THE "RED HILLS" OF CANVEY ISLAND. 157
by the sea—in some places thick banks of shells have been laid
down, in others alluvium, deposited on the old land surface when
the sea first encroached on the area, has been swept away. In
spite of local disturbances, however, the results yielded by
excavation at selected points afford undoubted evidence that the
site was occupied in Romano-British times, and perhaps later.
In addition to the objects recovered by myself, in cinerary urns,
Samian ware pots, and other relics have been dug up in recent
years. The results obtained at two of the larger holes dug by
me are shown in the following table:—
Hole A. 20ft. long by 23/4ft. wide and 3ft. to 4ft. deep.
It was situated on the extreme limit of the site and about
250 yards from the sea-wall at Leigh Beck.
Hole B. About 12ft. square by 11/2ft, deep, and was situated
on the sea-shore itself, 150 yards to the south of A and 80 yards
within the line of the broken-down Dutch wall.
At A the burnt earth was 2ft. to 3ft. thick, and was covered
by a foot of alluvium; at B the burnt earth was thinner and in
places reached the surface.
The special character of the subsoil at B and the presence of
broken tile in quantity suggests that this may possibly have been
the site of a domestic hearth, located, perhaps, on the edge of an
industrial area.
Sandy loam containing 40 per cent. of sand was present close-
to the surface at B; at A water entered the hole before the bottom
of the burnt earth was reached. Underlying the sandy loam is a
blue clay, much prized in past years for manufacture of Portland
cement.