110 PROCEEDINGS COTTESWOLD CLUB 1908 
The party left Cheltenham at 8.33 a.m., and arrived at Leicester 
about 11 a.m. Here a break was in waiting, and the Members drove 
through Leicester, by way of the Abbey where Wolsey breathed his 
last, and so to Cropston. The view of the hills of Charnwood Forest 
across the waters of Cropston reservoir was much admired. Taking 
the turn to the left at Roecliffe Hall, a halt was called at the top of the 
hill, whence the Members could survey the distant hills of Oolite 
across the undulating low ground composed of Red Keuper Marls and 
Lias, and the nearer granitic hills of Buddon Wood and Mount Sorrel. 
Here Mr Richardson gave a general survey of the geology of the 
district. 
Leicester occupies a position, geologically speaking, the same as 
Tewkesbury, being built upon Red Marls (Keuper), Rhzetic and Lower 
Lias. The Lower Lias stretches away to the east, to the foot of the 
hills capped with Oolite ; the Red Marls westwards, wrapping round 
and entering valleys in the Archzean rocks of Charnwood Forest. 
The Charnwood Rocks are stated by Prof. W. W. Watts to be 
“not like the Uriconian or Torridonian rocks, unless we except the 
grits and conglomerate of the Brand series, which have some re- 
semblance to the Torridonian rocks. On the other hand, they have 
nothing in common with the gneisses and schists of the North-west or 
Central Highlands of Scotland. Many of the individual bands are like 
those of the Longmynd, in Shropshire, and, indeed, if we could 
imagine the pyroclastic materials from the Charnwood volcano 
dropped far from the vent, and sorted and stratified in water, they 
would be likely to produce a group of rocks much like those of 
the Longmynd. It is impossible at present to push the comparison 
further, and meanwhile it may be better to be content with naming 
the whole group the Charnian System, and to refer it to some 
unascertained position in the great pre-Cambrian sequence.” * 
This Charnian System has been subdivided as follows :— 
(1) Swithland and Groby Slates. 
THE BRAND SERIES (2) Conglomerate, Grit and Quartzite. 
(3) Purple and Green Beds. 
(4) Olive Hornstones of Bradgate. 
5) Woodhouse Beds; Hornstones and Vol- 
THE canic Grits. 
MAPLEWELL SERIES | (6) Slate Agglomerate of Roecliffe. 
(7) Hornstones of Beacon Hill. 
(8) Felsitic Agglomerate. 
Soe Contes {(9) Hornstones and Volcanic Grits. 
1 Mem. Geol. Surv., “The Geology of the Country between Atherstone and 
Charnwood Forest” (1900), p. 9. Attention may also be directed to Prof. Watts’ report 
on an “Excursion to Charnwood Forest,” in the Proc. Geol. Assoc., vol. xvii, pp. 373- 
381, at the end of which is a list of papers, etc., referring principally to Charnwood 
Forest. 
