Maylandsea Fossil Hunting

Maylandsea’s low banks and foreshore yield London Clay lobsters and small fish remains, often among naturally weathered nodules and shingle. The site records an early Eocene marine environment, while shifting modern silt controls what can be seen. Deep tidal mud makes careful route choice essential.

FIND FREQUENCY: ♦♦♦♦ – Lobster fragments, teeth and other small remains occur, depending on exposure and tidal cover.
CHILDREN: ♦♦♦♦ – Close supervision is essential; keep children away from mud, creeks and eroding banks.
ACCESS: ♦♦♦ – Use the signed coastal route and lawful parking in Maylandsea; no dedicated collecting car park is confirmed.
TYPE: Low clay bank and tidal foreshore on the eastern side of Lawling Creek.

DIRECTIONS

♦ From Mayland, take the turning towards Maylandsea. After the road bends left, turn right into North Drive. The original parking point was at the bottom of North Drive, beside the start of the riverbank footpath. Park only where permitted, leaving entrances clear.
♦ From North Drive, take the public riverbank path to the right and follow the embankment northwards beside the eastern side of Lawling Creek, allowing about 800 m to the collecting stretch. The original access to the clay foreshore was beyond a shaded area, the end of the sea defence and bushes. Use a safe, open route down, avoid soft mud, and keep this exposure distinct from Steeple Bay beyond Mayland Creek.
♦ Locality reference: 51.68859°N, 0.75251°E
♦ What3Words collecting area: ///blend.nicer.cookies

FOSSIL HUNTING

The collecting interest is the small material naturally released from the low clay bank and adjoining shore. Lobster fragments are characteristic, including Hoploparia gammaroides and Linuparus scyllariformis. Crabs, crinoid pieces and pyritised wood also occur. Inspect loose pieces individually rather than assuming that every pale nodule contains a lobster.

Maylandsea is also a nationally important fossil-fish locality. Teeth and otoliths, the small ear stones of bony fish, are more usual than complete skeletons. The published assemblage includes Squalus minor, Scyliorhinus gilberti, Galeorhinus minor and Rhinocephalus planiceps; exceptionally, a skull and jaws of the last have been recorded.

Concentrate on already loose material where lawful access and collecting permission allow, and use a hand lens. Record the exact find area, date and whether a specimen was loose or seen in an exposure. Avoid bulk removal of beach sediment or digging merely because older scientific accounts describe sampling.

A chronological record of fossil discoveries, geological research and conservation milestones at Maylandsea.

1982 – The Lawling Creek exposure studied
W. H. George and S. W. Vincent published a dedicated geological account of the London Clay exposure at Maylandsea, establishing a site-specific reference for later work.

1999 – Fossil-fish conservation significance reviewed
A national review described an assemblage of more than twenty fish taxa, including material uncommon at other London Clay sites, and examined the evidence for deeper-water conditions.

2006 – Maylandsea crab becomes a type specimen
The carapace BMNH IC455 from Maylandsea was designated the holotype of Panticarcinus maylandiensis, a newly described crab.

GEOLOGY

The low banks and intermittently visible foreshore expose early Eocene London Clay Formation. Fine marine sediment accumulated when the London Clay sea extended across this part of Essex. The fish fauna has been interpreted as recording relatively deep-water conditions, giving the locality a different character from better-known Sheppey collections.

The more detailed crustacean work places the exposure low in Division B2, just above the B1/B2 crinoid-marker interval. This is an informal subdivision of the London Clay, not a named member. Modern estuary mud can obscure the bedrock, so the extent and quality of the exposure vary; the absence of visible clay is not evidence that the formation has disappeared.

Detailed geology and stratigraphy of Maylandsea.

THAMES GROUP

London Clay Formation

Early Eocene marine bedrock
The formal unit is the Ypresian London Clay Formation of the Thames Group. The low bank and foreshore expose only a small part of it. A field description records approximately 2–3 m of clay and a particularly conspicuous flattened septarian-nodule layer at the southern end; this is a historical exposure measurement, not a guarantee of present visibility.

Lower Division B2
The primary crustacean study assigns Maylandsea to the lowest few metres of B2. The older fish conservation account labels the clay Division C; this conflicts with the locality-specific crustacean correlation. The B2 assignment is used here, with that disagreement retained rather than merging the two into a fictitious succession.

Septarian and phosphatic-nodule horizons
Published observations describe several septarian bands with smaller fossil-bearing phosphatic nodules below. No measured thickness or numbered local bed log is supplied.

The Isselicrinus marker: correlation, not an exposed basal bed
Rolled Isselicrinus subbasaltiformis stems occur on the shore. Their presence helped correlate these clays near the B1/B2 boundary, but it does not demonstrate an intact marker bed visible at Maylandsea. The suggestion that the clay lies about a metre above that horizon is approximate, not a measured contact.

Palaeoenvironment and fossils
The fine-grained facies and fish assemblage underpin the interpretation of relatively deep marine deposition. A fossil found loose in the shingle cannot normally be assigned to a particular nodule band. Harder teeth, otoliths and nodules survive tidal sorting better than delicate shells.

Younger cover
Modern mud and shingle cover the clay intermittently, and soil overlies the bank. No in-situ Chalk layer is established in the local succession. Published descriptions do not provide a complete measured log of the younger cover.

References
BGS Lexicon: London Clay Formation
Collins and Saward (2006), Essex London Clay crabs
George and Ward (2008), Maylandsea and Steeple field guide
Dineley and Metcalf (1999), Maylandsea fossil fishes

SAFETY

The main hazard is deep tidal mud, including soft patches that can be concealed beneath a firmer-looking surface. Remain on the established route and only use firm, legally accessible shore. Check tides, keep clear of creek channels and leave a generous return margin. Wet clay, uneven shingle and eroding banks are slippery; do not scramble down unstable faces or cross the creek to reach Steeple.

The older guide records sharp wooden sea-defence stakes near the low cliff. Keep clear of exposed stakes, damaged defences and hidden debris.

EQUIPMENT

Take a hand lens, a charged phone, tide information, footwear with good grip, labelled bags and small rigid boxes. A kneeling pad can make close inspection more comfortable on firm ground. A hammer is unnecessary for searching loose material and should not be used as a substitute for careful identification.

CLEANING AND TREATING

Keep small finds in separate labelled, padded boxes and retain any broken pieces together. Photograph fragile nodules before preparation. Remove loose surface sediment with a soft brush; avoid soaking crumbly clay or pyritised material. Do not force a nodule apart merely to see whether it contains a fossil, and avoid acids, bleach and varnish. Let stable mineralised specimens dry gradually at room temperature. Keep waterlogged wood and fragile wet bone protected from drying until a conservator has advised on treatment. If pyrite develops pale powder, cracking or a sulphurous smell, isolate the specimen and obtain conservation advice. Leave potentially important fish, bird or unusual crustacean remains unprepared for specialist assessment.

IDENTIFY YOUR FINDS

FURTHER READING

The geology of Essex — regional background
Crystals and minerals of the London Clay
Maylandsea: fossil fish conservation account
New crabs from the London Clay of Essex
Maylandsea and Steeple: geological field guide
Official Coast Path and current access information

ACCESS RIGHTS

Maylandsea’s fossil exposure forms part of the Blackwater Estuary SSSI and is recognised for its geological interest. Use the signed public route and check current access directions and local notices. Coast Path access does not itself confer permission to collect fossils or excavate. Obtain any necessary landowner permission before collecting; do not dig into banks, seawalls or bedrock, and avoid disturbing birds, saltmarsh and other habitats. Restrict any permitted collecting to modest quantities of already loose material.

It is important to follow our ‘Code of Conduct’ when collecting fossils or visiting any site. Please also read our ‘Terms and Conditions‘

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