352 Mr. R. C. Taylor o;j the Geology of East Norfolk. 



The ancient villages of Shipden, Wimp well and Eccles have 

 disappeared ; several manors and large portions of neighbour- 

 ing parishes have, piece after piece, been swallowed up by 

 the encroaching waves ; and their site, some fathoms deep, 

 now forms a part of the bed of the German Ocean. Coope- 

 rating with the tides, the land springs in the bordering high 

 grounds are constantly, though slowly, working to reduce our 

 boundaries. Enormous masses, dislodged by the pressure of 

 the springs, are continually precipitated upon the beach from 

 the high cliffs, to be carried off by succeeding tides. In the 

 winter of 1825, one of these fallen masses covered twelve acres, 

 extending far into the sea ; its upper portipn having fallen 

 from a height of 250 feet, near the light-house at Cromer. 

 The effects of this destructive process are traced in the banks 

 and shoals extending 20 miles to the southward, and in the 

 formation of the low flat tract between Happisburgh and 

 Gorleston. In their progress the tidal currents possess sufli- 

 cient strength and velocity to preserve a deep channel, locally 

 called Roads, parallel with the shore ; but they deposit, both 

 on the sea and land sides of this passage, the alluvial matter 

 with which the waters are charged. Mr. Cubit has appro- 

 priately denominated this channel, a sea river. A portion only 

 of the substances that form the shoals and sand-banks may be 

 considered shifting, and these are modified by every variation 

 of wind and tide. The nuclei of most of the largest appear 

 to be permanent, and probably existed at a period far more 

 remote than we can estimate. Thus the antiquity of the 

 Holm-sand, opposite Lowestoft, is decided by its Anglo-Sax- 

 on name. 



There is reason then to believe, that the removal of one 

 part of the Norfolk coast has led to the consolidation of an- 

 other ; and has tended to silt up and raise the bed of the aes- 

 tuaries to such a degree, as almost to exclude the ingress of 

 the tide. In their present state, they are filled to the depth 

 of many feet with ooze, accompanied with fluviatile shells. 

 Gravelly knolls arise, at intervals, to the surface ; and banks of 

 shells, partly drifted from the ocean, and partly consisting of 

 those tellincc, mactrcr, and other genera usually found asso- 

 ciating in oozy beds near the mouths of large rivers, are oc- 

 casionally discovered. After having passed some miles from 

 the sea, the rivers are contracted by the growth and decay of 

 aquatic plants, forming unembanked mai-gins locally called 

 Rands; and similar recent formations of marshy peat are gra- 

 dually narrowing the broads. Except under such circum- 

 stances, the main aestuaries exhibit no ancient accumulations 

 of peat, no large trunks of trees, or other indications of a 



freshwater 



