PILE-DWELLING SITE AT SKITT S HILL, BRAINTREE. I43 



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 



