NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 97 



9. DERWENT DISTRICT. 



The Derwent takes its rise by two branches, both of which 

 begin a short distance east of Allenheads. The northern one is 

 called the Beldon Burn, the southern one the Knucton Burn. 

 After a course of 5 miles each they join at Hunstan worth, and 

 the river takes the name of Derwent, and, flo^wing in a north- 

 eastern direction, forms for nearly 20 miles the boundary between 

 the counties. The hills of the upper part consist of undulated 

 heathery fells of the ordinary gritstone character. Redburn 

 Edge, in a line with Stangend Rigg, at the head of the Kjiucton 

 Bum, is 1833 feet in elevation, and a ridge of high moor extends 

 from this several miles due east to Bolt's Law (1772 feet), and 

 Stanhope Common (1712 feet). Between the two burns the 

 ridge is called Knucton Fell, and attains 1561 feet. A small 

 stream from Bolt's Law, called Bolt's Bum, joins the main one 

 at Bay Bridge, below Hunstanworth : the Burnhope Burn, a 

 larger one from the same direction, drains the hollow between 

 Edmundbyres and Muggleswick ; and a third, the Hysehope 

 Bum, takes its rise in the fells 3 miles south of the former vil- 

 lage, and, after being joined by the Horsley Hope Burn, falls 

 into the Derwent a little lower down. In different parts of the 

 higher moorlands are to be seen, in situ, the remains of ancient 

 birch-forests, the stumps of the fallen trees appearing above the 

 peat ; whilst the trunks of peat-buried oaks, of considerable size, 

 give evidence of an ancient sylvan vegetation much superior 

 to any in existence now. The Eell Top limestone first shows 

 itself in th-e bed of a tributary of the Burnhope Burn, and below 

 Muggleswick the Great Limestone appears in the bed of the Der- 

 went, which winds very much in this part of its course through 

 a picturesque wooded country. Then the stream turns north and 

 leaves the great mass of moorland behind. At Cold Rowley the 

 watershed ridge has declined in level to 900 feet, the stream at 

 Allansford Bridge being just 500 feet below the top of the moor. 

 Still, for several miles further, the steeply-sloping bank, on the 

 east side of the stream, studded over with coal-mines and iron- 

 works, keeps up a height of from 800 to 700 feet. At Shotley 



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