MORTIMER : SMALL PITS ON ALLERSTON AND EBBERSTON MOORS. 151 
constructed in exactly the same manner as those so common in 
Northumberland." 
This then, was the opinion entertained by antiquaries. 
On the other hand, geologists, to whose views Canon Atkinson 
has since reverted, held that the pits were sunk in searching for 
ironstone. Mr. C. Fox Sfcrangways, of the Geological Survey, supports 
this view in his Geological Memoir of this district ; but in a letter 
to me, July 8th, 1893, he thinks the pits in this particular neighbour- 
hood of " Red Dyke" may be natural sinkings of the surface. 
In June, 1891, 1 first visited a short length of these pits nearest 
to Allerston ; and again, in July, 1892, in company with Mr. Chadwick 
of Malton, without coming to any decision as to the purpose for 
which they had been made. I, therefore (June 14fch, 1893), revisited 
the pits, and with the assistance of a labourer, removed from two 
of medium size (5 to 6 feet in diameter) the turf and soily matter 
which had accumulated in them. 
At a depth of 3j feet, we reached the original bottoms, which 
were roughly dish-shaped in form, and somewhat uneven. This time 
I walked the whole length of all the lines in the neighbourhood, 
examining most carefully each pit, and noticed that between those 
nearest to Allerston there was an undisturbed piece of ground, 
measuring 2 to 3 feet in width. I also observed that along this line 
the distance, measured from centre to centre of two adjacent pits, 
was from 9 feet to 10^ feet ; whilst in the adjoining branch line to 
the west, the distance was from 12 to 13^ feet from centre to centre, 
very regular, where no after enlargement had been made. At some 
comparatively recent time, a few of the original pits appeared to 
have been deepened and lengthened in one direction. These en- 
larged pits were for a time perplexing, until I noticed tliat in some 
of them there stood a little water, and that in others rushes and 
tufts of water-grass were growing, indicating that they had recently 
contained water, I also observed that each of the largest and 
deepest of them had one long sloping side. These facts suggested 
to me that some of the original pits into which probably water had 
often filtered and remained for a time had, during dry periods, been 
enlarged and deepened by the farmers, as the readiest means of 
c 
