100 ON OLD SEA-BEACHES AT TEIGNMOUTH. 



This deposit was, in its turn, partly washed away, and sand without 

 shells deposited in hollows, as at Den Street, and over the denuded 

 beds at the Triangle and the other gravels. Any of these changes 

 are such as would he made by a strong equinoctial gale at the 

 present day, if the shore was not protected by sea-walls. Even now 

 the railway-wall was thrown down not long ago. The Den is 

 protected by sea-walls ; but these are occasionally, as in March 1884, 

 broken down by a storm, and the " Point " is, from time to time, 

 swept away, but is soon renewed. In former days grass was planted 

 to preserve the sand, and the parishes in the hundreds of Exminster 

 and Teignbridge were obliged to keep up the " Bulwarks of East 

 Teignmouth." (Dr. Lake, Trans. Devon. Assoc. 1874, p. 378.) 

 With respect to the present surface in the north-east, as before 

 mentioned, the base of an old granite cross, similar to most of those 

 on Dartmoor, showed that when it was erected the level of the 

 ground Avas about 13 feet above low water, or about the height of 

 spring-tides ; judging from excavations that have been made, such 

 must have been the general level of the district. The marsh was 

 caused principally by the water of the Tame being backed up ; as, 

 except in heavy storms with an easterly wind, the sea does not 

 break over the sea-wall, which rises from 21 to 24 feet above low 

 water. In consequence of building and the drift sand the surface 

 has been gradually raised about three feet in later days : but it 

 rarely happens that any remains are found. I believe that the only 

 article found during the recent cuttings was a wooden post, 5 feet 

 long and 10 inches in girth, which was discovered in Holland Road, 

 7 feet below the surface. An iron halberd, probably of the sixteenth 

 century, was found in gravel two or three feet below the surface 

 during the excavations for the New Baths ; a description of this 

 is given by myself in the Transactions of the Devon Association, 1883, 

 p. 141. 



For the determination of the shells, I am indebted to my sister. 

 Miss G. E. Ormerod ; for the levels, to the map in "The Report on the 

 Drainage of Teignmouth" by Dr. Lake, 1872 ; for the depths of the 

 cuttings, to Mr. G. Crow, Surveyor to the Teignmouth Local Board: 



Discussion. 



Mr. Champeknowne pointed out that the author's conclusions 

 ao-reed with those of Mr. Pidgeon, drawn from observations in a 

 neighbouring locality, inasmuch as they tended to show that but 

 little change of level had occurred since early historical times. 

 Evidently the beaches mentioned by the author were newer than 

 the raised beaches. 



Prof. Boyd Dawkins remarked that there was similar evidence from 

 other quarters as to the permanence of our sea-margins since Roman 

 times. - The sea-level is proved by the position of the Roman harbours, 

 as for example, at Pevensey, to have been the same on our southern 

 coast as it now is. The evidence of depression on the opposite side 

 of the Channel, and in the Channel Islands in modern times, base(i 

 on submerged forests and legends, is unsatisfactory. 



