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Chert.

CHAP. 2. is a considerable mass of chert in a lime quarry. On Masson hill, and on the Over-Haddon pastures, the superficial beds of the second limestone are converted into chert; the upper part being curiously and regularly cracked. All the entrochial beds, in the second limestone, are subject in places to interrupting masses of white chert or china stone. Of this there is a remarkable quarry, north-east of Bonsal church, called the Stebben bed; and this is found to cover beds of black marble, of different degrees of consistency, extending down Monsal dale to Longsdon and Tideswell.-The upper beds of the third limestone are often dark coloured, and contain layers of black chert in nodules. Like other limestone, parts of its strata seem converted into white chert or china stone. The black chert is seldom applied to any specific purpose, and very seldom used for the repair of roads. The loose porous blocks, which have cavities generally occurring from the decomposition of organised substances, are denominated screwstones. These are used for burrs. At Alport, near Yolgrave, the decomposition of the tufa assumes the character of chert, but it wants some of its serviceable qualities as a china stone.—The china clay is derived from the chert. It is of a beautiful white colour. The flints are brought by canals from the limestone and chalk districts.

[blocks in formation]

Freestone. The freestones, or those capable of being broken or hewn with equal ease, or nearly, in any direction, for use, and thence often called building stone, or ashler (in distinction from beddy stone, flags or paviers, and slate or tile stones, which will split only in one direction, or canks, which are too hard and brittle to be cut) are in this district all silicious or sand stones, except occasional beds in some quarries of the limestone strata, and the tufa of Matlock bath, &c. used in buildings there and at Alport, &c.

The following is a list of FREE or BUILDING-STONE QUARRIES or Delphs in Derbyshire.

mill) 8th grit

Bull-bridge in Crich, shale grit: by Cromford canal

Abbey-dale (Park bank) in Norton, 4th grit rock | Brimmington N, 8th grit; and W (Wildens
Allestree SE, grit, in the red marl
Alport, in Hope Woodlands, shale grit
Alport in Yolgrave, tufa from an ancient spring
Alton in Ashover, NW, white, 3rd grit: E
(Britonwood) 4th grit

Alton in Wirksworth, shale grit
Ashley-hay in Wirksworth, shale grit

Ashover E, 1st grit: W (Amber-hill or slack)
1st grit

Bakewell-edge, E of the town, shale grit
Barlborough SW (Marston moor) 13th grit
Beeley, fine grit

Beighton S, 12th grit

Belper N (Weir, and New Swinney) 1st grit
Belper-gutter (Hall lane and Shaw lane) 2nd grit

(Hunger hill) 3rd grit

Belph in Whitwell, white lime, in yellow L.
Birchover NE, near Winster (moor) 1st grit
Birchwood-moor in Norbury, white gravel rock
Birdholme, S of Chesterfield, 10th grit
Blackwall NE, in Kirk Ireton, shale grit
Bolsover Moor, E NE of the town, yellow lime
Bradway (Hempyard-lane) in Norton, 6th grit,
blue

Brailsford, N of the church, white grit, in red
marl

Bramley-moor, W SW of Eckington, 9th grit
Brassington (Harboro rocks) yellow grit of 3rd
toadstone

Breadsall Moor N NE, salmon-coloured grit
Bretby, m. N, and E of Hall, grit, in red marl

Butterley in Ashover (Raven's nest tor) shale
grit

Buxton NW (Corbar quarry) shale grit
Calke E, white gravel rock

Callow (Hascar side) in Wirksworth, shale grit
Calow in Chesterfield (Upper lane) 6th grit; E
end of the town, 10th grit; and near Adelphi
furnace, 12th grit

Chapel-en-le-Frith NW, shale grit: by rail-way of Peak forest canal

Chapel Milltown in ditto, shale grit: rail-way

ditto

[blocks in formation]

Dronfield, 9th grit
Duffield Bank NE, 1st grit

Eckington (Marsh) W SW of the town, 9th grit
Edensor S (in Park) shale grit
Edge-moor in Crich, 1st grit
Farlow-green in Belper, 1st grit

Foremark park, one-third mile W, near Cadhouse lane, grit

Froggatt E (Froggatt edge) 1st grit
Gorsey Bank in Wirksworth, grit

Hadfield in Glossop, 2nd grit, blue hearted Hardwick-hall SW, sand-stone, under yellow lime

Hartshorn (Town, and Corkley) grit
Hazlewood-hall in Duffield, 1st grit
Hazlewood-lane, in Duffield, shale grit
Heage (Town, and W) 4th and 5th grit
Higham in Shirland, 10th grit
Hollingwood-common W, near Brimmington,
10th grit

Hopping-hill in Duffield, 1st grit

Hopton-Wood, in Middleton by Wirksworth, by Via-Gellia dale, 4th lime Horsley N, 5th grit

Killis Farm (Highwood) in Horsley, coarse 3rd grit

King's-Newton in Melbourn, grit, in red marl Kirk Ireton Town, coarse shale grit, and N (Copt-holly) shale grit

Langley (Kirk) N, grit, in red marl Lea-wood W (White Tor) near Cromford bridge, shale grit; and SE (Knowl) 1st grit Little Eaton (Common, 2 quarries) salmoncoloured grit, some coarse: rail-way branch of Derby canal

Little Eaton NW (Iron's wood) 1st grit: and near ditto W, shale grit

Long Duckmanton, m. SE, grit
Mackworth, grit, in red marl

Makeney in Duffield, 1st grit

Matlock, shale grit, and 1st grit

Matlock Bath, tufa, from the hot spring
Melbourne (Wood-houses) grit, in red marl
Millford in Duffield, 1st grit

Morley Moor, NW of the town, salmon-coloured grit

Morton, m. S, grit

Mossborough (Noe hill) in Eckington, 9th grit New Mills in Glossop, 3rd grit

Oneston (Hardhouse bank) in Dronfield, 9th grit

Overton (Gregory) in Ashover, 1st grit Pentrich (Common) 11th grit; and (Town) 12th grit

Pilhough, near Great Rowsley, shale grit
Pudding-pie Hill, W of Brampton, 5th grit
Pye-bridge, near Somercotes, in Alfreton, 11th
grit

Ravenstone, grit, in red marl

[blocks in formation]

Repton,m. SE, and two-thirds m. W, grit, in the red marl

Ridge-way, near Bull-bridge, in Duffield, 1st grit Ridgeway SW (Lum-delph) in Eckington, 9th grit, blue hearted

Rowlee in Hope Woodlands (Crookston Tor) shale grit

Shirland, 12th grit

Shirley, grit, in red marl

Shuttlewood Common [Nunnery] in Bolsover, grit

Simondley E, in Glossop, 2nd grit

Slaley SW, in Bonsal, 4th lime, anomia
Smisby [Pistern hill] grit, in red clay
Snelston, m. W, white gravel rock
South Normanton, grit

South Winfield [Town, and Cobourn] 4th grit
Spitewinter, near Stanage, in Ashover, 2nd grit
Stanage, N of Ashover, [Rocks] 3rd grit; and
[White-edge] 2nd grit

Stanley S, in Spondon, grit

Stanton by Bridge [N] coarse grit; and [SE] fine grit, in red clay

Stanton by Dale E, salmon-coloured grit, and in town

Stanton Moor, near Winster, 1st grit
Stanton-ward, by Newhall, grit
Starkholmes in Matlock, shale grit
Steetley, NE of Whitwell, white crystallized, in
yellow lime

Stretton [Bear] near Higham, 10th grit
Sutton in Scarsdale [Owlcoats] grit
Tansley, near Matlock, 1st grit

Tapton SE, near Brimmington, 5th grit
Thorney-Ley in Chapel-en-le-Frith, shale grit
Tibshelf NE [Hurst] grit; and N [Cock-top]
grit

Ticknall [E, in Repton P.] grit, in red clay
Upper Town in Ashover [Roches] 1st grit
Walton [Common] in Chesterfield, 4th grit
West Hallam [Town] grit

Weston on Trent [NW of Church] grit, in red marl; and SW Cliff] grit, in red marl, by Trent and Mersey canal

Whittington NE [Glass-house common] 9th grit; and W SW [Sheep-bridge] 10th grit Whitwell S [Bakestone moor] granular yellow lime

Willesley, & m. S, grit, in red clay
Wingerworth W [Bole hill] 4th grit
Winshill, near Newton Solney, grit, in red marl
Wirksworth [Gorsey-bank] shale grit
Woodseats in Norton [Meadow head] 4th grit
Woodthorp, near Staveley [N] 13th grit; and
[Damstead] grit.

CHAP. 2.

List of Free

or BuildingStone Quar

ries.

Stone.

At the quarry at Lea wood, blocks of building stone are sold at 6d. per Building foot cube: at Belper it is sold at 8d.; and at the Priory, near Breadsall, at 10d. This last is a very fine grit: it is considered the best stone in England for solidity, and for being wholly free from clay; it will also stand fire better than any other. The other prices in the county are stated to be, 7d. per cubic foot at Duffield bank; 5d. at Little Eaton; and generally 6d. at Hathersage, Ashover, &c.

The following is a list of STONE SAW-MILLS in this County.

Ashford, at W end of the town [by water]
Bonsal, S of the town [by water)
Derby, in St. Alkmund's P. [by steam]

Lea Wharf, near Cromford E [by water] Wirksworth town [by steam].

Several gritstone and sandstone rocks, in the coal district, have argilla

List of Stone

Saw-Mills.

CHAP. 2.

Shale
Freestone.

Paviers'
Flags.

List of Flag
Stone Quar-

ries.

Slates or

ceous cements; but the fourth gritstone rock produces an excellent building stone when pursued to a proper depth below the surface. The stone from the yellow limestone strata is generally very durable, and so is that from the fourth lime. The shale freestone will stand the weather tolerably well, and in some quarries, this is variegated with concentric streaks of an orangecolour or dingy red, so as to have a pleasing effect. Chimney-pieces are sometimes made of this stone from Callow quarry, Hascar side, and are incorrectly called marble.

Paviers' flags or layers.-There are flat beds of stone which naturally split up or rise in the quarry, so plane and flat, as to serve for foot-paths, yards, out-houses, and even dwelling houses; these are called flag-beds. Very little labour, and often none, is applied to the facing of them. The following are the principal delphs or quarries of this description:

Abney in Hope, shale grit

Beeley Moor, 13 m. E of Great Rowsley, 2nd
grit

Bradway [Hempyard-lane] in Norton, 6th grit,
blue

Brampton [Three Birches] NW, 6th grit; and
[Pudding-pie hill] W, 5th grit

Brassington Common, N of town, 4th lime,
grey

Breadsall Moor, N NE of town, salmon-colour-
ed grit

Bugsworth in Glossop, 3rd grit, near Peak
forest canal

Bull-bridge in Crich, shale grit, by Cromford
canal

Calow in Chesterfield [Upper lane] 6th grit
Chinley [Churn] near Chapel-en-le-Frith, 2nd
grit

Clay-cross in North Winfield, cank in 9th grit,
rhomboidal

Denby,m. SE, and S of the church, cank in
grit, rhomboidal

Dronfield N, cank in 9th grit
Eckington [Marsh] W SW, 9th grit
Edensor S [in Park] shale grit

Eyam Woodlands [Wet Wivens] shale grit
Foolow S, near Fyam, 1st lime, entrochi

Glossop NE [the Low, and Charles Lane] 1st
grit

Grass-hill SE in Hasland, in 12th coal, shale
Green-hill in Norton, 6th grit
Harston S, in Matlock [White Tor] shale grit
Heage NE, 5th grit

Holin-gate in North Winfield, 6th grit
Kniveton NE, shale lime, entrochi
Long Duckmanton, 4 m. SE, grit
Monsal-dale, near Little Longstone, 2nd lime,
black

Monyash NE [High Low] 1st lime, entrochi
New Mills in Glossop, 3rd grit
Pentrich Common NW, grit
Raworth in Glossop, 4th grit

South Winfield [Town, and Cobourn] 4th grit
Stanage, NW of Wingerworth, 3rd grit
Stoke in Hope, shale grit

Tapton SE, near Brimmington, 5th grit
Thornsett in Glossop, 3rd grit

Unthank W, near Holmsfield, 4th grit
Whitfield in Glossop, 1st grit

Whittle [Crowther] in Glossop, 3rd grit
Whitwell S [Bakestone Moor] red in yellow

lime

Wingerworth W [Bole hill] 4th grit

Woodseats in Norton [Meadow head] 4th grit.

At these quarries, the price of paviers' flags, squared, is from 1s. to 20d.
Paving stones are also sawed from blocks of freestone,

per superficial foot.

at the sawing mills.

Among the quarries which furnish natural pavier-stones, those of the fourth grit rock are most perfect. Some few of these stones are adapted for grave-stones, mile-stones, &c.

Slates or tile-stones.-Most of the grey slate of this district abounds with Tile-Stones. mica in minute plates, forming layers at the joints where the stone most readily parts. In numerous instances these joints are remarkably plane and smooth, but in others the surface of the slates is marked with waves and curves. The principal slate quarries or delphs are the following:

List of Slate
Quarries.

Abney in Hope, shale grit

Ash-gate in Brampton, 7th grit [waved]
Bakewell, E of the town [Edge] shale grit
Bradwell, 1 m. E, shale grit

Brampton NW [Three Birches, and Grange
bar] 6th grit: and W [Pudding-pie hill] 5th
grit

Bugsworth in Glossop, 3rd grit

Chinley [Churn] near Chapel-en-le-Frith, 2nd
grit: near l'eak forest rail-way
Chunall in Glossop, 1st grit
Dronfield S [Hallows] 9th grit
Eyam Woodlands [Wet Wivens] shale grit
Glossop NE [Low, and Charles lane] 1st grit
Hanley in North Winfield, 4th grit
Harston S, in Matlock [White Tor] shale grit

Bull-bridge S of Crich, shale grit: by Cromford Hathersage E [Cam height] shale grit

canal

Calow in Chesterfield, grit

Hayfield [White Knowi] shale grit
Heage NE, 5th grit

Loco-lane S, in North Winfield, grit

Matlock W, 1st grit

Tansley SW, in Matlock, 1st grit
Tapton SE, near Brimmington, 5th grit

Nether Padley NË[S of the Robin Hood] 2nd grit Thornsett in Glossop, 3rd grit

New Mills in Glossop, 3rd grit

Pentrich Common NW, grit

Raworth in Glossop, 4th grit

Stanage, NW of Wingerworth, 3rd grit

Stoke in Hope, shale grit

Sutton in Scarsdale W [Wood-nook lane] 11th

grit

Unthank W, near Holmsfield, 4th grit
Walton W SW, in Chesterfield [Slate-pit dale]
4th grit

Whitfield in Glossop, 1st grit

Whittington N [Swineslait] 9th grit [waved]
Whittle in Glossop [Crowther] 3rd grit.

CHAP. 2.

List of Slate
Quarries.

Slate.

Slate is sold by the rood, or in quantities sufficient to roof in 44 square Prices of yards. The price varies from 54s. to 70s. per rood. At Cobourn quarry, in South Winfield park, there is a sort of eaves-slating, which is sold at 1s. per yard; and these slates run nearly on an average one yard in height. ―There are lamellar gritstone of this class, capable of sustaining intense heat; these are formed into round plates called pye, pot, or lump stones, and are used in the iron forges. Larger stones of the same nature are also prepared for the purpose of baking oat cakes upon, called bake stones. At Cobourn quarry, and at Pentrich common quarry, ridge stones are prepared, sawed out like an angular trough. Of the freestone, there are made at the quarries, stack posts and caps for forming rick-stands.* The most perfect freestones are required for making cisterns or troughs. A particular bed of the first grit rock is found porous at Stanton in the Peak, and at Birchover on Stanton moor, well adapted for filtering cisterns.

Several of the gritstone rocks, interposed between the coal measures, contain beds of uniform and sharp grit, the cement of which, though hard and firm, does not fill the interstices between the particles or grains of silex. These are used for making grindstones for the use of cutlers, edgetool makers, &c. These grindstones form a considerable export by the canals of Derbyshire. The large coarse grindstones, made at Gregory quarry in Overton, have been in great demand. The following are the quarries where grindstones are made:

Ashover NW [Hill quarry] 2nd grit, middling | Little Eaton NE [Common] salmon-coloured, List of

[blocks in formation]

middling; and NW [Iron's wood] 1st grit, Grindstone

coarse

Milford, S of Belper, 1st grit, coarse
Morley NW [Moor] salmon-coloured, middling
Overton SW, in Ashover [Gregory] 1st grit,
coarse, large

Ridgeway SW, in Eckington [Lum-delph] 7th
grit, middling

Stanley S, in Spondon, fine
Stanton by Dale E, middling

Stanton in the Peak N [Moor] ncar Winster, 1st
grit, coarse.

At Morley moor quarry, grindstones are made from 18 inches to four feet in diameter, at about 40s. per ton.

Quarries.

Stones.

Some particular beds of gritstone furnish whetstones and scythe-stones, Whetstones of which very considerable quantities are sent into the southern counties, and Scythe from within a few miles north-east of Derby. The best scythe-stones are made at Hunger-hill, Belper; Birchover, near Winster; Breadsall; Coxbench; Darley moor; Duffield bank; Heage; Holbrook; Horsley; Little

* At Morley moor quarry, at 2s. id. to 2s. 8d. At Stanton-by-Bridge, 3s. 6d. per pair.

Scythe
Sticks.

CHAP. 2. Eaton;* Melbourn; and Morley moor.-At Alton in Ashover, considerable numbers of scythe sticks are made, by collecting the sharp grit sand, and gluing it on to flat pieces of wood. Similar scythe sticks are made at Melbourn.-Whetstones of a close fine and sharp grit are made at Alton, Bolsover, Codnor, Heage, Pentrich, Sandy-brook near Ashbourn, and Woodthorpe. The more compact specimens of the ironstone from Codnor and Woodthorpe are called hones.

Cank
Stones.

Quartz
Crystals.

Derbyshire
Diamonds.

Calcareous

Cank stones are found in the coal districts, and are very serviceable for making and repairing roads.

Quartz crystals.-Semi-transparent grains of quartz, or imperfect crystals of that substance, from three quarters of an inch in diameter to minute atoms, which the eye unassisted by glasses can scarcely perceive, enter into the composition of the numerous grit rocks and stone beds of this district. At the lime quarries, Mill-town, Ashover, cavities or tick-holes are frequent in the first limestone rock, which are lined with hexagonal, pyramidical quartz crystals: similar crystals have been found at Matlock and at Tideswell.

The Derbyshire diamonds are small detached and perfect crystals of colourless quartz, of an hexagonal prism, terminated by pyramids, and others are of a light rose colour. They are occasionally found at Bakewell, Brassington common, Buxton, Castleton, and near Priestcliff, Millers dale. Chalcedony, hornblende, jasper, zeolite and terra-verte have been found imbedded in toadstone; and onyxes have been found near Bakewell.

Calcareous concretions are found in vast abundance in almost every part Concretions. of the Peak, there being hardly a single cavern but what is lined with incrustations of this kind, and which assume almost every possible form, and are resplendent with an amazing variety of colours. The transparent calcareous spar is astonishingly variable in appearance; yet, when minutely examined, is discovered to originate wholly from one form, the rhombic; though its various combinations can hardly be enumerated. Mr. Bergman observes, that they consist of a tessara, or oblique parallelopiped, all the planes of which are rhombs of such a kind, that the obtuse angles are equal to 101 degrees, and the acute to 78 degrees. Crystals of the most opposite form may be produced by a compound accumulation of similar parallelograms. The primitive rhomb is rarely found: it is generally on a dark bituminous limestone, with pearl spar and selenite; the primitive rhomb passing into numerous modifications: the following are among its varieties. Dog's tooth spar, forming double hexagonal pyramids, joined base to base. Hexagonal crystals of spar, terminating with pyramids of the primitive rhomb: others, terminating with the primitive rhomb truncated, and with the lenticular pyramid; others with a variety of terminations, forming pyramids, with three, six, twelve, fifteen, and more faces: hexagonal prisms of a high topaz colour, terminating variously: fibrous and mamellated spar: macles, or twin crystals; some exceedingly rare, and greatly diversified: opaque, snow-white spar, crystallized in double hexagonal pyramids, joined at their bases: rose-coloured spar, amorphous : stalactites, presenting a variety of beautiful colours, with the appearance of

* At Little Eaton, the Scythe-stones are sold at from 10s. to 12s. per long hundred.

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