Pearson : Hepatics of the Hcbden Bridge Valley. 123 



Mr. Kennard remarks, in writing of the Ruckland discovery, 

 In all probability we have here an artificial excavation in 

 the chalk of probably Romano-British Age, which has been 

 filled up by a wash from the hillside above ; such pits are 

 known to occur in Romano-British villages, numbers having 

 been found during the excavations in Wiltshire by the late 

 General Pitt Rivers, and it is to be hoped that excavations 

 will be made and thus throw additional light on an extremely 

 interesting discovery.' 



It should perhaps here be mentioned that many years ago 

 Roman remains were found about a quarter of a mile further 

 down this valley, and the discovery recorded in the Proceedings 

 of the Society of Antiquaries. 



In the field immediately to the North-cast of the Rectory 

 Grounds, the Rev. George Hall found a very fine early Neolithic 

 Flint Implement ; and other flint flakes, etc., have since been 

 found in the immediate neighbourhood. 



The Holocene deposits in Lincolnshire have not yet received 

 the attention they deserve and there can be no doubt that 

 when they have been investigated, many interesting and 

 important facts will be brought to light. 



HEPATICS OF THE HEBDEN BRIDGE VALLEY. 



WM. HY. PEARSON. 



I HAD the pleasure of visiting this interesting locality last 

 September in the company of Messrs. Broome Barrett and 

 Greenwood, and thanks to the guidance of Mr. Broome was 

 able to collect nearly all the rare hepatics for which the Valley 

 is famous. 



It was at Hebden Bridge that Samuel Gibson lived 60 to 

 70 years ago. He was a keen botanist and known to the 

 readers of the old botanical journals as a very controversial 

 one ; he was a blacksmith by trade and it is rather remarkable 

 that the botanist who has given such lustre to this neighbour- 

 hood should also have been one, the late James Needham, 

 who died a few years ago. 



Part of Gibson's herbarium is in the Salford Peel Park 

 Museum, or at least it was about 50 years ago, when I was in 

 the habit of consulting it, along with the 8 volumes they had 

 in the Hbrary of the old Sowerby's ' English Botany.' 



Mr. Broome, by his intimate knowledge of the Hebden 

 Bridge Valley, made my visit of a few hours eminently success- 

 ful ; to be taken direct to where all the rarities grew was an 

 experience I have never had before. 



We began by collecting Nardia geoscypha De N., a very 



1918 April 1. 



