l6o DUFFIELD CASTLE. 



"The section is N.E. and S.W., that is in the direction of the 

 dip, which in this district ranges from io° to 15 N.E. 



1 is the road to Hazelwood ; 2 the castle hill, with keep and 

 well indicated ; 3 the Derwent ; and 4 Milford House. 



The rocks are : — 



A. Millstone grit. 



B. Yoredale Shales. 



C. Yoredale grit, a very variable rock. 



D. Yoredale Shales, again. 



The black is alluvium. The castle hill, it will be noticed, is 

 capped by the Yoredale grit, but very unequally so, on account of 

 the dip; the south end being entirely free from this grit, while the 

 north end is almost wholly of it. Hence there must be a line 

 across the top of the hill where the grit thins out altogether. As 

 to the position of the keep, the larger part of the foundation rests 

 upon this grit, and the only part likely to escape it is the south 

 wall ; but in all probability this rock thins out beyond this wall, 

 so that the keep is wholly on the grit. Taking this latter suppo- 

 sition for granted, since the well is towards the S.W. angle of the 

 keep, its first few feet, at least, must be sunk through this grit, but 

 ere the well takes its circular form, it has passed into the black 

 Yoredale shale, into which it is sunk for the rest of its depth." * 



The well was completely choked up with stones, and nearer the 

 bottom the masonry was intermingled with numerous charred 

 pieces of wood. One great beam of oak was brought up, several 

 feet in length, that had evidently been one of the floor joists. 

 Every piece of wood, without exception, showed strong traces of 

 the action of fire. The best chiselled and cleanest cut dressed 

 stones were those recovered from the well, as well as several 

 bearing interesting mouldings, which will presently be noticed. 

 The slow, costly, and dangerous work of clearing out this old well 



* We do not quite hold with Mr. Ward's surmise as to the grit thinning out 

 beyond the south wall of the keep, for we helped to dig, and saw a hole dug 

 in the south-east angle of the keep, as well as one about six yards nearer north, 

 where the trough ends, in each case some four or five feet down, and found no 

 grit. We think that the line where it thins out must be but a little to the 

 south of the partition wall. 



