He did not find any tiles, though these are known
to occur in some other parts, but he came in one spot to concrete
on which tiles had once rested. The fine mould beneath the turf on
the sides of the several holes, varied in thickness from only 2 to
2.75 inches, and this rested on a layer from 8.75 to above 11
inches in thickness, consisting of fragments of mortar and stone-
rubbish with the interstices compactly filled up with black mould.
In the surrounding field, at a distance of 20 yards from the abbey,
the fine vegetable mould was 11 inches thick.
We may conclude from these facts that when the abbey was destroyed
and the stones removed, a layer of rubbish was left over the whole
surface, and that as soon as the worms were able to penetrate the
decayed concrete and the joints between the tiles, they slowly
filled up the interstices in the overlying rubbish with their
castings, which were afterwards accumulated to a thickness of
nearly three inches over the whole surface. If we add to this
latter amount the mould between the fragments of stones, some five
or six inches of mould must have been brought up from beneath the
concrete or tiles. The concrete or tiles will consequently have
subsided to nearly this amount. The bases of the columns of the
aisles are now buried beneath mould and turf.
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