10 
SOIL AND SURFACE. 
some gravel. Beyond this, on the confines of the 
county, and in the small detached parts, including the 
Cotswold Hills, a limestone prevails on the upper land, 
and a rich loam on the lower. To the south, between 
Worcester and Malvern, the general character of the 
soil, is a clay, mixed with gravel in different propor¬ 
tions ; the former prevailing in the lower, and the lat¬ 
ter in the higher situations. To the left of this line, 
including Malvern Chase, a deep surface of clay is 
found in some places ; in others, a rich loam, inclining 
to sand ; sub-stratum supposed to be marl. To the 
right, till we approach a central point between the 
west and north, the proportion of clay increases gra- 
dually, till at last, a strong clay occurs; this again be¬ 
comes gradually more gravelly, till it joins the light 
sands in the north, below partly marl, partly soft sandy 
stone, and some limestone is found ; in each of these 
districts is some very rocky land, and in most, some 
loose stony soil, or stone brash, is met with, but no 
where are there any traces of chalk or flint.” 
Mr. Oldacre observes, “ that the meadow soil, by 
the sides of the Avon, and the other rivers and brooks, 
is most generally a loamy clay.” 
In several excursions into different parts of the coun¬ 
ty in 1807, I made some further observations on the 
soil, as follow : 
The late inclosed land of Bromsgrove Lickey, 
which is a gravel or gravelly loam surface, is often a 
sandy under-stratum to a considerable depth ; but some 
times on the higher grounds, the under-stratum is an 
irregular granite rock, or an hard congelation of gra¬ 
vel . 
On some of the hilly ground in the north-east of the 
county, the soil is a moist clay loam, on a brashy rock 
bottom, 
