124 



a. spot in the low-lying ground about a mile from that town, where trees 

 were to be seen in situ. I went with him accordingly to a farm called 

 Little Poulton Hall, which lies on part of the ancient marsh of the River 

 Wyre, and distant seven miles from Fleetwood. In the farm-yard we met 

 with some labourers, who seemed perfectly famiUar with the subject of otit 

 enquiries. They told us that "moss stocks" [i.e. submerged trees] were 

 constantly turning up in ploughing, and that they used the timber for gate 

 posts ; that it was principally oak, though a good many "view" trees were 

 found as well. By the direction of the farmer, who had now arrived, we 

 next went to a meadow bordering on a main drain like the "Bheens" of 

 Berkeley. In the middle of this field the butt end of a large oak, about 8 

 feet in girth projected from the surface of the ground at a slight angle; the 

 rest of the tree being buried nearly horizontally under the soil. Its direc- 

 tion was north and south. [The present roughest winds come from the 

 south-west.] The bulk of the timber appeared quite sound ; but I managed 

 to break off a piece or two of a projecting part that had somewhat decayed. 



"I have also met with a continuation of the same forest on the north of 

 Morecambe bay, near Milnthoi-pe ; and that it covered a very large area is 

 evident from the remarks Camden makes in his article on Lancashire, in the 

 Britannia." 



What Camden says about tlie Chat Moss, in the part referred 

 to by Mr. Bellows, is so quaint, and his suggestion as to the 

 origin of the subterranean trees so original, that I cannot refrain 

 from quoting it for the benefit of the "curious company of 

 Philosophers " of the Cotteswold Club : — 



" * Chatmoffe, a low moflie ground, lying a great way in length and 

 bredth : a good part whereof, the Brookes fvvelling high Avithin our fathers 

 remembrance carried quite away with them not without much danger : 

 Whereby, the Rivers were corrupted, and a number of fredi fifli perifhed. 

 In which place now lyeth a Vale fomewhat low, watered with a little 

 Brooke, and trees have beene difcovered lying along. So that it may 

 be thought, when the ground lay neglecfted, and the chanels were not 

 skoured in thofe open and flat Valleies for riverets and Brookes to palTe 

 away, but the water-lades Hopped up either through negligence, or 

 depopulation : that then allthe grounds that lay lower than others, be- 

 came fuch boggy plots, as we call Mojfes, or elfe Handing Meeres. Which 

 if it bee true, wee neede not mervaile that fo many trees in the like 

 places every where throughout England (but in this fhire efpecially) lie 

 overwhelmed, and as it were, buried. For, when their rootes were 



