Cornelius Vermuyden and the Reclamation of Canvey Island – 1623

In the early 17th century, Canvey Island in Essex was under increasing threat from tidal flooding by the Thames and the North Sea. Despite this, the local landowners had done little to address the problem. A turning point came when Sir Henry Appleton, a principal landowner, was persuaded by Joas Croppenburg, a wealthy Dutch-born London haberdasher, of the urgent need for land reclamation.

Croppenburg proposed a bold plan: if the landowners would grant him one-third of the island’s land, he would finance the reclamation of the entire area at his own expense. This plan was formalized in a legal agreement dated 9 April 1622, and later affirmed by the High Court of Chancery in 1623.

To carry out the actual engineering work, Croppenburg hired Cornelius Vermuyden, a highly skilled Dutch engineer from the island of Tholen, trained under the famous Jacob van Campen. Vermuyden brought with him a team of 200–300 Dutch workers, experienced in land reclamation techniques.

Vermuyden’s work on Canvey Island was a success. He not only constructed effective sea defences but also reclaimed large areas of land that had previously been submerged. His methods and expertise were so impressive that King Charles I knighted him at Whitehall on 6 January 1628, making him Sir Cornelius Vermuyden.

Vermuyden’s contributions were not limited to Canvey Island—he later applied his skills in other Thames Estuary locations, such as Leigh, Hadleigh, and Dagenham. Despite his significant impact, his role on Canvey Island has often been overshadowed or misattributed solely to Croppenburg.

After the reclamation, many of Vermuyden’s Dutch workers settled on Canvey Island, forming a distinct Dutch colony. This led to cultural and religious tensions with the local English population, culminating in a riot in 1656 over shared use of the Dutch church.

Two Dutch cottages still remain in Canvey Island. One is a private house. The other is operated as a museum by the council.