Yorkshire Naturalists at Hambleton. 291 
and thence to Hambleton. At the Barff, Mr. B. McGray, the 
Waterworks Manager, kindly showed the members round the 
waterworks and also exhibited some interesting cores taken 
from borings on the Barff. One of these was of particular 
value, as it enabled the formation of the Lady Well or Wishing 
Well to be determined. 
Brayton Barff itself is an ‘ outlyer’ or island of sandstone 
left behind while the great mass of Trias, which once existed 
where the Vale of York now is, was being denuded. Judging 
from the cores, on the top of this island at the close of the Ice 
Age, or possibly some time after, a lake was formed covering 
about 23 acres. The lower part of the section consisted of a 
very find bed of clay ; upon this was a white deposit greatly 
resembling the chara marl (though more sandy), found in the 
lacustrine deposits on the Holderness coast, and upon this 
again was a layer containing decayed vegetation. If this 
surmise is correct it seems very likely that a small mere once 
existed at the top of this sandstone island, the clay bed of 
which still holds the water which supplies the Wishing Well. 
It is possible, of course, that this may have originated at the 
time the ice filled the Vale of York, the Barff being between 
the two ice streams which its presence formed. We hear 
locally that for many years it has been the practice of the 
Selby people, mostly young people, to throw some trifle into 
this well, at the same time wishing whatever was the particular 
fancy of the person at the time. ° 
Capping Brayton Barff is a large deposit of gravel, very 
similar indeed to that of Holme-on-Spalding-Moor and Mill 
Hill, Brough, and other places in the district. Of course the 
gravel rests between the solid bed of sandstone and the lake 
bed already referred to. A good section in the gravel was 
examined, and from this was obtained quite an interesting 
collection of glacial erratics, namely :—Cheviot porphyrites, 
Hornblende Rock from the Lake District ; Carboniferous 
Sandstone (common); Millstone Grit ; Carboniferous Lime- 
stone and chert, both with encrinites (common), white quartz, 
quartzites, etc. At another gravel pit at Lund Farm, close 
by, large numbers of pebbles of Magnesian Limestone were 
also found, as well as most of the kinds already mentioned. 
There is no doubt that these gravels take us back to the Great 
Ice Age, when the Vale of York was filled by the glacier 
coming down from the Lake District and Teesdale. In 
another sandstone pit the geologists had a pleasant surprise in 
the form of a large lunch basket replete with all manner of 
eatables and drinkables, which was most welcome. We believe 
they were indebted to Mr. Musham for this treat. There was 
nothing ‘ erratic’ about it, except, perhaps, at the end of the 
lunch. 
1915 Sept. 1. 
