HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. [165 



sometimes as big as the crown of one's hat, hollow and like an 

 honey-comb within, and holding a pint of this matter, which, ac- 

 cording to the colour of the comb within, is either red or white, of 

 a sweet sharp taste, very cold and cutting, but greedily drank by 

 the workmen/ 7 This may be matter of fact, but nothing is known 

 of it at present, and no iron-stone is now got there, though there 

 are evident traces of it formerly. 



Building-stone is found plentifully in various parts of the county. 

 One of the most remarkable quarries was formerly at Pendeford, in 

 the lands of Mr. Fowler, where it lies in depth 14 to 20 yards ; in- 

 deed the workmen found no bottom, and the deeper they went the 

 finer the grit, the colour whiteish at the top, then reddish to 10 or 

 12 yards, and then whiter than at top for five or six yards more ; it 

 being all good weather stone, but not enduring the fire, as the stone 

 in the quarry in Purton-park will, which is both a good weather 

 and fire stone too, and so free from clefts that a stone may be had 

 of any magnitude. Specimens of this stone may be seen in the new 

 Church, Wolverhampton, which was built from this quarry. 



The quarry at Bilston is also remarkable, it laying in beds in 

 horizontal planes one under another, twelve beds deep, every bed 

 being thicker than that above it an inch or more; so that the 

 lower bed is about a yard thick, of which they make troughs, cis- 

 terns, &c. The grind-stones dug here are of a peculiarly fine grit, 

 and frequent exportations of them to America have been made. 

 The stone is also excellent for building-stone, and fit for cornices 

 and mouldings. Grind-stones of a coarser quality are got at Gor- 

 nall and Upper Areley, in this county. 



A very large facing of stone is now open in a quarry at Coton, 

 on the north bank of the Trent, facing Rugeley ; and very good 

 stone is also raised upon the Brockton estate of Sir George Chet- 

 wynd. The Tixali stone is also famous for canal buildings, well 

 resisting the action of water ; very large quantities of it are used 

 in canal locks, raised in a quarry upon the Tixali estate, about 

 half a mile west of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal. 



Mill-stones have been made out of great round pebbles, found in 

 different parts of the county, and used for grinding wheat. At 

 Mole-Cop they dig them as in a quarry, which they cleave from 

 the rock with a great number of small wedges, driven with slight 

 strokes lest the stone should crack or flaw. This stone lies well in 

 building, the parish church of Biddulph being built with it. 



Between Swithamley and Wharnford, in the north-west Moor- 



Y 



