FLEET DITCH, a part of the town ditch by which Turnmill brook, and the little river Fleet, fell into the Thames. In this ditch flood gates were erected in the year 1606; and after the fire of London, it was by order of the Mayor and court of Aldermen, cleansed, enlarged, and made navigable, for barges to come up by the benefit of the tides, as far as Holborn Bridge, where Turnmill brook fell into this channel. The sides were built of stone and brick, with warehouses on each side, which ran under the street, and were designed to be used for laying in of coals, and other commodities. It had five feet water at the lowest tide at Holborn Bridge: the wharfs on each side of the channel were thirty-five feet broad; and were rendered secure from danger in the night by rails of oak being placed along the sides of the ditch. Over this canal were four bridges of Portland stone, viz. at Bridewell, Fleet street, Fleet lane, and Holborn. The whole expence of sinking, clearing, wharfing, planking and piling, with that of paving, posting and railing, amounted in the whole to 27,777_l._ besides what was paid to the several proprietors, whose grounds were taken for the enlargement of the wharfs and keys, on either side of the channel. _Camden._ _Stow._ In digging this canal between Fleet prison and Holborn Bridge, several Roman utensils were discovered at the depth of fifteen feet; and, a little deeper, a great quantity of Roman coins in silver, copper, brass, and all other metals except gold. Those of silver were ring-money of several sizes, the largest about the bigness of a crown, but gradually decreasing; the smallest were about the size of a silver two-pence, each having a snip in the edge: and at Holborn Bridge were dug up two brazen Lares, or Houshold gods, about four inches in length, which were almost incrusted with a petrific matter: one of these was Bacchus, and the other Ceres: but the coins lying at the bottom of the current, their lustre was in a great measure preserved by the water incessantly washing off the corroding salt.