A HISTORY OF ESSEX Colne and Harwich. Mr. Redman observed in 1864, that ' At Holland the mere basements of the east buttresses of the church are left, indicat- ing the site of the ruins. Here, on a mile of frontage, three acres of land have been lost in eight years, equal to a recession of one yard per annum.' 1 In January, 1901, an extensive landslip took place at Frinton, when hundreds of tons of the cliff fell away on to the foreshore and into the sea. That land is elsewhere growing by the process of reclamation has been indicated, but in this respect it is only a partial recovery of lost ground. That the sea has in comparatively recent times burst over the present artificial bounds is indicated by the marine beach-deposits of shelly sand and shingle which are found on Shoebury Common. Similar patches occur in Foulness Island, and in the marshes east of Burnham and Southminster, Tillingham and Bradwell.* Among the shells the periwinkle, mussel, and more especially the common cockle are to be found. Formerly the shelly deposit at Tillingham was dug for manur- ing the land. In early times the settlers being dependent on ready local supplies of drinking-water from wells and springs fixed their habitations on the Thames valley gravels or on the Bagshot Sands or Glacial gravels, or on the Chalk. Settlements on the areas of London Clay were rare, until with the finding of artesian water abundant supplies could be obtained below ground and transmitted from a short distance. It is noteworthy that along the western side of the Lea valley in Hertfordshire and Middlesex a number of important villages grew up on the broad tracts of valley gravel, while on the eastern and more clayey side in Essex the villages are few and far between, Waltham Abbey being the only place of particular note, and this is situated on gravel. The same remarks apply to large areas of London Clay between Brentwood and Rayleigh. Over great part of Essex however gravelly and sandy beds occur here and there in the Boulder Clay, and these throw out springs, some of which, however, are far from permanent, failing in dry summer weather. The larger independent masses of Glacial sand and gravel afford more enduring supplies. Among the noteworthy permanent springs is one known as Crom- well's Well, at Maldon, which issues from the Glacial gravels ; but there are numerous others, not the least important being those which issue from the Chalk (see p. 6). An old writer mentions a chalybeate spring at Witham, and another spring that issues from a hill (probably Chadwell) two miles from the river at Tilbury, remarking that 'It makes excellent Punch, and is ex- tremely good for Tea.' 3 Other mineral springs have been noted at Woodford, Chigwell, Brentwood and North Upminster. 1 J. B. Redman, ' The East Coast between the Thames and the Wash Estuaries,' Pnc . Inst. C. ., vol. xxiii. p. 1 86 ; see also W. H. Dalton, Geol. Mag. 1876, p. 492. 2 See Whitaker, Geology of London, vol. i. p. 478. 3 R. Russel, Dissertation on Sea Water, etc., ed. 5 (1769), p. 293 ; see also Morant, Hist, and Antij. of Essex (1768), vol. i. pp. 39, no, 164. 23
