12 



had increased to 40 feet in thickness. The reason for this 

 thickness at this particular point is given in the Yorkshire 

 ■Geological, &c., Society's Transactions. (See Raised Beaches). 



The presence of trees in the position in which they gi'ew, 

 the occurrence of skulls, axe-hammer, mammoth tiisks, deers' 

 antlers and bones, and the absence of shells and other estuary 

 debris in the so-called peat, satisfies me that the deposits are 

 not estuarine accumulations carried from a higher level, but 

 are remains of a forest in its original site. 



Another submergence took place carrying the forest under 

 water and causing the i;ea to encroach upon the boulder clay 

 cliffs left by the last upheaval, making a new beach which is 

 now some 85 feet higher than the present one. This is 

 obvious at Saltburn (see Raised Beaches, Y.G.P.S.T.) 

 The new beach rests upon glacial drift, and contains some of 

 the same shells that are found on the present shore. 



This indicates another upheaval. The district again rises 

 •out of the water, but the rise is not sufficient to restore the 

 forest to its former altitude, consequently it now remains 

 mostly submerged. The duration of this alteration of level 

 has evidently been comparatively short, yet, nevertheless, 

 sufficiently long to allow of deposits of very fine laminated 

 ■estuarine clay of a character suitable for the finest pottery. 

 A subsequent lowering of the ground allowed the present 

 river to carve out some of the clay, and, in its irregular Avash, 

 deposit here and there sand and sometimes gravel. Sandpits 

 are noticeable in many places in this neighbourhood. The 

 mound upon which the Market Place and the Parish Church 

 stand is most probably a result, and at times the mound would 

 be in the middle of a marsh, possibly an island hill, and thus 

 probably achieved its name of partly Saxon origin. It is 

 evident tliat ages before this, neolithic man lived here, and, 

 with consummate skill, fashioned his weapon from our hard- 

 est stone, and it is still a thing of beauty. He felled trees, 

 and had for his sport mammoth, reindeer, red deer and urus. 

 These we know for certain, but, no doiibt, there was much 

 more and nobler game. 



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