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ON THE RECENT EXPLORATION OF A CAVE AT ELBoLTON, NEAR THORPE. 
BY REV. EDWARD JONES. 
The Craven Naturalists' Society, in the ardency of youth, were 
desirous to add their quota of research into caves. ^Ye felt we knew 
but little, and that some practii-al investigation would help us, and 
perhaps be of use to more learned and experienced societies. Some 
of us, in rambling- for fossils in the neighbourhood of Thorpe, heard 
of the existence of this Cave at Elbolton. It seems to have been 
often visited by the young farmers in the neighbourhood ; they call 
it ''Kuavvy Noddle Hole." Whitaker, in his History of Craven, 
states that he went into a Cave near Thorpe, called Knave Hole Cave, 
and that there was a tradition that at one time it was a robbers' retreat. 
During Easter-week a few of the members of the Craven Naturalists' 
Society made a special visit to Thorpe to find this Cave. 
Skirting the slopes of the grit moorland of Kylstone, Thorpe, 
and Burnsall Fells, there are a series of peculiar conical limestone 
hills, of which Elbolton, near to the hamlet of Thorpe, is one of the 
most prominent. The entrance of Knave Hole is at the foot of a 
small scar on the south side of Elbolton, about 100 feet from the 
summit. The present entrance is a pit-like mouth, and a ladder is 
required to make the descent in safety ; the floor of the first chamber 
being about 20 feet below the mouth ; this chamber is about 30 feet 
long, and varying from 7 feet to 13 feet in width ; and with a height 
of nearly 40 feet at its further extreuiity. Here it narrows, and after 
a steep ascent of 18 feet, the cave continues in a narrow but lofty 
passage for 36 feet further. In this passage there is a perpendicular 
hole 12 feet in depth, and from the bottom of which, by a very low 
passage another small chamber is reached ; none of our party how- 
ever went into this further cave. In comparison with Dowkabottom 
and Clapham, Elbolton Cave appears to be small. The few stalactites, 
that within recent years hung from the top or adorned the sides, have 
been removed. The sides are damp, and covered with a beautiful 
