13 



tinuing its journey towards Boaroe Park, just 

 below the Eurface. The NailbourDecsme through 

 Barbam, December 25 ; reached the email gravel 

 pit just south of the Black Robm. January 4 ; 

 flooded between Batbam and Elham, January 9 ; 

 passed Black Robin, January il. On January 15 

 this stream reached the springs in Bourne Park, 

 and was flowing along the whole course the first 

 time for seven years. In the higher part of the 

 valley, from Etcbin Hill, there flows a stream 

 which flows practically ODntinuously a short 

 distance along the old course ; this stream rises in 

 the impervious strata gault, which crops up there, 

 but soon loses itself on reaching the chalk ; only 

 when saturation level is up to the level of the 

 impervious stratum, can this stream flow through- 

 out the valley. It was about the middle cf 

 January, 1904, that this Nailbourne was flowing 

 strongest, and flowed right through the valley 

 from Etchin Hill to the sea. By the end of 

 January, the wells had taken a turn, and in 

 another month the stream had fallen off consider- 

 ably. On May 16, 1H04, 1 found the course dry at 

 Out-Elmsted, also at Wingmore, the water find- 

 ing its way uodergrouud at these places. The 

 wells were three feet below the bed of the stream. 

 On Mav 29 the course was dry from North Elham 

 to Barham ; there was a slight floiv through 

 Barham, but was dry again to the Black Robin. 

 The wells were still lowering. On June 19, 

 saturation level had fallen to the level of Bishops- 

 bourne. In Charlton Place water lay in the course 

 but bad ceased to flow. Trenches being dug by 

 the Thanet Water Company, while laying their 

 pipes, were filled with water from the saturated 

 alluvium. Oa June 30 the flow through Barham 

 had ceased, and a few weeks after the saturation 

 level had fallen to the two springs, in Bourne 

 Park ; in this position the stream, although 

 gradually becoming more feeble, remained for 

 three mcnths, although saturation level continued 

 to lower. A villager at Bisbopsbourne gives the 

 dates of the four last times the stream came 

 through this village — January 14, 1893 ; 

 January 5. 1S95, January 3, 1S97, and Janu- 

 ary l.-j, 1904. On Octobei 1, 1904, the wells 

 had fallen several feet below the stream level. 

 On November 1 1 the course was dry from Bifrons 

 to Well Chapel. The springs in Bcnrne Park 

 were still flowing, the water held up under the 

 chalk hills was not yet exhausted, but the stream 

 did not flow far along the course before it sank 

 into the ground and joined the subterranean per- 

 colation northwards towards the sea. On Decem- 

 ber 4, 1904, I found one spring in Bourne Park 

 had ceased. About the second week in January, 

 190.5, the other spring (Cold Bath) ceased. Satura- 

 tion level had fallen to its usual level at Well 

 Chapel ; it took eighteen months for saturation 

 level to rise, in the chalk, to the level of the im- 

 pervious outcrop and back again to its usual level. 

 The Petham Nailbourne, as one might expect, 

 bad one of its flowing periods simultaneously with 

 the Elham Nailbourne, but was not quite complete 

 in its flow. Here, again, we find a usual satura- 

 tion level, this time near Sbalmsford Street, within 

 a short distance of the Stour. Again, we find springs 

 rising, which but seldom cease flowing and which 



join the Stour and on to the sea, and if we follow 

 up the Nailbourne Valley, through Mystole, 

 Thruxted, Perry, and Swarling, we come again 

 into a district with plateau on each side, and again 

 from the foot of a chalk plateau did the stream 

 first issue. It was on January 9, 1904, with wells 

 (which were, a few months previoutly, dry) at a 

 level from three to six feet below the valley bottom, 

 that the hollow near Petham Church began to fill. 

 On January 26, 1904, it ovei flowed, and ran along 

 tbe old course. On February 9 it ciossed the 

 Petham Road, and on Febiuary 13 it occupied the 

 road between Petham and Swarling, reaching a 

 point in front of Swarling House. On April 14, 

 1904, the stream bad gained another 60 jards, but 

 the well levels had taken a turn, whilst on April 21, 

 1904, the wells along the valley were 10 to 13 feet 

 down. The stream gained another 20 yards, never 

 reaching the springs on the utual Eaturation level 

 by about two miles. On June 9 I found the wells 

 four feet lower and the stream viry feeb'e, and on 

 July 26 tbe Petham Nailbourne had ceased entirely. 

 A well situated in the valley bottom, dug to a 

 depth of 70 feet, was dry in 1902, gradually rising 

 until within four feet of valley bottom level in 

 January, 1904. Since then it has gradually been 

 lowering, and on Februarj 5, 1903, the water level 

 was 48 feet down. Previous, flons are recorded by 

 James Reid, Esq. This Nailbourne came through 

 into Sbalmsford Street on February 22, 1722. and 

 continued to run through until June 16, 1772. It 

 came into Sbalmsford Street again on March 7, 

 1774, and continued running ui.til June 2S, 1774, 

 and again on January 12, 1775, and again on 

 February, 1776 ; this Nailbnume ariseth at Denne 

 in the parish of Elmsted and at Duck Pit in the 

 parish of Waltham. From other data the Nail- 

 bourne came through January, 1860, February, 

 1861, in 1864 to June, 1865. and slightly in 1866, 

 1869, and January, 1873; it als" flowed in 1897, 

 and reached a point at Peiry Farm. 



The Drillingore Nailbouiue.— Here again we 

 have a valley with its usual saturation level, which 

 in this case is the source ot the Dour. On 

 December 12, 1903. the hollow at Drillingore 

 began to gradually fill up, for this Nailbourne, too, 

 like the others, first started about two miles 

 above usual saturation level ; by thef< llowingday 

 the water bad reached a heij: ht of tour feet, in a 

 few more days it rnached a height of fifteen feet 

 and was 200 yards long, aesciil^ed as lieing large 

 enough to float a Channel steamer. On December 

 17, tbe men clearing out thedjke about a mile 

 down the valley suddenly saw water begin to rise 

 up in the dyke, and soon a stream was flowing. 

 On December 20 this stream had reached South 

 Alkbam. On December 22 tt.e pond at Drillingore 

 overflowed and joined the spring which was rising 

 in the dyke lower down the vaiUy. On December 23 

 the stream had reached the roadway. This Nail- 

 bourne flowed for a few weeks and rapidly dried up. 



Old people tell us with this as with other nail- 

 bournes that the flowing periods came much 

 oftener in the past than they do now. Villagers 

 at Barham talk of tbe time when tbe Elham nail- 

 bourne came through almost every year. Mr. 

 Reid's record shows that the fl"W of the Petham 

 nailbourne came much oftener than it does now. 



