442 ME. H. KAY ON THE HALESOWEN SANDSTONE [Oct. I913, 



at llubery, in the stream-course south of the station. From thiis 

 I infer that these sandstones belong to the highest members of 

 the Witley Group, and in consequence I assign the clays and 

 2-foot coal wbich occur on the flanks of the Lickey anticline to the 

 horizon of the Halesowen Coal and Clays, and not to the Illey 

 Group as surmised by Prof. Lapworth. 1 



(3) The Halesowen Coal and Clays. 



Murchison 2 repeatedly mentions ' coal at Halesowen,' but so 

 vaguely that its position canuot be recognized. Jukes 3 makes 

 no reference to it, although he cites Ham Dingle, the Lutley 

 stream-courses, Uffmoor Wood, and The Leasowes as localities 

 vvhere ' a thin coal or coals ' may be found. Outcrops of coal 

 are marked at these places on the published maps. 4 Other ' coaly 

 traces' are known to occur in Wassel Grove Dingle, 5 in the 

 Hasbury quarries, 6 in the ' .Spirorbis-Limestone Group ' at some 

 point not specified, 7 and at llubery . 8 It is, therefore, important to 

 ascertain whether these occur at one or more horizons, and in the 

 latter event to distinguish between them. 



In Ham Dingle the coal is 1 foot thick, and forms a distinct 

 ledge in the stream-coarse half way up the ravine. It is associated 

 with yellow (blue where unweathered) clays above and below, and 

 the total thickness does not exceed 10 feet. Traces of coal in 

 a similar position are found in Hodge-Hill Dingle, and an exposure 

 of coal by the side of a pool in Lushbridge Hollow was pointed out 

 to me by Mr. Bangham. Here the outcrop is cut off by the Hayes 

 Fault, and neither coal nor clay appears north or east of Oldenhall. 



At Fatherless Barn a fault is to be inferred, since sandstones 

 dipping east-south-eastwards at 15° occur on the north, and 

 horizontal sandstones separated by clays on the south. The clay 

 outcrop can be followed into the ravine known as the Lutley 

 Gutter, where coal is exposed. Clay also occurs in the fields below 

 Lutley Grange, and the outcrop runs up the Lutley Valley, where 

 coaly beds appear at a point 704 yards from Wassel Grove, as 

 mentioned by Jukes. 9 



In the course of a stream descending from Bog's Farm, some 

 30 feet of pale-blue clay containing nodules of earthy limestone is 

 seen. Coal, however, is not exposed. A persistent outcrop of 

 clay runs from this point to the Stourbridge road near Witley 

 Lodge, and this was examined by me, accompanied by Mr. Jew, 



1 ' Sketch of the Geology of the Birmingham District ' Proc. Geol. Assoc, 

 vol. xv (1898) p. 368. 



2 ' The Silurian System ' 1839, pp. 54-57. 



s ' The S. Staffs. Coalfield ' Mem. Geol. Surv. 2nd ed. (1859) pp. 28, 29. 



4 1-inch Geological Survey map, Sheet LX1I, S.W. 



5 ; Silurian System ' loc. ait. ' 6 Ibid. 



7 Proc. Geol. Assoc, vol. sv (1898) pp. 366, 368. 



8 W. D. Conybeare & W. Phillips, ' Geol. of England & Wales ' 1822, p. 417. 



9 ' The S. Staffs. Coalfield ' Mem. Geol. Surv. [Eec. School of Mines] 1st ed. 

 (1853) p. 166. 



