Hastings Sand

Hastings Sand, a series of fresh-water sands, with subordinate beds of clay, shale, lignite and calcareous sandstone, in all nearly 1,000 feet thick, forming the lower part of the Wealden series of the Lower Cretaceous. "They are named from their development in the cliffs at Hastings, Sussex. Near Battle and in the Isle of Purbeck they can be traced conformably downwards into the Purbeck series and elsewhere, though rarely, conformably upwards into the Weald clay. The series is subdivided as follows: - C Upper Tunbridge Wells Sand with t, v. i w n o i J Cucklielel Cfay. Tunbridge Wells Sand i Grinstead clav.

(, Lower Tunbridge Wells Sand. Wadhurst Clay. Ashdown Sand, with Fail-light Clays at its base.

The sands are often false-bedded, the clays occur at varying horizons, and clay-ironstone andlimonite in the Wadhurst Clay was the chief source of the iron of the Sussex iron-works which flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries. A calcareous sandstone, known (from Tilgate Forest near Cuckfield) as Tilgate Stone, occurs at several horizons and is rich in reptilian remains, including crocodiles, Iguanodon, Hylcsosaurus, and other dinosaurs. These animals were discovered by Dr. Mantell in the Cuckfield district. Some hard beds in the Tunbridge Wells Sand form the remarkable Toad rock and the High Rocks near Tunbridge Wells. Beds containing small species of Cyrenia, a freshwater bivalve, are not infrequent, and fossil-ferns, borse-tails, cycads and conifers also occur.