DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70302#0250
220
DISCOVERY OF TREES.
nuts and acorns have been frequently found at the bot-
tom of the soil of those levels and moors, and whole bushels
of fir-apples or cones in large quantities together; and
at the very bottom of a new river or drain, almost 100
yards wide and four or five miles long, were found old
trees squared and cut, rails, posts, bars, old links of
chains, horseheads, an old axe, somewhat like a battle-
axe; two or three coins of the Emperor Vespasian; one
of which Mr. De La Pryme saw with Mr. Cornelius Lee,
of Hatfield, having the Emperor’s head on one side and
on the reverse a spread eagle ; but that which is more
observable is, that the very ground at the bottom of the
drain was found in some places to lye in ridges and fur-
rows ; thereby plainly shewing, that it had been ploughed
and tilled in former days.
Mr. Edward Canby told Mr. De La Pryme, that there
was found under a large tree in the parish of Hatfield,
an old fashioned knife, with a haft of a very hard and
black sort of wood, which had a cap of copper or brass
on the one end, and a ring of the same metal at the other
end, where the blade went in, which blade soon moul-
dering away, he got a new one put in the haft. The
same gentleman also found an oak tree within his
moors, 40 yards long, 4 yards in diameter at the large
end, 3 yards and a foot in the middle, and two yards at
the smaller end, so that by a moderate computation the
tree seemed to have been twice as long, and for it he
was offered twenty pounds. At another time he found
a fir-tree thirty-six yards long, besides the supposed
length of it, which might well be computed at fifteen
yards more; so that there have been exceedingly large
trees in these levels, and what is also very strange is, that
there was found at the very bottom of a turf pit, a man
lying along, with his head upon his arm, as in a common
posture
DISCOVERY OF TREES.
nuts and acorns have been frequently found at the bot-
tom of the soil of those levels and moors, and whole bushels
of fir-apples or cones in large quantities together; and
at the very bottom of a new river or drain, almost 100
yards wide and four or five miles long, were found old
trees squared and cut, rails, posts, bars, old links of
chains, horseheads, an old axe, somewhat like a battle-
axe; two or three coins of the Emperor Vespasian; one
of which Mr. De La Pryme saw with Mr. Cornelius Lee,
of Hatfield, having the Emperor’s head on one side and
on the reverse a spread eagle ; but that which is more
observable is, that the very ground at the bottom of the
drain was found in some places to lye in ridges and fur-
rows ; thereby plainly shewing, that it had been ploughed
and tilled in former days.
Mr. Edward Canby told Mr. De La Pryme, that there
was found under a large tree in the parish of Hatfield,
an old fashioned knife, with a haft of a very hard and
black sort of wood, which had a cap of copper or brass
on the one end, and a ring of the same metal at the other
end, where the blade went in, which blade soon moul-
dering away, he got a new one put in the haft. The
same gentleman also found an oak tree within his
moors, 40 yards long, 4 yards in diameter at the large
end, 3 yards and a foot in the middle, and two yards at
the smaller end, so that by a moderate computation the
tree seemed to have been twice as long, and for it he
was offered twenty pounds. At another time he found
a fir-tree thirty-six yards long, besides the supposed
length of it, which might well be computed at fifteen
yards more; so that there have been exceedingly large
trees in these levels, and what is also very strange is, that
there was found at the very bottom of a turf pit, a man
lying along, with his head upon his arm, as in a common
posture