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Corporation of London
In the late 12th century, Richard the Lion Heart, had returned from the crusades, and needed to raise funds. He sold the care of the River Thames to the Mayor and Corporation of the City of London for the sum of 1,500 marks. In theory this covered the whole river, but in reality, it stretched from Yantlet Creek in the east to Staines in the west, where a boundary stone can still be seen on the riverbank.
Major powers included the right to remove or tax obstructions such as weirs and fish traps, and control the locations where goods could be unloaded.
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The London Stone |
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The Thames Commissioners
In 1605, during the reign of James 1, a commission was set up to manage the river between Oxford and Burcot. Its success resulted in the forming of the Thames Commission in 1751, under George II, to manage all of the river above Staines. In 1770, after refining the management, it gained extra powers, and was soon responsible for the building of the first pound lock, at Boulter's Lock in 1772.
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