THE CONGLOMERATE TRACK 23
eighteenth century maps. From the crossing of the Lea to Marks
Tey, near Colchester, the track generally follows the course pre-
viously described [ 1 ], but several new features have been discovered.
From Epping Upland it crosses the site of the Court Leet Maple,
shown upon old maps as "Cut Maple", a few hundred yards south
of the Church, and we have reason to believe that the stone which
once stood on this spot is the one now lying at Epping Bury Farm.
From the Leet Maple the track follows a straight line to the north-
east, through Hayley Manor Farm, the Cross Keys Stone, Stone
Cottage, and Black Cottage, thus avoiding both the Cripsey and
the Shonks Brooks. An easterly deviation then follows, along a
strip of green road to Rolls Farm, and on to Magdalen Laver. In
a field west of the Church lies the largest puddingstone monolith
of the Essex section.
From the Lavers to Mashbury no further discoveries have been
made, but recent information concerning the original position of
the Mashbury stone placed it in Nightingale Wood, nearly a mile
south of its present site. It marked the ford over the River Can,
for across the stream we ultimately found another stone at Langley
Farm, from whence the track passed through Bedell's Cross and
Fanner's Green to Howe Street. Here the Chelmer was forded, the
ford stone still lying in the yard of the Rectory Farm.
We have re-examined the section from Marks Tey to the Suffolk
border, and have concluded that the probable course led over the
Roman River at the Aldham road ford, then past Aldham Hall
and Gallows Green to Ford Street, where we have found a second
boulder—in the garden of the private house, "Maltings". A
very large slab of "floorstone" lies in the same garden. From the
Colne crossing at Ford Street the track runs northerly to Ford-
ham, then by way of Rams Farm to Little Horkesley Church.
This building was destroyed by enemy action in 1940, and we
vainly searched the ruins for a "pagan" trackstone.
It is almost certain that the crossing of the River Stour was
effected at Nayland, although the canalising of the stream has
destroyed whatever evidence might have existed. From time im-
memorial this has been the traditional fording place, and every
period of prehistory is represented in the many discoveries made
in the area. A gravel ridge leads from the northern bank of the
stream northwards to the great stone at Whitestreet Green, and
we propose to examine this section in greater detail in the
future.
The Suffolk section has proved to be the most difficult of all to
discover, but very recently we have made a series of discoveries
which clearly points out the way for the first ten miles, and indi-
cates the remainder to the county boundary at Thetford. Our
earlier impression that the track went through Semer has proved to