252 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [sess. 
not usually thrown in deep water, like those of large vessels, hut 
on the shore, and one might have been easily lost and buried in 
the mud during a storm. At any rate it would he a violation of 
the rules of scientific archaeology to admit such vague statements 
as evidence that the raised beach was formed after iron anchors 
came to be used in the Forth, or that this particular one had any 
chronological relationship with the “ Dunmore whale.” 
(3) The chronological value of the pieces of anchors found 
below Larbert Bridge may be estimated by the perusal of the 
following extract from Nimmo’s History of Stirlingshire , one of 
the authorities quoted for the statement : — 
i£ After the river hath left the village and bridge of Larbert, it soon 
comes up to another small valley, through the midst of which it hath 
now worn to itself a straight channel, whereas, in former ages, it had 
taken a considerable compass southwards, as appears by the track of the 
old bed, which is still visible. The high and circling banks upon the 
south side give to this valley the appearance of a spacious bay ; and, as 
tradition goes, there was once an harbour here. Nor does the tradition 
appear altogether groundless ; pieces of broken anchors have been found 
here in the memory of people yet alive, and the stream-tides would still 
flow near the place, if they were not kept back by the great damhead 
built across the river at Stonehouse. There is reason, too, to believe that 
the forth flowed considerably higher in former ages than it does at 
present ; so that there is no improbability in supposing that at least 
small craft might have advanced thus far. In the near neighbourhood 
of this valley stands the ruins of ancient Camelon, which, though we 
have no ground to believe that it ever had possessed that degree of 
extent and splendour which some credulous authors mention, yet might 
he inhabited by the natives of the country for several ages after it was 
abandoned by the Romans.” (Page 73, 2nd ed.) 
Of all the explanations that might have been offered as to how 
small anchors came to be dropt in a locality to which even now 
the tides reach, the hypothesis that the level of the sea was then 
25 feet higher than at present is surely the least satisfactory. 
Would it not be more rational to suppose that in earlier times the 
embouchure of the river Carron was more inland, and that 
consequently the tides flowed further up ? * Is there no allowance 
to be made for the accumulation of the detritus brought down by 
* On referring to the Ordnance map, I find the highest point to which the 
ordinary spring tides now flow is at a sluice in the Carron Ironworks, from 
which Camelon is less than a mile distant. 
