On Fossils found at Foxton Hall, by G. A. Lebour. 79 



Canon Ornsby then conducted tlie visitors to tbe terrace on tlie 

 north side of the Castle, pointing out a portion of the building 

 which is associated with the name of Bishop Butler, who made 

 some alterations on that side, and whose arms are carved on the 

 exterior. He also directed their attention from that point of 

 view to the remains of the exterior defences of the Castle, and 

 the position of the barbican or great outer gateway, so long 

 known as the gaol gates, from the fact of its having been occu- 

 pied until its demolition, about 1820, as the County prison. He 

 also mentioned an interesting account given by Lawrence, Prior 

 of Durham (1149-1154;, of the old Norman Chapel, the Keep, 

 and the position of the Castle, in a Latin poem (entitled Liher 

 Dialogorum Laurentii Dunelm. Monachi). Prior Lawrence also 

 tells of the havoc made by the wolves upon the young colts be- 

 longing to the bishop in the winter season. Durham at that 

 time was surrounded by a wide tract of half forest, half moor- 

 land country. It is probable that a breed of wild horses, some- 

 thing like the Exmoor or Welsh ponies, roamed over the uncul- 

 tivated hill and dale which extended from the country immedi- 

 ately about Durham to the head of the valley of the Wear. 



List of Fossils found in the Calcareous Shale cropping out 

 on the heach at Foxton Hall, about half a mile to the 

 North of Alnmouth, Northumberland. By G. A. Lebouk, 

 M.A., F.G.S., Professor of Geology in the University of 

 Durham College of Physical Science, Newcastle-on-Tyne. 



This shale is almost entirely covered by the sea at high water, 

 and can, therefore, only be collected in at certain times. It con- 

 tains a large number of fossils, both as to species and individuals. 

 Of these none appear to be peculiar to the bed, but many which 

 are common in it are not usually found so high up in the series. 

 Although the exact horizon of the f ossilif erous band is not known, 

 there is no reason to doubt that it occupies a position very near 

 the top of the Carboniferous Limestone series — approximately 

 that of the Filltop Limestone. The latter bed may be looked 

 upon as bringing before us the last assemblage of marine forms 

 existing in the Bernician area of the Carboniferous Limestone 



