fluorspar, and some white ore. Towards the north the Wall Close Vein crosses the Gang Vein and north of this point has lately yielded ochre. The Bage Mine in 1879 was employing 20 men and yielding 170 tons of lead a year.* There was a hot spring in this mine (Farey, p. 252). Dinah's Rake, about 300 yards west of the Bage Mine, was very rich in caulk. In the Rantor Vein also, which was worked for about 1,000 yards, Farey enumerates caulk, ochre, iron pyrites, blende, white ore, and much galena as having been got (op. cit. p. 265). The Ratchwood Mine was worked on a very rich branch of ore in a scrin, parallel and close to the Gulf-fault; the shaft was 70 fathoms deep. Gell's Norcliff (or Twentylands) Mine was in a similar position further south; the shaft was 50 fathoms deep, the upper 14 fathoms being through the Yoredale Shale. The Meerbrook Sough Mine, in the bottom of the hollow, and by the side of the railway, was on the sough and on a small vein known as the Goodluck; the shaft was 50 fathoms deep, and reached the limestone through 17 fathoms of shale.

The Gulf is the name applied to the strip or wedge of shale let down by the Gulf-fault on the one side and by the Rantor Vein on the other. The Gulf-fault † runs at the foot of the limestone cliff in which the quarries are worked, and ranges to the Railway Station. The Rantor Vein, which forms the east side of the Gulf, appears to have been proved in a trial 150 north-east of the station. A shaft was sunk all in shale, and a cross-cut driven from it towards the south-east, in which direction the cover of shale would normally be thickening. In a few yards however the cross-cut entered limestone from which the water boiled up with great rapidity, and the trial had to be abandoned.

The Gang Vein runs from the Yoredale Grit, north of Bole Hill, westward to near Middleton. It is a fault, but hades, and apparently shifts the strata, in different directions in different parts of its range. The Gang Mine is at the east end of the vein, and was sunk through the Yoredale Shale to get to it, getting lead-ore in the shale. It produced ore also in the toadstone, and tapped a warm spring in the 2nd limestone; with the ore were associated blende, iron pyrites, fluorspar in large cubes, and petroleum (Farey, p. 258). In 1811 in the fore-field of the Gang Vein a superficial yard of the vein produced often, near the shale, upwards of 1,600 lbs. of ore, while in other and lower parts of the same vein the produce fell short of 300 lbs. (Ib. p. 269). At the Samuel Mine, south-west of Middleton, this vein is said to have proved very rich; the Cromford Sough runs at 120 fathoms depth in this mine. Thence the vein runs nearly south-west through the Bradhouse and Partridge Mines; the toadstone at the former was about 13 fathoms thick.

The Snake Mine, a few hundred yards to the north-west, is on a number of scrins running a little east of north. They and the toadstone

* M. Léon Lecornu, Ann. des Mines, ser. 7, vol. xv. p. 5, 1879. †The Gulf-fault appears to be the same as the Taylor's Vein described by Farey as having "the S.W. side highest by 162 yards; skirts dropped down, a cavern. (Op. cit., p. 265.) The fault has already been described on p. 32.

"In Gang Mine, where a slickenside runs through the Vein, the miner avails himself of a curious property attending such veins by drawing laces, stoops, or nicks, at about six inches apart and four inches deep, with the point of his pick, from top to bottom of his face of work, which he then leaves for several hours, and on his return finds all the vein-stuff so furrowed, spelled, or slappeted off, and laying on the sole ready got to his hands." (Farey, p. 367.) See also pp. 128 and 137 on slickenside.

of the Bradhouse Mine are seen in the Hoptonwood Quarry. The section of the strata at the Snake Mine is as follows:-*

A fourth clay, the "20-fathom clay" (i.e., 20 fathoms below the toadstone), is recognised by the miners. It is said to cut off the ore, while the "Bearing Clay" is said to bring the ore in again, whence its name. Considerable importance is attached to these clays, and they are said to be recognisable over a large area round Cromford and Wirksworth, and, it is said, also at Crich (p. 154).

Two veins, running north-west, have been worked under Wirksworth, namely the Bailey Croft, a little south of the Moot Hall, and the Blackman Croft, which runs under the west end of the church. In the churchyard there is more than one old shaft, and there was formerly a warm spring (Farey, p. 505).

The Yokecliff (or Oakcliff) Rake is a powerful fault throwing the Yoredale Shale down on its south side. As in the case of the Gulffault the limestone of the upthrow side makes a marked feature (see also p. 32). The vein has been proved to be 10 yards wide under the dining-room of Gate House, and has been exhaustively worked thence westwards. It has yielded much galena and calamine, the ore being found in one place in the top of the vein, and scattered (under the soil) over a field on the south side of the vein, and known as California. The rake runs nearly due west, passing a little north of Carsington, and terminating 700 yards west of the church.

A small patch of limestone occurs on the south side of the Yokecliff Rake, and contains several veins. The Dream (or Stafford's Dream) Mine is on a vein running about east-north-east; it was worked with great profit formerly to 60 fathoms depth, but not followed more than 140 yards west, where the shale comes on. The Sandhole Vein runs east and west through the Foxhole, (an open chasm from which calamine and ochre have been raised), and through a huge cavern discovered in the working of the mine. It takes its name from a hollow in the limestone, doubtless formed by the collapse of a cavern, and filled with sand (glacial), containing pebbles of quartzite, &c. and lumps of galena (p. 91). The vein was unwatered by a level running to near Miller's Green Mill. Other veins, of which the Blobber is the principal, run west-north-west.

Brassington.

This neighbourhood has been remarkable for its great deposits of white ore, associated with white sands and fireclays, as subsequently described (p. 164). There is a remarkable want of parallelism among such rakes as can be traced, but some of them have proved very rich. The Great

*By an old miner.

Rake, running about west-north-west, has been worked to 70 fathoms depth, and contained much caulk. This mineral was abundant in the White Rake also, which runs W. 10° N. The Flaxpiece Rake, running W. 27° S., contained but little caulk. The Speedwell Mine was worked in a network of scrins, and yielded a great deal of ore in a small space. The Nickalum or Old Brassington Mine was on a pipe running a little west of north. The Wester Hollow Mines were dug in a deposit of white sand to a depth of 18 to 30 fathoms and yielded white ore (p. 164). The Golconda Mine was very rich about the middle of the last century. The vein runs about north-west, and has given rise to some enormous underground caverns. The shaft now being worked is on an anticlinal axis, and is 70 fathoms deep, sunk through 52 fathoms of dunstone (dolomitic limestone) and 18 fathoms into limestone. The galena occurs between the dunstone and the limestone, but caulk forms the staple produce of the mine; it contains specks of copper pyrites. The Chance Mine was on a pipe having about the same direction; it lies 600 yards south-east of the Golconda Mine.

Ecton (Staffordshire).

It

The Dale Mine * was situated near the famous Ecton Copper Mine, but on the opposite side of the river Manifold. The ore, which was very plentiful, was obtained from a pipe, running a little west of north, and dipping down with a gradient of about 25° in this direction. came to the surface about 16 fathoms south of the Footway Shaft (near a tributary stream of the Manifold). At No. 1 Engine Shaft it was 42 fathoms, at the New Shaft 104 fathoms deep. An adit-level entered the No. 1 Shaft at 32 fathoms depth. The galena was nearly solid in the pipe, and scarcely required dressing. It was valued at 1207. a fathom. The mine was closed about 1873.

The Hays Brook Mine was sunk through Yoredale Shale on to the top of the limestone, when it was drowned out. Lead-ore was worked in the shale.

Ashover.†

The principal veins in this inlier of limestone are the Gregory, Overton, Milltown, and Westedge. The district is said to have been worked for some centuries; in the years 1776-82, according to Pilkington (op. cit. p. 126) Ashover produced 2,016 tons annually. The workings were confined entirely to the beds lying above the toadstone, the deepest trial made having proved the latter to exceed 70 yards in thickness.

The Gregory Vein runs nearly east and west. Starting at the river Amber it passes 100 yards north of Ravensnest (Overton Farm on the old one-incl map), and thence under the escarpment of Kinder Scout Grit to the New Engine Shaft, 400 yards north of Holestone (or Hallstone) Farm. Here it takes a bend to W. 15° S., in which direction it had been followed for 400 yards from the shaft in 1803, when the mine was abandoned. For nearly the whole of the course described it runs

* For this information I am indebted to Mr. Richard Diness, of the Coalpit Hole Mine.

For my information on this district I am indebted to Mr. J. D. Gregory, of Ravensnest.

At the time Farey wrote (1811) the mine seems to have been recently stopped, for he speaks of trials having lately been made at Overtou to employ the men thrown out of work by the stoppage of Gregory and Westedge Mines (op. cit., p. 370).

under the Yoredale Shale, and towards the west under Millstone Grit also. The shallower workings of the vein are unwatered by the Gregory or Cockwell Sough, which runs into the Amber a short distance above Woolley Bridge, nearly a mile below Cockwell. A branch was driven for 800 yards northwards along the east side of Fall Hill to drain the Milltown and Fall Hill Mines, and with the intention also of reaching the Townhead Vein; another branch driven northwards from the Gregory Vein unwaters the Overton Mines.

At Milltown the Gregory Vein has been worked to a depth of 28 yards below the sough (or about 55 yards below the surface) by the help of pumps worked by a water-wheel in Cockwell Cradle. The shaft northwest of Ravensnest was sunk to 120 yards depth, 60 yards in shale and 60 in limestone. The "old men "had worked the vein in this direction down to the level of the sough, until the Yoredale Shale, dipping west, came down in the fore-field. After the lapse of many years an engine was put up,* and the workings extended to the further depth stated.† The New Engine Shaft was 365 yards deep, as shown on a plan of the district made about the time when the mine was closed, and lent me by Mr. Gregory. It must have started in the Kinder Scout Grit, which forms so prominent a feature all along the hill-side, and traversed the whole of the Yoredale Shale before reaching the limestone, but unfortunately no trustworthy section has been preserved.‡

The Gregory Vein is joined by the Overton Vein 550 yards east of the New Engine Shaft, and at the point of intersection proved extraordinarily productive. From the year 1758 to 1783, according to Pilkington (op. cit. p. 128), the mine yielded lead to the value of 105,9867. Os. 34d., with an average annual production of 1,511 tons. A little antimoniated lead-ore is said to have occurred here (Farey, p. 259), and fluorspar was abundant; brasil and bitumen were also not uncommon. The working is now confined to washing the old hillocks for fluorspar, which fetches about 8s. a ton, delivered at Stretton Station.

The Overton Vein runs E. 35° N., a few yards south of Overton Hall; a number of scrins, close and parallel to it, run under the hall and garden. The mines were drained by a branch of the Gregory Sough. Several small rakes start from both the north and south sides of Gregory Vein, in direction nearly parallel to the Overton Vein, but have not been followed many yards Among them are Ravensnest (or Dumble Holes), New Close, Crash Purse, and the Hard Nab on the south, and Sanlant and Blaigh Grove on the north. There are also some parallel scrins 400 yards north-west of Overton Hall.

In Stars Wood and Fall Hill a set of 10 or 12 veins, having an average direction of N. 30°-35° W., has been worked. They may be followed by the old open workings in both places, and more especially in the quarries near Fall Gate, where they are open to daylight to a great depth. The Stars (or Tors, or Blackland) Rake, one of the principal, is rich in fluorspar of good quality; the Great Rake runs through the centre of the wood. Those in the quarry are also rich in yellow

* A drawing of the "Fire-engine at Gregory's Mine,", in the possession of Mr. Gregory, bears date 1774.

† Other accounts give the depth of this shaft as more than 300 yards, but it is doubtful whether the New Engine Shaft may not have been intended.

Pilkington, in 1879, refers to a shaft said to have passed through 240 yards of shale before reaching the limestone (op. cit., p. 80), but Farey relates that the New or Winsey Shaft was sunk in 1790 to 1795 to 266 yards depth at a cost of 4,000l. (op. cit., p. 326).

fluorspar, tinged with blue here and there, but are accompanied by strings of calcite. The slickenside is variable in direction, being both horizontal and vertical within a small space; the hade is generally to the east.

The Fallhill (or Fall, or Milltown) Vein was worked in the Milltown Mine as late as 1856; the shaft was 90 yards deep, and reached the toadstone. The Cockwell Level runs at 40 yards depth, and the "old man" had worked here and there about 10 yards deeper. A level driven south entered the shale (which dips down in this direction) in about 60 yards. A good deal of blende occurs in the vein. The open surface-workings are very large, and are perhaps the earliest in the neighbourhood. A shaft was sunk on this vein by the side of a limekiln, 300 yards north-west of Fall Mill, to a depth of 70 yards, all in toadstone (strictly a bedded ash, see p. 78).

The set of veins last described is crossed by others ranging more nearly east and west. Spencer's Rake is the principal of them.

The Townhead Vein runs nearly east and west, and has been worked in a mine about 250 yards N.N.W. of Ashover Church. The shaft passed through 20 yards of shale, 60 of limestone, and touched the toadstone.

The Westedge Vein runs about E. 15° S., but curving as though to join the Townhead Vein southward. It follows the shale boundary very closely. The engine shaft reached the toadstone at about 60 yards. A hard yellow fluorspar (not suitable for chemical works) is common in the hillock, and Blue John and blende also occur. According to Farey, ore was got here in the toadstone, and petroleum in geodes in the shale (op. cit. p. 269).

Crich.

The mines

In this outlier some very rich pipes have been worked.* are unwatered by the Fritchley and the Ridgway Levels. The former runs from the Old End Mine to a brook near Fritchley, the entrance bearing date 1753. The Ridgway Level, which was being driven in 1811 (Farey, op. cit. p. 331), drains the Wakebridge and Cliff Side Mines, and empties itself into the Derwent 600 yards above Whatstandwell Bridge. The water from the Cliff Side Mine is warm (p. 116).

Some remarkable variations in thickness of the toadstone at Crich Cliff have been observed in the course of the mining, and have been recorded by Mr. J. Alsop.† A bed of clay, 1 foot thick, becomes within a short distance 14 feet thick, and contains large nodules of compact toadstone, while the thick bed of toadstone, actually sunk through at one shaft, diminishes to a thin bed at the other mine; the beds were traced continuously through from mine to mine. It is stated also that the three clays, mentioned in the section at the Snake Mine (p. 151), are recognisable at Crich (see also p. 83). The richest beds have been those about 12 fathoms below the toadstone. The veins above this rock are loose and pipy; below it they are concentrated and hard.

The Wakebridge Engine Shaft is 110 fathoms deep, or 40 fathoms below the Ridgway Level; it was originally sunk on a pipe-vein running northwards. The Long Gate (a continuation of the Ridgway Level) is

* A lead mine at " Crice" is referred to in Domesday Book. In 1782 the mines in the liberty of Crich yielded 200 tons of lead. Pilkington, op. cit., p. 126.

† Brit. Assoc. Report for 1844, Trans. Sections, p. 51, and Edin. New Phil. Journ., vol. xxxviii. p. 179.

For this information I am indebted to Mr. William Spencer.