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7ft. to 8ft. of made ground, there is about 20ft. of gravel (which 
holds the water) resting on thick beds of impervious clays. 
The history and reputation of this well constitutes it an im- 
portant piece of evidence in any study of Cirencester waters. 
Not far away—150 to 200 yards—in the Brewery of Messrs 
Cripps, a well of 25ft. in depth supplies an equally pure and 
unfailing quantity of what is doubtless the same water. There 
are reasons for supposing that this was originally a Roman well. 
‘The bed of gravel, with its succeeding clays, appears to 
underlie the whole town. Deep excavations show the Roman 
houses and walls to be built upon it. Much of it has been dug 
and carted for use, but almost anywhere it would seem that a 
well sunk to depths of from 7ft. to 25 ft. will fill with water 
and give a more or less continuous supply. The shallower ones 
give out soonest in dry weather, and the quality of the water 
varies considerably, no doubt from local contaminations. On 
some other occasion I propose to endeavour to trace these 
shallow well waters to their origin, and will then give the in- 
formation collected on this head. 
It is, however, quite plain that at a depth of not more 
than 25ft. below the present level of the valley floor a great 
subterranean water supply, well filtered by the beds of local 
gravels, has for many generations, probably for centuries, proved 
continuous, and is now existing. A consideration of this most 
important fact, for such I think it is, first led me to the in- 
vestigation of the problem presented by our local geology, here 
followed out. 
Buckman, in his important paper on the Geology of the 
neighbourhood (Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, May, 
1858, p. 118), speaking of the Forest Marble generally, says :— 
‘In the neighbourhood of Cirencester nearly all the heights are capped 
with this stratum.” 
He then goes on— 
“And as the town rests in a valley of depression—to be more fully ex- 
plained hereafter—it will be seen that Forest Marble clays are the water 
bearing beds-of the town, as shown in the sections through Cirencester.” 
Unfortunately, he does not appear to have ever “more fully 
