40 ON A CROMLECH FORMERLY STANDING ON RIBER HILL. 



Having read this — the concluding passage, I may remark, not 

 without pangs of regret — I became anxious to know more particu- 

 larly what this Cromlech was like, and Pilkington's "View of 

 Derbyshire" (1789), being the handiest book of reference at the 

 time, I searched its pages in order to see what was there recorded. 

 My reward was a very meagre one. All Pilkington has to say 

 about these remarkable stones is this : — 



"On the hill called Riber is what has been deemed by some a 

 Druidical altar. I have been told that it is a very large stone with 

 a bason upon it." (Vol. II., p. 312.) 



It will have been observed that the authority quoted by Knight 

 in the " Journey Book," is Bray's "Tour," a book which, being 

 lately at the British Museum, I took the opportunity of consulting. 

 Bray's book bears date 1783, and the tenour of his record clearly 

 implies that he saw the remarkable structure under notice, so that 

 up to his time it was perfect and complete. I have made a copy 

 of his statement in regard to it, which runs as follows : — 



" On the top of the hill called Riber, which is above the church 

 [i.e., the old parish church of Matlock], is a stone said to have 

 been formerly a rocking stone, called in Cornwall a Logan Stone ; 

 but it is not movable now ; it has a round hole in the top, 

 exactly resembling one which Dr. Borlase in his ' Antiquities of 

 Cornwall,' has given the plans of — plate xi., fig. 4. It is not very 

 large, and is placed on two other stones" (p. 129). 



I had been most anxious to trace a sketch of the very Riber 

 stone itself; but, unfortunately, knew of no illustrated History of 

 Derbyshire, of a sufficiently early date to contain it. If there be 

 any such work, I shall be extremely glad to learn the fact. In 

 the meantime, as the next best thing, I went to Borlase's book, 

 and there I found, as indicated by Mr. Bray, the plate of what, 

 according to him, is a Logan Stone resembling that formerly upon 

 Riber hill. A tracing of this plate, with the printed description of 

 it (also from Borlase) is attached hereto. (See post 'script) 



I have made an effort to trace, by means of the available books 

 bearing on the locality, the latest date at which the Cromlech on 

 Riber remained entire, and the result of my research will be found 



