12 SCIENTIFIC SURVEY OF YORK AND DISTRICT 



inscribed pig of lead, but a cast is shown of one from near Pateley Bridge, 

 belonging to the reign of Domitian. The Romans were, therefore, mining 

 the lead of the West Yorkshire dales at an early date ; it has been sug- 

 gested that one of the main objects of the Roman conquest of Britain was 

 the exploitation of her mineral wealth. In this connection we may mention 

 a unique Roman lead-pouring ladle from Walsingham Moor in the 

 Ethnographic Room. Gowland long ago pointed out that Roman pigs of 

 lead showed a kind of stratification, indicating that the mould was filled 

 in a number of successive stages. Here we have the ladle actually used 

 for pouring in the molten metal ; it is of bronze , and holds about two and 

 a half pints. 



The Romans also appreciated the jet from the Upper Lias of the 

 Whitby region. Some of the ornaments made of this material, par- 

 ticularly the carved portrait heads, surpass anything that has been done in 

 more recent times. The jet was brought to the important city of York 

 and carved there, as shown by the undressed lumps and partially carved 

 ornaments on the railway station site. 



An important question in local economic geology is that of building 

 materials. York is situated in a clay plain and nearly all the houses are of 

 brick. A considerable number of ancient oak-framed buildings survive 

 and add greatly to the attractions of the picturesque streets. The clay 

 plain north of the city was formerly occupied by the Forest of Galtres, a 

 name probably meaning gall or oak trees. About nine miles away, in 

 the Tadcaster district, the Magnesian Limestone affords excellent building 

 stone, and the principal buildings, the Minster, the city walls, and the 

 churches are of this material. The Romans were quick to realise its 

 value ; the multangular tower in the museum grounds is a fine example 

 of their work. The blocks are well hewn, though comparatively small. 

 The wisdom, or shall we say the honesty, of the Roman quarrymen in 

 selecting sound stone is noticeable if we contrast the weathermg of their 

 work with that of Magnesian Limestone in any of the mediaeval buildings. 

 They also used it to some extent for inscribed monumental tablets and 

 statuary, but for this class of work usually preferred gritstone from 

 further west. In the Saxon period the use of Magnesian Limestone died 

 out. Prof. Kendall has remarked that throughout Yorkshire pre- 

 Conquest work in churches is always executed in gritstone, even when 

 this had to be brought from a distance and the limestone was available on 

 the spot. In York the tower of St. Mary's, Bishop Hill Junior, dates 

 from before the Conquest ; the lower part is largely of limestone, but it is 

 obvious that the blocks used have been taken ready-made from the Roman 

 wall. When this source was exhausted, the gritstone was used. The 

 point is borne out by the fine series of Anglian crosses in one of the rooms 

 of the architectural department of the museum (in the basement). The 

 date of the magnificent, though mutilated, figure of Our Lady and Child 

 in the Chapter House of the Minster has been a matter of dispute 

 amongst antiquaries. The fact that it is of Tadcaster stone is strong 

 evidence for a post-Conquest date, say first half of the twelfth century. 

 Another good instance of the use of this stone for sculpture is the figure in 

 the museum known as Our Lady of York, and for delicacy of carving the 



