1802 } 
ly called the chapel. A little below the 
church is a fine {pring of water, called Sr. 
Helen’s Well, that has been neatly feated 
round, and which, in the times of Popifh 
fuperftition and credulity, was probably 
not deftitute of its miracles. Grange- 
hall has every appearance of having for- 
merly been a monaftic infitution; and 
over a well adjoining to the houle, is a 
large figure of the crofs cut in ftone. At 
4 place called Sayle-bottom, about a mile 
fouth-weft from the village of Great Afby, 
are feveral tumuli,-or mounds of earth, 
which differ from one another in fize and 
form ; fome of them being circular, and 
twelve yards in diameter, whilft others 
are fomewhat in the fhape of a rectangle, 
and meafure about twelve yards in length, 
and four in breadth. At the higher end 
of thefe tumuli a deep trench feems to 
have been cut, and a breaft work raifed of 
rough ftones; and, at the lower end, ano- 
ther brea(t-work appears to have once ex-: 
ited. A tumulus, in the neighbourhood 
of Garthorne-hall, was opened about thir- 
ty or forty years ago, and feveral human 
bones, and a large fword, found in it. 
Another upon Afby-mask was allo cut 
down about the year 1783, and three hu- 
man {fkulls were found in good preferva- 
tion and entire. 
About a quarter of a mile fouth from 
the village of Great Afby is a cavern, 
that may be properly conlidered as a great 
natural curiofity, and of which, as it has 
never before becn defcribed by any topo- 
graphical writer, we fhall endeavour to 
give a more circumftantial account than 
ordinary. It is called, by the country- 
people, the Pate-hole, or Place of Badgers, 
for which name no proper reafon can be 
afligned, fince it is impoffible that either 
they, or any other animal, can make ufe 
of it for ahabitation. The entrance into 
this cave, which is at the foot of a lime- 
ftone rock, is about nine yards wide; but 
the roof, though a pretty regular arch, is 
fo low for twenty or thirty yards into it, 
that a perfon cannot walk upright. The 
paflage at firlt ftretches fouth-ealt for more 
than feventy yards, after which the prin- 
cipal opening leads due fouth. In this 
latter direction, for more than two, hun- 
dred yards, the top and fides are covered 
with a foft brown clay : the width may be 
five or fix yards, and the roof is confide- 
rably high. On the weft fide is a {pring 
.of the moft pure water, and of a {trong 
petrifying nature, and in which the ther- 
mometer, when immerfed in the greateft 
heat of fummer, or the moft fevere froft 
Account of Afby in Weftmoreland. 
115 
of winter, always ftood at 449.5’. A via 
olin played upon at this place (which is 
frequently done by the inhabitants in the 
fummer evenings) founds like a number 
of mufical inftruments in perfeét harmony. 
For upwards of five hundred yards far. 
ther, the bottom is almoft one folid rock, 
the fides of the cavern are covered with a 
thick coat of brown clay, which, when the 
water that defcends from the {pring wafhes 
againft it, becomes hard and_ petrified. 
Beyond this, the water in the cavern is 
not lefs than three feet in depth, and foon 
rifes to fix feet, and .the roof is fifteen 
yards high. All farther progrefs in this 
direétion is here wholly impeded, for the 
water prefently rifes to eight yards, and 
the top can féarcely be difcerned with fix 
or eight candles. There are, however, 
at this place, and in many others, feveral 
{maller apertures that ftretch out in dif. 
ferent direétions, and which, in all proba- 
bility, have frequent communication. with 
the large paflage we have been defcribing, 
and with one another. Out of this cave 
frequently iffues a large quantity of wa- 
ter, which, as the entrance is low and 
ftraitened, has been known to difcharge 
itfelf into the air to the height of fix feet 
above the opening. But, as a fingle 
fhower will often caufe the water to rife 
and become rapid, fo it feldom continues 
to flow more than twenty-four hours after 
the rain has ceafed, and generally not fo 
long. At the flux and re-flux of the 
water, a great noife is heard to the dif- 
tance of feveral miles, and which fome- 
times refembles the loudeft thunder; at 
other times, it is like different mufical in- 
ftruments ; and not unfrequently might 
be thought to be a fulling-mill at work. 
Thefe noifes are probably occafioned bythe 
air that had been confined in the different 
cavities having obtained enlargement 5 
and the echo, being very great through- 
out every part of the cavern, caufes them 
to be heard to remote places, and in dif 
ferent founds. In Auguft, 1783, the wa- 
ter began to iffue out of the cave in a 
very great quantity, which, as there had 
been no rain at Afby for three or four 
days fucceflively previous to this, furprifed 
the inhabitants not a little. They, how- 
ever, afterwards underitood, that much 
rain had fallen on that day between Shap 
and Crofbyravenfworth. This circum- 
{tance tends to prove, that the cavern has 
a communication with thefe places, which 
are fituated at a diftance from the mouth 
of the cave, not Jefs than three or four 
miles ; and, it is highly probable, that 
Qinrd) 9 sould | 
