PROCEEDINGS COTTESWOLD CLUB 
1920 
176 
The common land, conveniently spoken of as Sevenhampton Common, 
has beneath it the lowest beds of the Great Oolite, the Fullers’ Earth, and the 
Inferior Oolite, let down between two faults with an Armorican direction, 
so that the Great Oolite is on a level with the Inferior Oolite to the north and 
south. A little valley runs up from the south into the Sevenhampton Common 
upland, and near the top of its flanks crop out the Fullers’ Earth and overlying 
Great Oolite. Water, issuing forth where previous Great Oolite beds and 
impervious Fullers’ Earth clays meet, has given rise to the marshy tract 
known to local botanists as the " botanical oasis.” 
All over the Common is abundant evidence of the extent to which the 
" Stonesfield Slates ” — in the lowest portion of the Great Oolite — have been 
worked in the past. The “ slats ” were employed in the past near and far for 
roofing purposes. A barn on the edge of the Common is roofed with them, 
but the roofs had to be high-pitched to prevent the wind-driven rain from 
getting in between where the " slats ” overlapped. It was from " slats ” 
drawn from this Common that the seal of the Club — the starfish, Astropecten 
cotteswoldice (J. Buckman) — was obtained. 
The last pit that was " in work ” in this neighbourhood is situated in a 
field close by the wall, about half-way between the barn referred to above 
and the little valley on the western side of which is the " botanical oasis.” 
It is not now “ in work ” : it is almost filled in, but the top of the rock of which 
the “ Slate ” is a constituent stratum is still to be seen, with above it — in 
ascending order — marl, a limestone bed largely made up cf the valves of 
Ostrea acuminata (J. Sowerby), and very fossiliferous clay. The following 
is a description of this section. 
Quarry on Sevenhampton Common. Thickness 
ft. ins. 
1. Rhynchonella-Terebratula-Isastrcsa-Bed. Clay, bluish-grey and 
yellowish ; Nerintza gracilis Lycett and several other species, 
Chlamys vagans (J. de C. Sowerby), Alectryonia costaia (J. de C. 
Sow), Ostrea acuminata (J. Sow'), Ostrea sowerbyi (M. and L.) 
Ostrea acuminata but with O. subrugulosa ornamentation, 
rhvnchonellids, Terebratula globata auctt. non Sow. (Stipkro- 
thyris Sp. nov.), Berenicea cf. verrucosa (M. Edwards), 
Anabacia complanata (Defranc), Isastrcea limitata (Lamouroux), 
and Serpula sp. 
2. Limestone, yellowish, shelly ; Nerincea sp. and Ostrea acuminata 
(J. Sow), abundant : 2to4ins. 
3. Clay, browmish ; full of specimens of Ostrea acuminata (J. Sow), 
2 to 3 ins. 
4. Limestone, similar to 2 with similar fossils : 2 to 3 ins. 
5. Marl, arenaceous, indurated in places ; Strophodus sp. (tooth), 
Lima cardiiformis (J. Sow), Ostrea acuminata (J. Sow'), 
Pholadoniya ail. deltoidea (J. Sow') : 4 ft. 6 ins. to 6 ft. 2 ins. 
1 3 
° 3 
o 2 
o 2 
5 4 
