"I detected the remains of one (lake-dwelling) at Crowland in the year 1870, during some excavations. The piles were of sallow planted very closely together, upon these was laid brushwood, and over this a layer of gravel. Immense quantities of bones, chiefly of the Keltic shorthorn, were found, together with a few bone implements, and a curious ornament of jet. Near Ely, stakes have been found in the peat, but they do not seem to belong to a lake-dwelling." ("The Fenland Past and Present," by Miller and Skertchly. 1878.)
PILE-STRUCTURES IN LONDON.
On December 18th, 1866, Col. Lane Fox (now General Fox-Pitt-Rivers) read a paper at the Anthropological Society entitled, "A Description of certain Piles found near London Wall and Southwark, possibly the Remains of Pile-Buildings."
The author commenced by observing that his attention was directed to this locality by a short paragraph in the Times of the 20th October, stating that upwards of twenty cart-loads of bones had been dug out of the excavations which were being made for the foundations of a wool warehouse near London Wall. The excavation commenced at 40 yards south of the street pavement: therefore, in all probability, at about 70 or 80 yards from the site of the old wall. The area then excavated was of an irregular oblong form, 61 yards in length, running north and south, and 23 yards wide.
A section of the soil consisted of—
"1. Gravel similar to Thames ballast at a depth of 17 feet towards the north, inclining to 22 feet towards the south end.
"2. Above this, peat of unequal thickness, varying from 7 to 9 feet.
"3. Modern remains of London earth composed of the accumulated rubbish of the city."
Between the bottom of the peat and the highest spring tide water-mark, as at present existing, there is a margin of 5 feet; but, of course, this might have been different in Roman times.
Regarding the remains of piles in this locality the author makes the following observations:—