410 MORTIMER: BRITISH HABITATIONS ON DANBY NORTH A100R. 
" Even at the British village on our Danby North Moor, between 
the Beacon and Waupley — perhaps honoured with more pilgrimages 
than any other on the list — the tale-telling map places a seam 
of ' impure ironstone ' inconveniently close by. And yet this is the 
one, of all others, the circumstances and surroundings of which 
admit of most doubt as to their original intention or raison d'etre. 
For they are not only not arranged in more or less quincunx 
order as the rest are (or have been), but they are in two parallel 
rows, and apparently with an intended outside bank or projection. 
They have never been properly examined, or indeed subjected to 
any process of exploration that would satisfy the merest tyro in 
such inquiries ; for the recorded examination already referred to 
was, as a scientific examination, altogether delusive. True, the 
inevitable ' bottom ' and the inevitable ' charcoal ' were found, and 
the burnt stones, and so forth. But the full and convincing 
investigation remains to be made ; and from my own personal 
experience on the spot, I am disposed to think that when the true 
bottom is found the British village theory will be disposed of for 
good." 
At p. 174 Canon Atkinson remarks 
"For my own part, if only the opportunity could be achieved, , 
I should go in for an examination of any of those so-called British 
villages with very definitely preconceived opinions as to what should 
be looked for, and the way in which the looking for it should be con- 
ducted ; and, for one thing, I should have no more doubt about finding 
horizontal operations than about the fact that the pits were there. 
If I did not find the ironstone it would be because it had been 
removed." 
This is strong faith, without the least attempt to verify it. 
Being desirous of personally inspecting these pits, I took the 
train to Lealholm Station on August 28th, 1893, in company 
with Dr. Wood, of Driffield, and then walked to Danby North 
Moor. 
Though we were supplied with a 6-inch Ordnance map, on 
which the pits were very distinctly shown, after traversing the 
moor in various directions, we were much disappointed in not 
