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STONE ROOFING ASSOCIATION |
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STONE ROOFING ASSOCIATION |
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| Woodward J., 1722, Observations made on my return from Bath in Sept. 1722 of the slate quarryes in Charlwood, in the parish of Box, abt. 5 miles from Bath, and at abt. a mile from London Road. |
| There are several of these Quarryes in the Fields hereabouts. The Slatey Stone lyes, in all of them, near the surface: and all those Plates, or Beds of it, together, without any other Matter interposed. In some Pits it lyes within a Foot of the Surface: and the deepest that I observ’d was not above Six Foot deep. It lyes generaly pretty near Horizontal; tho’ sometimes the Workmen find it inclining. I observ’d one Pit in which it came up to ye Surface at one Part: and, in about Six Yards, inclined so that the top of it was near Six Foot deep. The thinnest Plates or Slates ly uppermost; they being gradually thicker as they Descend. This I tooke Notice of in all the Pits I saw and the Workmen said they observ’d it every where so. Some of the uppmost Slates were not above a Quarter of an Inch thick and the lowest abt. an Inch. All the layers together seldom much exceeded a Foot in perpendicular thickness as I observ’d and the Workmen confirmed me. Some of the Plates were near contiguous, so as not to appear Separated: in others the Apertures were more Discernable. Some had a brown Spar concreted on the surface; others a reddish. All of them that I observ’d had either ova of Fish or small light sea Shells in them. As to the Horizontal extent of them, the Workmen say they have traced the Slate [lying flatways] for a furlong on End without Interruption. Underneath the Layers of Slate was a Stratum of Stone of much the same Constitution with that of the Slate. This was in some Pits, a Foot thick: in others 2 or 3 (In one Pit I observ’d a Stratum of 2 or 3 Inches Thick of a blackish Stone lying betixt this and the Clay). Immediately below this is a Bed of Clay, of a reddish Colour. This was in one Pit that I observ’d not above 3 Inches thick. In others ‘twas thicker, to two Foot in thickness. Under this is a Stratum of very hard Stone. At this they leave off digging. |
| I observed for several Miles, in the Road betwixt Box and Causum, which was worn in some places pretty Deep, the upper Strata, lying each upon other, very numerous, and thin like Slate. The Walls likewise, on each side the Road, were made up of Pieces of like flat Stone, but somewhat thicker. |
| In the Country about Bath the uppermost Strata of all are commonly very thin. This I observ’d in very many Places. |
| Probably Corsham. Terry |
| Held at: Cambridge University Library,
Department of Manuscripts and University Archives
Reference and contact details: GB 0012 MS.Add.9386/14 Title: John Woodward: Geological Notebook Dates of creation: c.1720 Administrative/Biographical History. John Woodward (1665-1728), geologist and physician, and Professor of Physics at Gresham College, 1693-1728, founded the Woodwardian Professorship of Geology at Cambridge. Scope and Content. Geological notebook, consisting of fair copies of Woodward's geological, mineralogical and metallurgical writings; 124 loose leaves. It is probably in the same hand as 'A catalogue of some of my antiquities' (MS.Add.7570), which was written for Woodward by John Hindle. |
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