QUARRY. 



cliiie, occafioned by the ;i<S of 1794, which impofcd a duty 

 on (tones, which, although trifling in itielf, cauUs much 

 grievance, vexation, delay, and trouble, in procurnig coall- 

 difpatches, &c. . 



Flag-lloncs and quarries for the working and preparmg ot 

 all forts of flags, are met with in all thoit- fituations where 

 free-ftone is found, and where it exifis in rather thick ilrata, 

 or layers of fome depth, which are capable of being fepa- 

 rated by hammers, wedges, or other means. In many places 

 in the fouthern jiarts of the iiland, the flags raifed from 

 fuch free-ftone quarries are of an extremely good quality, 

 being ufed in very large quantities for many different pur- 

 pofes. Thofe of Cornwall and Devonfliire alfo, in manv 

 cafes, aiford a good fort of flags. The fand-ltoiie quarries of 

 Shropfliire, as at Grmfell, near Shrewftury, about Bridg- 

 north, and at Conidon-hill, near Bilhop's-caiUe, as well as 

 in the Swinney mountain, &c. where alternate beds of 

 fine white and red ftone of this kind, of very luperior quality 

 and tliicknefs, exift ; that in the firft of thefe litualions, being 

 twenty yards thick, affords flags likewile, which are of a 

 very ufeful nature. Free-ftone flags too, of ufeful forts, are 

 met with in the quarries of fome of the midland counties. 

 And they abound much in many of the free-ftone quarries of 

 Lancafliire, Yorkfliirc, and fome of the other more northern 

 diftricts of the country. 



The quarries of this kind become flate-ftone, and furiiifli 

 the white, grey, and brown flate, wherever the ftone lies in 

 thin layers, or ftrata, which are able to be raifed and fepa- 

 rated from each other with convenience and facility. They 

 exift in moft of the above trafts, and are plentiful in fome 

 of them, efpecially thofe towards the north. The Lan- 

 cafliire and Yorkfliire quarries, in many places, fupply the 

 white and grey forts in great abundance, and of good qua- 

 lities. Thofe of Weftmoreland, Cumberland, and North- 

 umberland, alfo afford them in many inftances of a valuable 

 nature. And they are equally good in the ftiU more northern 

 difl^rifts. There are numerous quarries of different colours 

 of them in Clydefdale, Perthfliire, Argylelhlre, and the 

 county of Invernefs, from wliich vaft fupplies are conftantly 

 raifed for home and other ufe. This fort of flate has, how- 

 ever, moftly the difadvantages of being very porous, heavy, 

 lefs durable, and of requiring more and ftronger timber to 

 fupport it, than fome other kinds ; being only fit for ex- 

 pofed climates and fituations. 



The quarries of the lighter and thinner kinds of flate, of 

 the blue, green, purple, and other colours, formed from 

 other forts of ftone, only exift in fome particular diftrifts, as 

 thofe of Wales, the northern part of Lancafliire, and the 

 adjoining counties, and in a few places in Scotland. The flate 

 quarries of the Welfli diftrifts fupply feveral kinds and co- 

 lours in large quantities, and of good qualities, but the dark 

 and lighter purples are the moft prevalent forts in moft of 

 them. In Lancafliire the quarries of this kind are very nu- 

 merous in the part to the north of the fands, as about 

 Gothwaite-common, Kirby-moor, Coniftone-hills, and Til- 

 bcrtliwaite-fells, &c.; and from which very large fupplies of 

 the blue, green, and the dark purple forts of flate are raifed, 

 and font away for exportation, or confumed at home for dif- 

 ferent purpofes. They are wrought, and the flate prepared 

 in fomewhat different manners m different places. The 

 Gothwaite qnarries have the flate dug out from the fide of 

 the hill, and carried away. But in fome on K'rby-moor, a 

 level is driven through the ground from below, the metal 

 being conveyed away by fmall four-wheeled waggons on 

 iron rail-'.vays. Thofe about Coniftone are moftly worked 

 into the hills, and the metal raifed and carried out from 

 them. Some of the Tilberthwaite quarries are wrought 



by blafting the flate-flonc, and collecting and carrying it 

 out of them on flantmg roads, in Imall carts or trucks con- 

 ftructed for the purpofe, the level;, being below the liills, but 

 not nearly fo low as the bottoms of the quarries. Others 

 are wrought by draught roads fr<,m the bottoms of them. 

 One man will raife eighteen or twenty hundred weight ot 

 flate in one day, where the metal rifes u-ell, but lefs in other 

 cafes. Ill fome it is dug out by one fi-t of men, Iplit bv 

 another, and form.ed into Hates by a third, for which pur- 

 pofes, flat crow-bars, (late-knives, and axes are employed. 

 The flate is divided 7nd diftingui(hed into three forts, as 

 firlls, feconds, and thirds, or London, country, and torn?. 

 In the firft, or Gothwaite quarries, the flate has a darkiili 

 purple, or black calt, and is worth from forty to forty-four 

 Itullings the ton. In the Coniftone quarries it has a fnie blce 

 and green appearance, and is mucli thinner and lighter than 

 tlrn other fort. The Tilberthwaite flate, in fome inftances, 

 fplits very fine, thin, and light, but does not cover fo far as 

 thofe of the Gothwaite and Kirbr quarries. This fort is 

 worth from forty-eight to fifty fliillings the ton. In fome 

 quarries a lort of rent is paid^cr ton, on the flate which is 

 raifed, as ten (hillings for the beft, eight (hillings for the 

 feconds, and lixpence for the thirds. In others a certaia 

 rent only is paid for the liberty of the royalty, and not a 

 tonnage duty. Thefe rents or duties on the workers of 

 thefe quarries, are probably higher than they will bear, and 

 have enabled the Welfli flate dealers to underfcll thofe of 

 this county. 



Weftmoreland and Cumberland, in fome inftances, afford 

 good blue and green flates. In the latter, fome of an ex- 

 cellent quality are gotten in tlie quarries of Borrowdale, and 

 inferior forts in fome of the neighbouring mountains. 



The county of Argyle, m Scotland, in fome parts abounds 

 with flatc-quarries, as the trafts about Efdale, from which 

 five millions of flates have for lome time been annually fold 

 at the rate of twenty-five (hillings the thoufand. Quarries 

 of the fame kind are alfo wrought in many other parts, with 

 great benefit to the inhabitants. 



Slate-quarnes are formed in many parts of the highlands 

 of the county of Perth, but none in the low. The flates 

 in fome are of a purple colour, in others of an azure blue, 

 and in a few of a muddy, fandy, brown complexion along the 

 cutters. It IS well known where the different fcrts are quar- 

 ried. The veins of flate-rock feem to run from Drum- 

 lane, in the parifli of Aberfoil, in a north-eaft direction 

 toDunkeld; and m.ay be traced beyond the limits of the 

 county both vvays. The azure coloured are the beft metal, 

 and rife of a greater fize than any of the other kinds. 

 Many of the buildings in different places are flated with 

 this beautiful covering. Into the lower diftridls of the 

 county, flates are imported from Efdale, and the other quar» 

 ries on the weft coaft of the county of Argyle. 



Quarries of grey flate exift in many different parts of the 

 county of Invernefs, in which the quality is very good, and 

 well fuited to the climate. In fome places thefe flates are 

 much preferred to blue ones, as the latter are more ex- 

 penfive in procuring, and though nailed on the roofs ever 

 fo firmly, are apt to be loofened by high winds, unlefs 

 bedded in hme, which circumftance renders repairs difficult. 

 There are numerous quarries of fand and gravel to be met 

 with in almofl every diltrift of the kingdom, which are 

 wrought either for the purpofe of fupplying dom>?lhc ufes, 

 or thofe of repairing roads, &c. Thofe of the former 

 fort, which contain the fine white, red, and yellow fands, 

 are by far the moft valuable, and wrought to the greated 

 extent, the materials being moftly dug out from the fides 

 of banks and other places, and but rarely got by finking 



the 



