540 MR. T. C. CANXBILL ON SPIBORBIS-LIMESIONE, EIC., [Aug. 1 895, 



with some of those at Ardwick, where the limestones are frequently 

 embedded in red clay. $£»iror5zs-limestones and red rocks also occur 

 at "Whiston near Manchester, Eaw Beck near Carlisle, and Canobie 

 on the Esk, as described by the late Mr. Binney. 1 



(4) Thin Coals in the ' Permian ' of Wyre Forest. 



There are now known to be several localities where thin seams of 

 coal occur in the red rocks of this district. As already mentioned 

 (p. 537), a thin seam of coal, probably not more than 6 inches thick, 

 crops out in Little London Brook near Alveley. The brook flows 

 down from Little London into the Severn. This coal is associated 

 with yellow and blue clay, overlying at least 100 feet of red sand- 

 stones, cornstones, and marls, which are visible in the brook down 

 to its junction with the river; and we do not reach the Coal 

 Measures then. A little above the coal-bed, the Sjnrorbis-^mestone 

 occurs. 



The coal is bright and hard, of cubical fracture, and appears to 

 pass into a heavy black ' batt.' It is well known to the inhabitants 

 of the locality, some of whom have occasionally collected together 

 enough to serve as fuel. 



A short distance south of Little London is The Butts, where, in 

 deepening a well about 16 years ago, a seam of coal a foot or so 

 thick was found. I was directed to the spot where the debris were 

 deposited — close to a pond a little south of the house — and found 

 some fragments of a bright cuboidal coal mixed up with pieces of 

 lavender-coloured sandstones and blue and purple marls. This coal 

 may be that of Little London Brook. 



A little farther north of the latter brook is a road leading down 

 to Wood Cottage, close to the river. When this road was cut some 

 years ago, a thin pyritous coal, 6 inches thick, was cut through. 

 ~No doubt this is the same as the coal which occurs in Little London 

 Brook, a few hundred yards farther south. 



There is good evidence for the occurrence of coal at a very much 

 higher horizon in the ' Permian ' series in this district, namely, in 

 the Upper Sandstones and marls at White Cross and The Bank, 

 south-east of Claverley. About twenty-five years ago a borehole 

 was put down at White Cross. It commenced near the top of 

 the ' Permian,' and passed through several ' smuts.' The following 

 is a summarized description of the iipper part of the section : — 



Boring at White Cross, Claverley. 



feet, inches. 



Surface soil 1 



Red sand with two ' smuts ' 19 



Wet sand and gravel 39 



Brown sandy clay and rock 4 



1 Trans. Manch. Geol. Soc. vol. vi. (1866) p. 48. 



