168 
REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
July, 1890 . 
but also contained quartz and barytes. The next visit was to 
the Hoarstones, a supposed Druidical circle, about half a mile 
further on, situated in boggy ground, and lying so low that 
it was visible only when the visitor was quite close. Here Mr. C. J. 
Cooper favoured the members with some extracts from Hartshorne’s 
“ Salopia Antiqua.” When that writer visited the spot, in 1838, there 
were thirty-two of these stones, averaging from one to two feet above 
ground. They were placed five feet asunder, and disposed in circular 
order round a ring measuring from east to west 73ft., and 75ft. from 
north to south. Nearly in the centre stood a stone 7ft. in circumfer¬ 
ence and 4ft. high. Hartshorne was of opinion that the original num¬ 
ber of stones was forty, corresponding with the circle at Keswick, and 
the second circle at Stonehenge. The President stated that the stones 
were of greenstone, similar to the rock of the Corndon, lying about 
two miles to the south. Mr. Cooper also gave an account of two other 
ancient monuments which lie in a line connecting the Hoarstones with 
the Corndon Mountain. These were the large circle at Mitchell’s 
Fold, and the three stones, called the “ Whetstones,” which are 
grouped together at the northern end of the Corndon. It was sug¬ 
gested that the three groups were intended to represent a serpent, the 
Whetstones forming the head, the circle at Mitchell’s Fold the middle, 
and the Hoarstones the tail, the connecting vertebrae being wanting ; 
and it was supposed that these singular monuments were connected 
with serpent-worship. Further examination of these interesting con¬ 
structions was, however, prevented by the rain. The members 
drove on to the Clive’s Arms, at the foot of the Corndon. The 
rain now came down more and more persistently, and as the 
summit of the mountain was wrapped in cloud it was decided to 
abandon the ascent. The President had intended from the top of 
Corndon to give a geological description of the district. From this 
vantage ground an admirable view is obtained of the striking geology 
of South Shropshire and the adjacent counties. As the elevations cor¬ 
respond to the geological structure, it is easy to make out the chief 
features of the latter. Most of the mountain ridges trend from north¬ 
east to south-west. Along the eastern horizon runs the straight and 
elegant line of Wenlock Edge, composed of Silurian limestone. The 
next series of elevations is made by the sandstone bands of the 
Caradoc formation. Nearer to the eye runs the remarkable chain of 
hills of which the Wrekin and Caer Caradoc were the most conspicuous 
members, consisting mainly of Archaean volcanic rocks. Then follows 
the more softly rounded outline of the Longmynd Hills, formed of 
slates and sandstone, which also were probably of Archaean age. In 
the foreground the straight serrated ridge of the Stiper Stones is the 
chief feature, forming the base of the Ordovician system. Between 
this line and the Corndon run one or two parallel elevations, composed 
of the harder Ordovician rocks. The Corndon itself is a mass of 
igneous rock (greenstone), which has been intruded amidst shales and 
sandstones. On the west, several low parallel ridges indicate the 
position of beds of volcanic ashes interstratified with Ordovician 
strata. The elevated mass which culminates in the Longmynd 
Hills, the Stiper Stones, and the Corndon, is set in a framework of 
Silurian strata, which laps round the older rocks on all sides. The 
valleys intervening between the above-named ridges are excavated 
along bauds of softer material, such as shale or slate. The physical 
features of the region were, therefore, usually determined by the 
superior hardness of rocks forming a succession of parallel zones. 
The unfavourable weather shortened the day’s work, the Club return¬ 
ing to Shrewsbury by the 4 10 train from Minsterley, instead of by the 
6 55, as previously arranged. 
