PILE-DWELLING SITE AT SKITT'S HILL, BRAINTREE. 143
the surface of the relic-bed. This is black hand-made pottery
of the bronze or early iron ages. (A, Plate XXVII.)
In the brick earth above were several fragments of Romano-
British pottery, from depths of 2 feet to 4 feet 6 inches. These
have been recorded by Mr. Kenworthy as they have occurred
from time to time during the removal of the brick-earth, and sent
by him to the museum to be added to the other objects from
this site. They are mostly of the grey ware with the base of a
large pot, nine inches wide, of black ware, red inside.
General Remarks.
It would seem that this portion of the relic-bed was an
unfavourable place from which to obtain evidence relating to
the pile-structures. From the small portion of this level that
was occupied by the black earth characteristic of this bed and
the scarcity of the relics as compared with the portions
previously excavated, it would appear to represent a break in
the artificial construction, if such it be.
There was nothing in the position of the logs to warrant the
supposition that they had been placed to secure the bed. The
large log lying along the edge of the deposit might be con-
sidered to indicate its having been so placed to protect the bed
on this edge, (See Plan, Fig. 3, and Section, Fig. 5.)
On the other hand it might be argued that the black deposit
had accumulated there owing to the log having fallen in that
position. The logs being stripped of their branches might
equally be the result of rolling in the stream as that of human
agency, and in fact logs are usually so found in alluvial
deposits.
During the whole history of this river since it began to fill up
the old bed, it seems to have been an extremely sluggish stream,
depositing very fine clay from the base up to a height of 10-11
feet, over which, largely by the action of rain wash, the
brick-earth has accumulated. It is interesting to notice that
this change in the deposit from clay to brick-earth appears to
have taken place about the period of the Roman occupation.
The only breaks in this slow regular deposition are seen
first at a (I., Fig. 4), where a layer of pebbles and sand occurs.
This is a thin layer only two inches deep, but shows some short
and temporary change, during which the carrying powers of the