ON THE EROSION OF THE SEA-COASTS OF ENGLAND AND WALES. 381 



16. 



17. 



18. 



19. 



exposed ; I infer the sand removed was 4 feet thick ; in a few tides the normal 

 conditions were restored. 



The steep banlc of shingle between Lytliam and Southshore is cerfainl_v increas- 

 ing; sand blown from the shore rests on the stone beach, and forms fresh 

 sandhills on the seaward side of the older one, causing a distinct gain of land; 

 the large sandbank seaward, known as the ' Crusaders,' also is increasing. 



Dunes extend from Lytham bj' St. Ann's to Southshore ; thej' rest inland on 

 ))eat, along shore on shin'^le. a. Sandhills, l*. 20 to 40 feet. e. Kept down 

 by bent grass, locally called ' Starr ' grass. The site of the town of Fleetwood 

 was formerly occupied by sandliills, one of which has been preserved to form a 

 garden, and is known as the 'Mount.' Great destruction of the coast took 

 place in 1869, houses being destroyed, but this has been stepped by sea wall 

 and groynes. 



Kossall -land mark' formerly stood 100 yards further thar. at present, and 

 was erected on a massive stone base, which when the sea reached it was 

 removed inland of the house marked on the one-inch Ordnance Map as 

 ' Kenny's.' There is no vestige of it left, though it had been twice removed 

 before occupying the site shown in the Ordnance Map of 1848. 



In the estuarine silt, near the site of the present Kossall landmark, a large 

 number of Koman coins were discovered, marking the site of top, probably of 

 an old Eoman military chest ; the level of the silt below the overlying blown 

 sand resting on it is below the present H.W.M., pointing to the levels of land 

 and sea, remaining constant since Eoman times. 



Erosion of Yorkshire Coast. 



By Captain A. H. Kenney, K.E., February 1890. 



The following notes on the above subject were forwarded to the Director-General 

 of the Ordnance Survey, and communicated by him to the Committee : — 



1. The sea is gradually encroaching on the whole line of coast from Bridlington 

 to Spurn Head. The foreshore is all sand, the cliffs are all clay; there are no 

 rocks whatever along this coast. The high tides with an in- blowing wind undermine 

 the cliffs, the tops of which eventually slip or fall, and the continuous action of the 

 .sea washes such slips or falls away. At Bridlington, Hornsea, and Withernsea sub- 

 stantial sea-walls and groynes have been constructed to stop further encroachment. 



2. The following measurements give in feet the actual encroachments since the 

 6-in. survey at definite points, from which the average encroachments on the coast 

 line in the different 6-in. Yorkshire sheets mentioned have been deduced, viz. — 



Erosion 



Point A. Sheet 197 (^^°^'V'"'' '"T^^f^^''H .165 ft. 

 [ not examined yet) j 



„ B. „ ditto . 198 „ 



„ C. „ ditto . 198 „ 



„ D. „ ditto . 165 „ 



Average erosion in Sheet 197 = 182 ft. 



Point A. Sheet 213 (Coast line examined) . . . 244 ft. 



„ B. ditto , . . 251 „ 



„ C. ditto . . .218 „ 



„ D. ditto . . .244 „ 



„ E. ditto . . . 231 „ 



„ F. ditto . . .231 „ 

 Average erosion in Sheet 213 = 237 ft. 



Point A. Sheet 228 132 ft. 



„ B. ditto 165 „ 



„ C. ditto 165 „ 



„ D. ditto 99 „ 



„ E. ditto 106 „ 



„ F. ditto 158 „ 



„ G. ditto 145 „ 



Average erosion in Sheet 228 =■ 139 ft. 



