CHAP. 2. List of Earths.- Bind. China Clay. Pipe Clay. Potters' Clay. Striated iron ore, minera ferri grisea striata, is found near Bonsal. This texture seems to be Stellated iron ore - Bonsal and Swanwick lead mines at Wirksworth. It is called toft by the miners, and lies totally neglected The toadstone found at Matlock is exceedingly rich in iron. Much poorer matters are worked for that metal. EARTHS.-The earth known by the name of shale, is lamellar, and does not, upon exposure to the atmosphere, until the lapse of a very long period, become plastic. The shales of Derbyshire vary in colour, from perfect black to brown, and even yellow. They produce in some places springs of ochrey water. Frequently balls and thin strata of argillaceous ironstone are found in them; with impressions of vegetables; and occasionally the anomia and muscelite shells are met with in shale. Bakestones are made from a peculiar kind of shale, which is obtained near Whitfield in Glossop. This is a limestone shale of a dark grey colour, and is so soft as to be easily cut into any shape with a knife. When dried or baked, these stones are sold at various prices, from 1s. to 5s. 6d. each, according to their size. Bricks are made of decomposed shale at Ashbourn, Turnditch, and other places. Bind appears to be a natural mixture of sand and clay, which perish and fall into a loamy earth on exposure to the air, wet, or frost. When the clay predominates, the substance is called clunch, and when the sand is most abundant and the degree of induration is considerable, it is called sand bind, and resembles gritstone, but will not bear exposure to the weather. Binds are of various colours and contain layers of ironstone and vegetable impressions. Some strata of hard black bind, which are met with at Alfreton, Butterley, &c. are used as black chalk by stone masons and others; and the decomposed binds and clunches in the coal measures make good brick clay. Some of the binds are calcareous, and have been found highly useful as marl.-Clunch is generally found beneath each seam or stratum of coal. Clay, properly so called, is rather rare in Derbyshire, and is found most at the edges or bassets of different strata, or in the veins of limestone rocks. China clay, of a most beautiful white colour, is procured in small quantities, in Bald-mare, Green-linnet, Suckstone, and Upper-field mines, in the 4th lime, in Brassington, in Clay-pit-dale mine in Hartington, &c.; in a fissure in the 4th lime, near Newhaven house, and perhaps in other places on this same stratum. At Pinxton, and in St. Alkmund, Derby, there are china factories. Pipe clay, a white and pure clay, inferior to china earth, and is procured in Bolsover, from beneath the yellow lime, from Gander-lane in Killamarsh, in Hartshorn, near Newhaven-house, and in the 4th limestone : some lumps of it also occur in the alluvial clay on Chellaston hill. In Allsaints and in St. Werburgh's, Derby, in Bolsover, and at New Brampton near Chesterfield, there are manufactories of tobacco pipes. Potters' clay, whitish, yellow, and red of various hues, are found in the coal measures of Derbyshire and near it, and are applied to the making of pottery, earthen and stone wares of various kinds: clay-pits of this description may be found at Belper-gutter, in Belper, in 2nd coal shale Chesterfield W, in 9th coal shale The Potteries, or manufactories of earthen or stone ware, where these clays are used, are situate at Alfreton town, red ware Belper-gutter, near Belper, 2 for stone ware, bottles, pitchers, &c. Chesterfield, white earthen, and brown and red ware, large water-pipes for gateways, drains, &c. Church Gresley, 4 for white, yellow, and red ware Denby, stone bottles Ilkeston E, by the Erewash canal New or Little Brampton, near Chesterfield Ticknall, 2 for red ware Pits. List of Pots. Chimney pots, garden pots, and various other useful and common arti- Chimney cles of coarse pottery, are made at several of the above potteries, and pancheons, or shallow red glazed pans for setting of milk in dairies, in great numbers. Fire clay. The infusible nature of the clays which are found under Fire Clay. the coal seams in this district, is particularly observable in the coal shales, or those clays lying amongst the grit rocks, which are in high repute, not only for making bricks to line iron furnaces, and others where the most intense and long continued heats are required, but also when tempered like mortar, to be used in setting fire-bricks and stones, in the linings of furnaces, making coarse crucibles, and saggers for the china factories, &c. At the following places are pits of fire clay, viz. At Birkin-lane, Shuttlewood-common, Crooks-moor, and Swadlingcote, Fire-Bricks. fire-bricks are manufactured for sale, and are in great repute: such are also made at Dore, Gander-lane, Holmsfield, Midhope-stones, Pennyford, and Totley. At Swadlingcote, arch-bricks, proper for the tops of reverbatory furnaces, are made, vulgarly called velvetory bricks: here also are made round tiles, for the use of the bar-iron makers. Tile and Brick clay.—The brick kilns upon the regular clays of the Tile and coal series, are at Belper-gutter; Birkin-lane, Ashover; Church Gresley Brick Clay. common; Clifton, Ashbourn; Gander-lane in Killamarsh; Hartshorn; Measham; Melbourne; Swadlingcote and Ticknall, &c.-The alluvial clays are in many places capable of being converted into bricks; this is done at Bolsover; Newhaven; Roston; Turnditch, &c.-In other situations, bricks and tiles are made from the more tenacious beds of red marl: the principal kilns of this kind are at Appleby, Derby, Longford, Mickleover, Newton Solney, &c.-The draining of land has given occasion to the CHAP. 2. making of draining tiles and pipe-bricks, which are to be had at the last mentioned kilns.-In the limestone districts, clay is of important use for Water Clay. lining the bottoms of artificial ponds: this is called water-clay, and is procured from the decomposed bassets of the toadstone in various places. Clay was formerly burnt in several parts of the county for the purpose of repairing roads, but the practice is generally discontinued. Marl. Tufa. Gypsum. Marl.-The important strata of red marl occupies the southern parts of the county, as has already been noticed. Large marl-pits are observable at Allestree, Donkil-pits in Catton, Doveridge, Ingleby, Persal-pits in Croxall, Radbourn, Rodsley, Waldley near Marston, Montgomery, Wild park near Mugginton, &c. &c. The alluvial marl of Cheshire extends into the north-western part of this county, and there are large ancient marl-pits in the neighbourhood of Glossop. On the south-east of Tibshelf there are also large ancient marl pits. The softer parts of the tufa at Matlock and some other places, are frequently called marl, and according to tradition, were formerly used as such, but the practice is laid aside. Tufa, tophus, puff stone or marl stone, is a porous soft stone of modern formation, which the springs of water, issuing from the calcareous rocks have deposited in some valleys, enveloping the horns, bones and teeth of animals, the leaves and stems of trees and plants, &c. The largest accumulation of this kind is at Alport near Yolgrave. At Matlock bath the mass of tufa is very considerable, and is yet accumulating by the side of the Derwent.-Tufa has been in some cases used as a freestone, and there is a species of tufa in Tideswell dale, of which chimney pots are made; which are durable and not inelegant. Masses of tufa are found at Alport, Bolsover, Brassington, Cressbrook dale, Griffe, Matlock bath, Millers dale, Monks dale, Monsal dale, Slaley in Bonsal dale, Tideswell and Wormhill. Gypsum, alabaster or plaster stone.—This is a crystallized sulphate of lime, and is produced extensively in the red marl strata. It forms thin beds or strata in particular spots, sometimes finely striated transversely to the strata, but not unfrequently it is found in vast nodules, or irregular and confused crystals, forming hills, where the covering of marl appears to be stripped off. Part of Chellaston hill, in particular, would present a naked and water-worn rock of gypsum, were it not for the alluvial matter which is spread over it. This alluvial matter consists of a bluish earth intermixed with large bolders, and where this most abounds, the purest and best white plaster is obtained. The striated gypsum is mostly under red marl. There are four gypsum pits on the south-eastern side of Chellaston, which are in the possession of Mr. Henry Orton and Mr. George Wooton. Until the year 1820, the gypsum was got by open-work, but since that period, mining, which was first attempted by Mr. Orton, has been successfully carried on. The principal demand for the pure white gypsum, or that slightly streaked with red, is by the potters of Staffordshire. It is used for various purposes, and sells at 10s. per long ton.* In working the mines or pits, some particularly fine blocks are selected, and are sold at 30s. per tont to the turners and makers of alabaster ornaments. The in 120 lb. to the Cwt. This is called Petrifaction stone: the white for calcining is 14s. per ton. ferior sort, which is streaked and mixed with blue and green earth, is called CHAP. 2. ́ flooring stone, and sold at from 5s. to 7s. and 10s. per ton for making Gypsum. plaster floors. A quantity of very white, striated or fibrous gypsum, is dug in the Chellaston pits, in thin beds, called joists; this used to be sold for the commonest purposes at a very low rate, but it has recently been discovered to possess some of the qualities of the finest white stone. -The pure white alabaster, sometimes beautifully mottled and veined, is worked into innumerable articles of ornament. It is employed in sculpture and architecture, and fine specimens of vases, columns, &c. may be seen at Hall's Spar works, Derby. The superb columns in the splendid mansion of Lord Scarsdale, at Kedleston, are formed of this material.-Immense quantities of the inferior kinds are calcined to form plaster of Paris.Fibrous or silky Gypsum has sparkling lustre: it is worked into beads for necklaces, ear-drops, &c. It has a curious cat's-eye appearance, and is commonly called Satin stone. The best kind is procured in the neighbourhood of Sawley.-Granular Gypsum is found in the same places as the alabaster.-Anhydrite is rarely found, but occasionally it is met with among the other varieties of gypsum: its colour is a very pale blue, and it is much harder and heavier than the common gypsum.-Selenite often occurs in crystals imbedded in the fibrous gypsum, and in detached crystals, transparent and foliated. Heavy earth (terra ponderosa) or cauk-also called barytes, crystallized Heavy sulphate of barytes, tush and marmor metallicum, is found in the lead mines Earth. throughout the county, particularly at Ashford, Bonsal, Bradwell, Brassington, Calke, Carsington, Castleton, Crich, at Cromford there is a peculiar cauk vein; Eyam, Middleton, Monyash, Overton, Sheldon, Stoney Middleton and Wirksworth.—In a stone-pit on the south side of Birchwood moor, near Roston, there are strong veins of rose-coloured barytes. Some specimens of a white and red colour have been analyzed, and it was discovered that barytes crystallizes in very confused rhomboidal laminæ. The specific gravity of cauk is 4-33.-The cauks of Derbyshire have long been supposed by the miners to be of a metallic nature, and they are now converted into a material which is used for many of the purposes to which white lead was formerly applied.—The works established for this process* are at Via Gellia, and in the town of Derby. The price, at the mines, of cauk in its raw state, is from 8s. to 12s. per ton. Sand. There does not appear to be any regular stratum of sand in this county, except that below the lias clay. The white sand in the red marl at Normanton, near Derby, is most probably an accidental bed, and not a continued stratum, as Dr. Darwin supposed, underlaying the Derwent. In some situations the gritstones are found decomposed, and the particles of sand loosened on the surface, as at Dethick near Matlock, and at WhiteKnowl in Chapel-en-le-Frith. In several places on the eastern side of Derbyshire there are found patches of red loamy alluvial sand, in very regular layers, which is excellent as founder's sand or casting sand; in others, a sharp sand, fit for the cleaning of utensils, called scouring sand, This process seems to depend upon the precipitation of the barium metal, from an acid by means of the prussiate of potash. Sand. CHAP. 2. is dug, and in many situations the sandy gravel is used, after separating the stones by a sieve, for making mortar, and other purposes. Fuller's Bitumen, &c. Sulphur. Peat. Turf. Fuller's earth.-This earth occurs in lumps of considerable size in the quartz gravel pit, east of Bretby church, in the hard gravel rock under Measham, and in the alluvial covering of the gypsum quarries at Chellaston. Bitumen, mineral tallow, rock oil.-Rock oil or petroleum* is found in veins of the black marble at Ashford: it gently exudes when the sun shines upon the stone. Hardened rock oil (pixmontana or asphaltum) is found in Odin mine, Castleton, and bitumen of an exceedingly elastic nature is also found at Castleton. The quantity of rock oil was so great in the driving of Stoke sough, near Stoney Middleton, that it swam on the surface of the water, and would take fire from a torch or candle. The mineral tallow is a light yellow, flexible substance, and has been found in the toadstone rock near Hopton hall. In the same rock are small veins filled in part with indurated bitumen. Sulphur has been found in layers, and in very great purity, at Haslebage near Bradwell, at Tideswell moor, and in the Odin mine. Generally it is combined with lead and other metals, and with the shales of the northern district. Peat.-This substance, according to Mr. Kirwan, yields from distillation, water, acid, oil, and volatile alkali, and its ashes contain a small proportion of fixed alkali. These are either white or red, according to the quantity of ochre or pyrites which they contain. Peat is found throughout the north-west extremity of the Peak, and in most parts of the east moor. When first dug up, its texture is soft, smooth and oily, but being cut into oblong pieces resembling bricks, and exposed to the influence of the sun and air during the summer season, it becomes brittle and inflammable, and is in many places used for fuel. Turf.—This substance generally covers the peat, though in some situations it is found alone. It consists of a yellowish or brownish bituminous earth, interwoven with the roots of moss, heath and other plants. Both the above substances are possessed of a remarkably antiseptic quality. Animal bodies may be preserved in them for almost any length of time, though when taken out and exposed to the air, they soon perish. * "Petroleum is found in this stratum (4th limestone) in various stages of fluidity, in the mineral veins, and at Castleton in a water-course on the surface; the most rare is in an elastic state resembling the Caoutchouc or India rubber, which is found mixed with minerals in the veins, and within petrified shells. Asphaltum is found of various sorts; the most rare is of a fine hair-brown colour, very brittle, of conchoidal fracture with strong lustre; found imbedded in a species of the elastic sort. It is probable that this is the substance which gave the fine brown shades in the much admired paintings of the celebrated Titian." White Watson's Delineation, page 59. |