i8o THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN 
were projecting from a matrix of clayey loam and 
sand. He also told me that several of the men 
employed at the works, the master of the neighbour- 
ing school, and others had seen the skull. 
" The section of gravel was lo or ii feet thick, 
and extended for a considerable distance along the 
south and east end of the pit ; several pot-holes or 
pipes running from it, deep into the chalk. I care- 
fully examined the section on either side of the 
remains, for some distance, drawing the attention 
of my son, Richard, who was with me, and of Jack 
Allsop to it. It presented an unbroken face of gravel, 
stratified horizontally in bands of sand, small 
shingle, gravel, and, lower down, beds of clay and 
clayey loam, with occasional stones in it — and it was 
in and below this that the remains were found. We 
carefully looked for any signs of the section being 
disturbed, but failed: the stratification being un- 
broken, and much the same as the section in the 
angle of the pit remaining to this day ; but it was 
then clear and not covered by rubbish, as it now is in 
places, all the ' callow ' loam at the top being at that 
time removed to allow of the gravel being got at. 
" I went on my knees, and with the point of my 
geological hammer and a knife tried to work round 
each piece of bone ; but soon gave up the attempt, 
as the bones were so friable and fragile that many 
went to pieces as soon as touched, so that I decided 
to work about a foot each way from the bones. 
Jack Allsop and I went to work, and we were 
fortunate enough to obtain the fragments which 
are now in your keeping [Mr Newton's]. So 
friable were they that we had to place them on soft, 
newly screened sand to harden in the atmosphere, 
where I allowed them to remain between four and 
five hours, by which time they became a little 
hardened, and I carefully wrapped them in soft 
paper and brought them home. These bones had 
been left in situ by Jack Allsop, because of their 
