Interesting Discoveries in England.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4807, 5 June 1884, Page 2

Interesting Discoveries in England.

The Eev. C. W. Markham, of Saxby Rectory, Barton-on«Humber, wriies to the Banner :—" Sir, I beg to send you a brief description of a singular and interesting discovery in this neighborhood. Some brickyard labourers in excavating clay on some level land in the vailey of the Auchorne, near Brigg, ia Lincolnshire, have recently discovered; about 7ft below the surface, a .very ancient wooden way. It consists of massive beams of oak laid transversely, and fastened into the soil below—which lis the glacial drift—by oak pins. This, structure, which it is thought extends nearly a mile across the valley (which m bygone ages was no doubt generally covered with water from the Humber), is thought by some arehseologists to be a relic of the iVeolithic Man. Its age must be enormous—almost beyond calculation, as on the top of the wcodeh way is about 6ft of solid clay, and above the clay about Ift of peat; and this peat was thera.ro the time of the Romans we know, as t'ha Roman roads in the neighborhood are laid upon it. This most interesting discovery can how be seen, but it is to be covered up yery shortly, unless some steps should be taken by any learned society to preserve it;. it is, I believe, on land belonging to the U'arl of Yar,i borough." \

During the week an interesting discovery of Roman remains has beea made by the excavators eugaged on the "District Railway Works, which pass under tho site of the church of St. John the Baptist upon Walbrcok, which, was destroyed in, the great fire of London. About 20ft below the surface a piece of pavement about sft by 3ft 6in., and lOin. thick, formed of Roman tiles set on edge, was with great difficulty,, on account of its weight, taken up, and after some time enclosed in a timber case and removed to the lower hall of the Cannon street Hb*"el, where it is awaiting removal to someplace belonging to Sir E. Watkin, Bart., M.P. It doubtless was part of the floor of a Roman villa, situated on the east bank of the watercourse known as Walbrook, and in a line with another which stood where the Safe Company's premises now are* and from whence the magnificent specimen of Mosaic work in the Guildhall Museum is now to be seen, and where this one ought also to be. What invests this circumstance with additional antiquarian interest is that two successive cb.areh.es, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, have entombed these relics sinoe Norman and perhana Saxon times.—City Press. ■