PROCEEDINGS COTTESWOLD CLUB 



1911 



Fig. I. — Tower of Earls Barton Church 



The next stop was at Earls 

 Barton Church, which is famous 

 throughout the land for its 

 Saxon tower (fig. 1). "The 

 simple ornament it bears was 

 evidently intended to represent 

 timber, and from the position 

 of the tower and its arrange- 

 ment, it was clearly used as a 

 retreat from danger in the law- 

 less period in which it was 

 erected." Norman, Early English 

 and Perpendicular work is found 

 in the body of the Church. 



After lunch in Wellington, 

 the Members drove to the Irth- 

 lingborough Iron Works (Messrs 

 Thomas Butlin & Co.. Ltd.), 

 where they were received by 

 one of the Directors and were 

 conducted over the works. 



The iron-ore is obtained from 

 the Northampton Sands (Inferior 

 Oolite) and is technically known 

 as " brown hematite." 



A booklet concerning the works 

 was presented to each of the 

 Members, and therefrom the fol- 

 lowing information is extracted. 

 The metallic yield of the ore 

 varies, but the average works 

 out at approximately 36^ per 

 cent. 



The ore varies considerably.so 

 Messrs Butlin mix the different 

 kinds, which are of different 

 chemical composition, in the 

 blast furnaces, thereby obtain- 

 mg a uniform result. 



After the ore has been smelted it is run into the pig-beds. These, as 

 usual are situated immediately in front of the blast furnaces, " but at the 

 further extremity and beyond the entrance to the last ' sow,' the feedmg 

 channel is extended in the shape of an arc, having three races m the sand, 

 and these races open upon the ladle-pit, where are placed three ladles, 

 having a capacity of 4 tons, 3^ tons and 3^ tons respectively. Upon the 

 furnace being tapped, the metal runs down the channel and commences to 

 fill the furthest ' sow,' but as the head of metal increases, it also, whilst 

 fiUini the pig moulds, commences simultaneously to fill the ladles. As these 

 are fflled they are lifted one by one by a steam travelling crane on to a bogie 

 and are taken into the foundry, where the metal is cast in the usual way. 

 To get the cast-iron into a suitable composition for direct casting required 

 a long investigation into the chemical composition of the ore, so as to arrive 

 at the proper fluxes to be used for smelting. This painstaking task has 

 devolved upon Mr W. H. Butlin, and the result has been very satisfactory, 

 not only in the quality of the iron, but also in the slag produced, for which 

 there is now a great demand for paving purposes and road-repairing, etc. 



