232 
THE MIDDLE LIAS OP" NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 
and north respectively of two other wells which have yielded 
considerable quantities of water from the Maidstone. Further 
relations between them are shown below:— 
Height of 
Depth of 
Height of 
Surface above 
Rock-bed 
Rock-bed 
Sea-level. 
from Surface. 
above Sea-le 
FEET. 
FEET. 
FEET. 
"Kingstliorpe Shaft 374 
293 
81 
tSpinney Well ... 278 
171 
107 
Billing Road Well 235 
160 
75 
It will be seen from these measurements that the water¬ 
bearing bed at the Spinney Well is at least 32 feet 
above the same bed at the Billing Road Well ; therefore, 
at a time when the water at the latter place would scarcely 
rise above the bed from which it came, it could not be expected 
that this higher portion of the same bed would yield water. 
If water had been obtained at the Spinney Well, then it 
would have been necessary to account for it either by a 
“ fault,” by a want of general porosity in the bed, or by a 
very high gradient in the saturation level arising from resis¬ 
tance; as it is, however, it became a proof of the absence 
of all these obstacles to the success of the water scheme 
under discussion. 
I may say, incidentally, that a piece of the hard green 
rock containing Terebratula punctata, from this well, was 
thrown into some water, and on breaking it up in about 
fifteen minutes, it was found to be saturated with water 
throughout. 
I was told that after salt water had been tapped, at a 
depth of about 800 feet, it rose to within about 145 feet of 
the top, but fluctuated about that level, probably running 
away into the Marlstone until properly stopped out. I do 
not attach much importance to the depth of the salt water, 
because, although it was given to me by one who might have 
known, he had not actually measured it. Considering that 
salt water at this time filled the old Kingstliorpe shaft to 
within 270 feet of the surface, that is. 104 feet above sea- 
level, it is scarcely possible that the same water at the Spinney 
* 1 have taken the responsibility of altering the depth of the Rock- 
bed from 210 feet to 293 feet, believing that the evidence to follow 
amply justifies it. 
f The section of the Spinney Well given in a previous page shows 
the Rock-bed to be at a depth of 164 feet, whereas Mr. Eunson (“ Range 
of the Palaeozoic Rocks beneath Northampton,” Q.J.G.S., 1884) gives 
to it a depth of 171 feet. 1 have assumed that the latter is a correction 
of the former. 
