocarididae Euryrhynchidae Gnathophyllidae Hymenoceridae Kakaducarididae Palaemonidae Typhlocarididae Pandaloidea Pandalidae Thalassocarididae Pasiphaeoidea Pasiphaeidae Procaridoidea Procarididae Processoidea... Genera Acanthocardia Americardia Cardium Cerastoderma Clinocardium Corculum Ctenocardia Dinocardium Discors Fragum Fulvia Laevicardium Lophocardiium Lyrocardium Lunulicardia Microcardium Nemocardium Papyridea Parvicardium Plagiocardium Ringicardium Trachycardium Trigoniocardia Serripes Cockles are the family Cardiidae of bivalve mollusks. ... Orders A mussel is a bivalve mollusc that can be found in lakes, rivers, creeks, intertidal areas, and throughout the ocean. ... Binomial name Haematopus ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758 The Common Pied Oystercatcher, or in Europe just Oystercatcher is a wader in the Oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. ... Binomial name Sterna hirundo Linnaeus, 1758 The Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. ... Species Circus aeruginosus L. 1758 Circus spilonotus Kaup, 1847 Circus approximans Peale, 1848 The Marsh Harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. ...

It was featured on the television programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Seven Natural Wonders is a television programme that aired on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005. ...

Historical Incident

The most famous incident associated with the Wash is the loss of King John's royal treasure. According to contemporary reports, John travelled from Spalding in Lincolnshire to Bishop's Lynn, in Norfolk, was taken ill and decided to return. While he took the longer route by way of Wisbech, he sent his baggage train, including his crown jewels, along the causeway and ford across the mouth of the Wellstream. This route was usable only on the lower part of the tide. The horse-drawn wagons moved too slowly for the incoming tide, and many were lost. John (December 24, 1166–October 18/19, 1216) reigned as King of England from April 6, 1199, until his death. ... Coronation Chair and Regalia of England The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at various other state functions. ... Jump to: navigation, search Location within the British Isles Spalding is a market town in Lincolnshire, England. ... Jump to: navigation, search Map sources for Kings Lynn at grid reference TF6120 Kings Lynn (usually known simply as Lynn locally) is a town in Norfolk, England (population 34,564) on the River Great Ouse. ...

The present-day location of the accident is normally supposed to be somewhere near Sutton Bridge, on the River Nene. The name of the river changed as a result of re-direction of the Great Ouse during the seventeenth century. Bishop's Lynn became King's Lynn as a result of Henry VIII's re-arrangement of the English Church. The River Nene is a river in the east of England. ... The Great Ouse at St Neots The River Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ...

However, astronomical study permits a reconstruction of the tide tables of the relevant day and it seems most likely, given travel in the usual daylight hours, that the loss was incurred in crossing the Welland estuary at Fosdyke. The River Welland is a river in the east of England, 56 km (35 m) long, and it has been a main waterway across the part of The Fens called South Holland for thousands of years. ... Jump to: navigation, search Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing numerous ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits and services. ... Jump to: navigation, search Fosdyke is one of eighteen parishes which, together with Boston, form the Borough of Boston in the county of Lincolnshire, England. ...

There is also a suspicion that John left his jewels in Lynn as security for a loan and arranged their "loss". This looks likely to be apocryphal. However that may be, he passed the night at Swineshead, moved on to Newark-on-Trent and died of his illness. Newark (also Newark-on-Trent) is a town in Nottinghamshire, located on the River Trent. ...

Landmark

The Boston Stump, a Lincolnshire landmark, can be clearly seen from the Norfolk side of the Wash. UK is dedicated to Saint Botolph, the name Boston possibly being a corruption of Botolphs Town. The Cotton Chapel, named after him, was at one time used as a school, but was restored in 1857. ...

Reference

Poole, A.L. "Domesday Book to Magna Carta, 1087-1216" Oxford History of England. (1955) ISBN 0-19-821707-2. (p.485 gives the official version of John's last days.)