1911-12.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 79 



Kenfig Burrows : Ax Ecological Study. 

 By M. Y. Orr. 



Kenfig Burrows forms the southern extremity of a frino-e 

 of blown sand which borders the south-west coast of 

 Glamorgan as far as Swansea, a distance of fifteen miles. 

 The breaks in its continuity are brought about by the 

 rivers Avon and Xeath. At Kenfig the sand dunes extend 

 inland for over two miles at the broadest part, and occupy 

 an area of approximately 1500 acres. The general drift 

 of the sand is in an easterly direction. 



Apart altogether from the biological problems involved, 

 the area is of great historical interest, for a waste of sand 

 now covers what was at one time a prosperous town. A 

 few scattered ruins on the northern dunes are all that 

 remain to mark the site of the castle and buried city of 

 Kentig. The invasion of the sand since Roman times 

 appears to have been gradual, but. according to tradition, 

 sand storms of considerable magnitude occurred in the 

 fourteenth century. In 1538 ruin had overtaken the town 

 and castle, and both were abandoned to the advancing 

 sand. 



Kenlig is now represented by a little hamlet, situated 

 about half a mile from the castle ruins, on a ridge over- 

 looking the sheet of water known as Kenfig Pool. This 

 water occupies the central portion of the landward margin 

 of the dunes. From its eastern shore the ground slopes 

 gradually upwards to the ridge, the height of which, and 

 of the adjacent fixed dunes, varies from ninety to one 

 hundred feet above sea-level. The pool forms the apex 

 of a triangular wedge of fertile land which has not been 

 invaded by the sand to any great extent. Xo doubt, the 

 pool, owing to its position, forms a natural barrier to the 

 further incursions of the sand. The area of this sheet of 

 water is 68 acres, and its greatest depth is 11 feet. The 

 water is fresh and fed by springs on the landward side. 

 It has existed in its present form since 1876, but is of less 

 extent and slightly different outline to the pool of 1814. 

 It was originally a marsh, and its eastern margin is still. 

 in part, characterised by a marsh vegetation. At that 



