of land take place before the formation of the coal measures? Or was this district a mountain ridge, or region of high land, and were the coal measures deposited in basins on each side of it? If the latter was the case, we need not expect to find any fragments of them on the central or highest part, but they ought to approach regularly on each side. If they were deposited all over our district on an equal plane, and subsequently elevated into a lofty ridge, exposed to the rushing waves of a tempestuous sea, and finally washed away by its waters, then we might hope to find some traces of their existence on our highest hills, or at the points where, under ordinary circumstances, the coal measures dip beneath the magnesian limestone formation. This is not the case; as the coarse millstone grit is the stone which underlies the limestone, as may be easily seen in the Castle cliff at Knaresborough, and further down the course of the Nidd as far as Goldsborough mill, where the limestone is cut through by the river and the coarse gritstone appears. In Follifoot, where the railway cuts deep into the hill, after passing the Crimple viaduct, is a rock of gritstone, of firm compact structure, rich in fossil sigillaria, which has much the appearance of a rock belonging to the coal measures. Careful research, and attention to facts can alone determine this question; a dogmatic decision either way at present would be worse than useless.

ROADS.

NOTHING can better represent the state of the trade and commerce of a country than its roads; where these are wanting, or of an inferior quality, those can not be of great extent or importance. The roads intersecting our district divide themselves in the order of time into British trackways, Roman roads, Pack-horse roads, Turnpike roads, and Railroads.

Remains of British trackways can only be expected to be found where the country is in its natural uncultivated state and consequently the progress of agriculture has nearly obliterated them; yet, slight traces may be seen near "the Bank," in Norwood, and at Fox Crag, on the confines of Norwood and Stainburn; and also in a few other places which the plough has spared. The probability is that the main lines of trackway were afterwards occupied by the military roads of the Romans.

Of Roman roads, two at least crossed the forest, one from north to south, the other from north-east to south-west. The first of these passed from Catterick to Adel, two well-known Roman stations, and ran along the western side of the great vale of York, just where the mountain ridges decline to the plain. This road is not mentioned in any of the Itineraries; yet, we have not the least doubt of its existence, as there is sufficient evidence remaining in old entrenchments, and the

names of places, to convince the most sceptical; it is sufficient for our purpose to trace it in our own district, which it entered near Ripley, then passed across Killinghall moor, where, near the Warren house, is a camp of the undoubted Roman type; thence, passing southward, we have the significant names of Harlow (the soldier's hill), and Harrogate (the military way). Near Pannal High Ash is Castle hill, equally significant of a castra or camp; where tradition says Pendragon encamped with his army. Further south, at Horn bank, on a point of land which overlooks the valleys of the Wharfe and the Crimple, are the remains of three camps-two of a square, and one of a circular form. At Castley, close to the river Wharfe, was a castra, camp, or fort, to protect the pass across the river; a short distance beyond was Burgadunum, now Adel.

The other road from the eastward ran between Isurium (Aldborough) and Olicana (Ilkley), passing by way of Ripley; in the wood to the west of which the strata can yet be distinctly seen, about ten feet in breadth, formed of native boulders. It next entered the township of Clint, across a corner of which it passed, fording the river Nidd near Hampsthwaite church; thence up that village, not far from the track of the present road. At Swincliffe Top it entered the township of Felliscliffe, which it traversed from east to west; and, with trifling exceptions, along none of the present carriage roads; passing through the fields to the southward of the present line of road, keeping along high ground, and nearly in a straight line to Whitewall Nook, to which place it can yet be used as a "bridle road." Formerly it was enclosed on both sides, forming a narrow lane, yet known by the name of "the Long lane;" but the fences have been removed-sometimes from one side, sometimes the other, rarely on both, and it now forms part of the adjoining fields. At Whitewall Nook a small portion

yet remains fenced on both sides; it is only about nine feet wide, and therefore would not be well adapted for wheel carriages. A few yards west of this point, about the year 1812, a weaver undertook to enclose and cultivate a small plot of ground in front of his cottage. On digging into it, about six inches below the surface, he came upon a compact pavement of stones, set in a kind of brown or rusty-coloured cement, as if it had formed the floor of some building for the accommodation of wayfarers along the road in the old Roman day. The stratum of the road itself was taken up here about the year 1848; it was composed of native boulders, forming a kind of coarse pavement. From this point westward, the line of road is perpetuated by a footpath only, generally distinguishable by a slight ridge in the fields across which it passes. The stratum may also be occasionally detected in the fences; and this state of things continues as far as the Kettlesing tollbar, when it falls into the Knaresborough and Skipton turnpike road, along which its course is parallel, past Dangerous Corner and Spinksburn, to where the modern road bends to the right, a few hundred yards east of the Hopper Lane Hotel. The ancient road then descended the hill on the left, passed Crag Hall, forded the Washburn, and thence ascended the hill on the opposite side, where it is distinctly visible, and so across the moors to Ilkley.

These roads have generally been formed of a pavement of rounded pebbles, gathered from the land in the immediate neighbourhood, the sides being formed of larger stones. Where entire they are generally five or six inches below the surface.

The Pack-horse roads are next in the order of time; but between the Roman roads and them a long period of time elapsed-ages of anarchy, war, and bloodshed rolled away; some of the ancient roads were swallowed up by swamp and

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morass; others were overgrown by heath and brushwood, and their very courses forgotten. These roads are narrower than the Roman ones, seldom exceeding four feet in breadth, sometimes formed of pebbles, sometimes formed of large flagstones, sometimes merely tracks along the natural ground. Of this kind of roads many traces can yet be found in the Forest of Knaresborough; the principal ones were those leading from the north to Leeds, and from Knaresborough to Skipton. The first of these entered our district at Harewood bridge, passed along the present line of turnpike to Buttersike, thence across the Crimple brook at Burn-bridge, and ascended the slope to Pannal High Ash (the old trackway is yet visible), thence it passed along the eastern skirt of Harlow Hill to Irongate Bridge, by which it crossed Oakbeck, thence across Killinghall Moor, through the village of the same name, thence crossed the river Nidd by a bridge, which Leland says was one greate arche of stone."

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A road of much importance entered the forest from the northern side, and then passed through it to Bolton bridge. This road was surveyed by Ogilby some time previous to 1674. We give his survey from Knaresborough to Bolton bridge, published in the above year, with corrections from the editions of 1711 and 1736.

Dark Hall does not exist at present, but has been removed within living memory. Something like a moat yet remains in the wood, about

a quarter of a mile west of Ripley Castle.