232
THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
River Gravel, originally continuous from. Southend, through Burnham,
Southminster and Mersea, to Clacton and Walton, has since been breached
by the later rivers, the Crouch, Blackwater and Colne. The outline of the
coast is now largely determined, save for the later accretions of alluvial
mud, by the direction of this old River Terrace. The island, Mr. French
remarked, is the limiting line south of a tract of land with some per-
manency, for all north, until Suffolk is reached, shew river valleys which
have been cut by their present streams. This is not the case with the
land to the south, or at any rate not anywhere near the sea margin. The
ups and downs of that tract as far as the Kentish shore must have
been manifold.
Under Mr. Whitaker's direction a small pit at just over 50 ft. O.D., was.
visited, which showed over 7 ft. of Pleistocene Gravel composed of small
rounded and subangular flint pebbles, with intercalated sand seams, the
upper portion exhibiting contortions ("trail") due probably to grounding
river ice. A considerable portion of the gravel is made up of black flint
pebbles derived from earlier Tertiary beds, and Greensand chert also
occurs.
West Mersea Church was interesting to many of the party. The
square Norman Tower has quoins of Roman bricks and the coarse masonry
is laid in herringbone fashion. Roman bricks are also used in here and
there in the other walls of the Church, and some of the small squared rag-
stone facings, as in the north wall beneath the windows, are most probably
Roman masonry re-used from an earlier building. The interior of the
Church presents fewer features of interest, but the ancient font attracted
special attention by its spacious bowl of Purbeck marble and its style of
transition Norman, and the two chests in the tower are excellent examples
of their kind (see Mr. W. H. Lewer's recently published book The
Church Chests of Essex).
In the grounds of West Hall (inspected by kind permission of the
owner, Mr. Reeves), the basement of the supposed Pharus, or Roman
lighthouse, was an object of very great interest. It has been usually
taken for a Pharus and may have been one ; but if so it certainly does
not class with known ones at Dover and Boulogue, which still stand much
above ground. No doubt, however, exists about its Roman construction
out of Roman material. There were whole-sized bricks of that period
laid in pink and white mortar, and patches of street Roman pavement—
very suggestive of the ancient footways of the former inhabitants ; soldiers,
sailors, and other denizens of a departed city by the sea.
Tea was taken in the old Tythe Barn, now transformed, and a short
formal meeting (the 427th) held, with the President in the chair.
Mrs. Horace Egerton Green, of Waldegrave Cottage, East Mersea,
was elected a member of the Club.
Thanks were accorded to all those who had contributed to the success
of a very interesting excursion.
APPENDIX.—A LIST OF PLANTS OCCURRING IN MERSEA
(NOT EXHAUSTIVE).
The following list has been prepared by Mr. Edwin E. Turner. Al-
though by no means complete, it affords a good idea of the flora of the