304 LIAS OF ENGLAND AND WALES : 
lens beautifully oolitic."* The working of the ironstone was 
discontinued in 1887. 
Attempts were made as early as 1859 to introduce the Marl- 
stone of Adderbury and Kings Sutton as as iron-ore, but not till 
about ten years later did the attempts meet with success, when 
.extensive excavations were made. Since then the iron-ore has 
been worked intermittently. 
Prof. Phillips 'remarked that, where most productive, the beds 
at Adderbury yield about 30,000 tons to the acre. The poorer 
stone which contains much carbonate of lime, was found useful 
in the furnaces as limestone, f 
Analysis of the samples of the better stone from Adderbury, 
gives from 18 to 24 per cent, of iron. The Kings Sutton stone 
is richer in iron, different samples according to Mr. Beesley, 
giving 18 '7, 25-5, and 34 per cent, of iron; but the richer ores 
are sandy. About 1,000 tons were weekly sent from these two 
places.! 
The ore has been obtained by open working, and since 1882, 
also by mining. It is a hydrated peroxide of iron, partly yellow 
and partly brown, the former being " oolitic " while the brown is 
not. Mr. J. D. Kendall states : " There is almost a complete 
absence of grey or greenish cores in the upper 8 feet of the 
bed, but they are abundant in the lower part, and some of 
them are very large, for which reason this part of the bed is not 
worked." 
The quantity obtained at Fawler from 1859 to 1866, varied from 1,552 tons 
(in 1866) to 5,600 tons (in 1861). That obtained from Adderbury in 1859 was 
3,410 tons, and in 1860 1,250 tons ; from 1869 to 1881 the quantity varied 
from 1,233 tons (in 1879) to 56,536 tons (in 1872). 
Ironstone has been opened up at Steeple Aston, north-east of 
Woodstock ; and Mr. Howell has remarked that in the neigh- 
bourhood of Swalcliffe the Marlstone has been found to be a good 
ironstone from 6 to 9 feet thick, and that it may possibly be 
found worth working when the country to the west of Banbury 
is more opened up by rail way. || This anticipation has been 
realized, for recently the Marlstone has been worked for iron- 
ore at Hook Norton, to the east of the railway-station. 
North-east of Kings Sutton there appears to be no workable 
ironstone in Northamptonshire; the average thickness of the 
Marlstone Rock-bed is about 6 feet, and the rock is only service- 
able for local building-purposes or road-metal. 
A large amount of iron-ore has during the past 25 years been 
obtained from the Middle Lias of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. 
The ore both in Leicester and in Rutland was worked in ancient 
times, for old slags have been met with here and there. 
* Geol. Woodstock, p. 11. 
f Geol. Oxford, &c., p. 496. See also T. Beesley, Proc. Warwickshire Field Club, 
1872, pp. 17-19 ; Proc. Geol. Assoc., vol. iii. p. 198. 
J Beesley, op. cit. p. 19. 
Kendall, Trans. N. Eng. Inst. Mining Engineers, vol. xxxv. pp. 123, 124. 
|| Green, Geol. Banbury, p. 6. 
