﻿448 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [June 
  22, 
  

  

  The 
  gravel-bed 
  is 
  exposed 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Taw 
  at 
  Fremington, 
  

   where 
  it 
  forms 
  a 
  low 
  cliff, 
  in 
  the 
  railway- 
  cutting 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  

   Fremington 
  Pill 
  and 
  station, 
  by 
  the 
  roadside 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  

   Bickington, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  limestone 
  -quarry 
  at 
  Lake, 
  near 
  Tawstock. 
  

   From 
  a 
  comparison 
  of 
  these 
  several 
  points, 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   gravel-bed 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  level 
  disposition 
  ; 
  its 
  thickness 
  is 
  

   from 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  feet, 
  and 
  it 
  rests 
  on 
  the 
  Devonian 
  and 
  Carboniferous 
  

   shales. 
  A 
  raised 
  beach 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  to 
  the 
  south-west 
  of 
  Northam 
  

   Burrows, 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  Barnstaple 
  Bay, 
  appears 
  also 
  identical 
  

   with 
  it 
  in 
  character. 
  But 
  all 
  these 
  shingle-beaches 
  differ, 
  in 
  aspect 
  

   and 
  apparent 
  age, 
  from 
  the 
  curious 
  raised 
  beach 
  of 
  concreted 
  sand 
  

   near 
  Croyd, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  which 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  more 
  

   recent 
  formation. 
  The 
  Fremington 
  gravel-bed 
  underlying 
  the 
  clay 
  

   rests 
  on 
  a 
  fundamental 
  rock 
  from 
  15 
  to 
  20 
  feet 
  above 
  high- 
  water 
  

   mark, 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  from 
  40 
  to 
  50 
  feet 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  funda- 
  

   mental 
  rock 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  Taw- 
  valley 
  alluvium. 
  

  

  The 
  clay-bed 
  composing 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  extends 
  as 
  an 
  

   oblong 
  patch, 
  three 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  

   wide, 
  from 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Lake 
  on 
  the 
  east, 
  nearly 
  to 
  Mullinger 
  on 
  

   the 
  west, 
  and 
  is 
  severed 
  in 
  two, 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  Fremington, 
  

   by 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  which 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  assisted 
  in 
  its 
  denudation. 
  

   A 
  small 
  outlier, 
  which 
  was 
  some 
  time 
  ago 
  worked 
  for 
  pottery 
  pur- 
  

   poses, 
  also 
  occurs 
  between 
  Penhill 
  and 
  Bickington, 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  

   the 
  Barnstaple 
  and 
  Bideford 
  new 
  turnpike 
  -road. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  western 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  deposit, 
  where 
  the 
  clay 
  has 
  been 
  

   extensively 
  worked, 
  it 
  is 
  from 
  16 
  to 
  22 
  feet 
  thick, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  

   gradually 
  thickens 
  to 
  Rounds 
  well, 
  where 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  attain 
  its 
  

   greatest 
  thickness 
  of 
  80 
  to 
  90 
  feet 
  ; 
  and 
  from 
  this 
  place 
  towards 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  deposit, 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Lake, 
  the 
  

   ground 
  gradually 
  falls, 
  and 
  the 
  clay 
  therefore 
  declines 
  to 
  a 
  thickness 
  

   of 
  from 
  25 
  to 
  30 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  clay, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  sloping 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   and 
  western 
  extremities 
  of 
  the 
  deposit, 
  towards 
  Roundswell, 
  also 
  has 
  

   a 
  very 
  regular 
  slope 
  upwards 
  of 
  about 
  1 
  in 
  45, 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  

   gradually 
  increasing 
  in 
  thickness 
  until 
  it 
  terminates 
  against 
  the 
  

   higher 
  ground 
  of 
  Carboniferous 
  shales 
  below 
  Shorleigh, 
  Rookbeer, 
  and 
  

   Lydcot. 
  The 
  regular 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  deposit 
  upwards 
  from 
  south 
  to 
  north 
  

   can 
  be 
  well 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  Forrington 
  turnpike-road 
  at 
  Roundswell, 
  

   and 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  Bideford 
  old 
  turnpike-road, 
  near 
  Brinsworthy, 
  about 
  

   a 
  mile 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  from 
  Barnstaple. 
  

  

  At 
  Roundswell, 
  between 
  Fremington 
  and 
  Tawstock, 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  

   of 
  about 
  100 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  a 
  well 
  was 
  sunk 
  in 
  1862 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  

   Bow 
  den 
  through 
  a 
  thickness 
  of 
  78 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  clay, 
  at 
  which 
  depth 
  

   he 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  gravelly 
  beach, 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  observed 
  at 
  Freming- 
  

   ton, 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  would 
  about 
  correspond 
  in 
  level. 
  To 
  the 
  south- 
  

   ward 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Bowden's 
  house 
  the 
  ground 
  rises 
  considerably, 
  which 
  

   would 
  imply 
  a 
  thickness 
  of 
  clay 
  near 
  Higher 
  Roundswell 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  

   90 
  feet 
  ; 
  and 
  here 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  from 
  115 
  feet 
  to 
  120 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  

   sea-level. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  78 
  feet 
  penetrated 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Bowden 
  (excepting 
  

  

  