122 T. Rupert Jones — Kotes on the Geology of Newhury. 



V. — Some Geological Notes on the Neighbourhood of 

 Newbury, Berks. 



By T. EupERT Jones, F.E.S., F.G.S. 



THE Oyster-bed (Ostrea Bellovacina) in the lowest part of the 

 " Woolwich-and-Eeading" series is well known as constituting 

 an interesting horizon in the Lower Eocene formation ; but, as it is 

 not throughout persistent in the range of this group of strata, every 

 instance of its occurrence is worth recording. It is well known in 

 Berkshire at Clay Hill, Shaw, about a mile N.E. of Newbury ; and 

 it occurs further westward near Hungerford (Prestwich, Quart. 

 Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. x. pp. 85 and 87). We now know of its 

 occurrence to the South of Newbury, from the works of the new 

 railway intended to connect Newbury and Southampton.^ 



Thus, at a mile W. by S. from Newbury a temporary well was 

 sunk at about 10 yards on the north side of the first road-bridge 

 after the junction of the new cutting with the main line, and the 

 Chalk was reached at 20 feet below the surface ; and on the Chalk 

 lies loamy sand, greenish, containing the well-known Oyster-Shells. 

 This is covered by about 12 feet of the Kennet valley -gravel, and a 

 thin soil. 



Continuing the geological observations made along this new cutting, 

 we noted that at about 80 yards south-west of the second bridge 

 (nearly ^ mile from the first), and beneath 6 feet of the coarse mixed 

 valley-gravel,'^ is a brownish tough clay, about 4 feet thick, over- 

 lying white sand, sunk into for 3 feet. These appear to belong to the 

 " Eeading-and- Woolwich " Series. Further to the S.W., at about 

 120 yai-ds, is a cutting in a rising ground, with a dark-blue stiff clay 

 (London Clay), covered with five feet of yellow sand (an outlier of 

 Bagshot Sands), which thins out on the slope of the hill towards 

 Newbur}', under the valley-gravel, which is four feet thick on the 

 top. The section is not complete here, but a little further on is 

 hollow ground, with a stream, under Cop Hall ; and then in another 

 rising ground is a brick-pit in the London Clay, on the Enbourne 

 Eoad, near the line of railway where it turns to the south, and 

 three-quarters of a mile from the well above mentioned. 



Further on, 1^ mile from the well, there is a deep cutting in the 

 London Clay (without any gravel at the top) in Mr. Valpy's Wood 

 (Enborne Lodge). Tn August, 1882, the writer noticed that the 

 London Clay here has a dip of nearly 3° to the south. 



The Valley of the En, with the cottages known as Enborne Eow, 

 succeeds at 2 miles distance from the well : at a mile and a half 



1 John Drysdale, Esq., C.E., obligingly aided the writer in taking these notes. 



2 In this gravel the writer found a waterworn block of flint-conglomerate, similar 

 to the " Hertfordshire Puddmgstone." Some observations on this great river-gravel 

 of the Kennet are recorded in the " Memoirs of the Geological Survey," Explanation 

 of Sheet 12, 1862, p. 46; and "the green sands of the Woolwich-and-Reading 

 beds " are mentioned as having been noticed under this gravel at the Cemetery on the 

 southern side of Newbury, one mile east of the railway- well above mentioned. 

 There are other green sands near the Railway Station on the Greenham side of the 

 town, not far off, but their relationship is not clearly seen. 



