Wi)OLnui'i; DisTiucT. 



tion. The I'liysiual geologist who visits i'loiu the Forest of Dean 

 the Blorenge, Pen-ccirig Calch, and the South Wales coal field, the 

 Cloe Hills, the Vans of Drccon, and the heights of Gader-vawr, -will 

 soon realize the great probability that these distant hills, with strata 

 now widely separated, once formed portions of a regular series of 

 continuous and conformable stratification of Old Eed rocks with 

 overlying Carboniferous deposits, and that the mountain limestone, 

 nay, even the coal measures, once stretched far and wide above the 

 plains of Herefordshire. At Mordiford and Fownhope, the upper 

 Silurian rocks of the Woolhope valley are upheaved through the 

 lower Old Eed deposits. The hill at the Old Gore is Old Red, and 

 the strata are highly inclined. The northern portion of the Ross 

 district, towards Aconbury and Holme Lacy is interesting only to 

 the physical geologist, who would trace the effect of the ujjheaval 

 of the Silurian dome of Woolhope in the hills around, and the 

 effects of whole ages of dcimdation as exemplified in the deep and 

 fertile vales. 



NO. 3. THE WOOLHOPE DISTRICT. 



This district is intended to coincide, as nearly as artificial bounda- 

 ries will allow, with the area of the geologically famed Silurian rocks 

 of Woolhope ; a tract, which from Tarrington, Dormington, and 

 Mordiford on the north, extends southwards into the County of 

 Gloucester. The main turnpike roads have been made use of as 

 boundaries, since they approach very near to the actual geological 

 limits. 



From the borders of Gloucestershire, near the Lea, the western 

 boundary of this district is traced by the continuous line of roads 

 passing Ecclcswall Court, Broomsash, Crowbill, Old Gore, Fownhope, 

 Mordiford, Dormington, Tarrington, The Trumpet Inn, and Little 

 Marcle ; the remainder of the eastern boundary is formed by the 

 county of Gloucester. 



GEOLOGY. — The Woolhope district is one of the most remark- 

 able geological districts in Great Britain. It is an example of the 

 elevation of a large tract of underlying strata, the Upper Silurian 

 strata, through the overlying Old Red strata by earthr|uake action, 



