A hand-book of the Peak of Derbyshire, and to the use of the Buxton mineral waters

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A HAND-BOOK

OF THE

PEAK OF DERBYSHIRE,

AND TO THE USE OF

THE BUXTON MINERAL WATERS.

BY

WILLIAM HENRY ROBERTSON, M.D.,F.R.C.P.,

FORMERLY SENIOR PHYSICIAN, AND NOW CONSULTING
PHYSICIAN, TO THE BUXTON BATH CHARITY
AND DEVONSHIRE HOSPITAL.

ELEVENTH EDITION;

WITH THE SUCCESSIVE ANALYSES OF THE BUXTON THERMAL
- WATER, BY DR. PEARSON, SIR CHARLES SCUDAMORE, SIR LYON
PLAYFAIR, M. OTTO HEHNER, DR. THRESH, AND OTHERS; THE
SANITARY AND HOSPITAL STATISTICS, ETC. ;

S ©otaqiAal doinn\e:qtkfy & I<i£t of PlcU^

BY THE LATE MISS HAWKINS;

AND A MAP OF THE ENVIRONS.

BUXTON :

C. F. WARDLEY, “ADVERTISER” OFFICE;

MISS BATES, THE LIBRARY, HOT BATH COLONNADE ;

AND OTHER BOOKSELLERS.

1886,

EOYAl, COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS |

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Digitized by the Internet Archive
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https://archive.org/details/b24907388

PEE FACE TO THE ELEVENTH EDITION.

I am asked to revise an Eleventh Edition of this
Handbook to Buxton and the Peak of Derbyshire.
Every edition has indicated progress. Buxton and its
interests have advanced with the requirements of the
public. Placed within easy reach from the manufacturing
centres of the Midland and Northern districts of the
Kingdom, it has always been the great resort of
rheumatic invalids seeking relief from the use of its
mineral waters ; and as these centres of mining and
manufacturing population have grown and multiplied,
the numbers of those who resort to Buxton have become
greater and greater. It has been roughly computed,
that, on the average, one hundred thousand persons
resort to Buxton year by year ; and this is probably by
no means an extravagant estimate. Many of these
accompany invalids ; many do not resort to Buxton for
the use of the waters, but for the restorative effect of the
pure air of the mountain limestone ; but a very large
and important number use the baths, or drink the mineral
waters, for the relief of rheumatism, or its allied infirm-
ties. As the railway facilities have rendered the access
o Buxton by invalids more easy, there are few cases so
severe as to preclude the journey ; and the use of the
baths has had to be modified to- meet the varying require-
ments. Not muclffmore than half a century ago, those
who were able to reach Buxton at all were commonly able
to use the baths at the natural temperature of 82
legrees ; and until the year 1818, no baths of the water

iv.

PREFACE TO ELEVENTH EDITION.

at any other than the natural temperature were obtain-
able. At that time the need of milder baths of the
mineral water, so far weakened as to the presence of
nitrogen gas by the heating of the water, was sufficiently
evident to occasion the provision of carefully-planned
warm baths, under the skilled constructive direction of
Mr. Sylvester; and these proved to be a helpful addition
in the treatment of the more severe cases. Gradually,
the greater and greater severity of the cases led to more
use of the warmer baths, and their multiplication;
chiefly in the year 1852, when the whole of the baths,
both as to the natural and the warmer baths, were
entirely reconstructed, and much increased in number.
Again, in 1875, both the natural baths and the warmer
baths were increased in number, to meet the needs of
increasing requirement on the part of the public, with
the constant result of a larger and larger proportion of
the warmer baths being needed, and a correspondingly
smaller relative demand for baths at the natural tem-
perature.

Immersion of the body has always been held to
be the great efficient means of bringing morbid
conditions within the reach of the remedial action
of the mineral water; and it has always been held
to increase the probability of sure and lasting effect,
if the baths could be taken at the natural tem-
perature. Gradually, as the number of severe cases has
become greater, and the complications with cardiac and
other allied morbid states have increased in number,
more frequent use has been made of a partial immersion ;
instead of immersion of 'the whole body, only three-
fourths, or one-half, or one-fourth of the body, being
immersed in the water. Still more recently, under the
pressure of extreme balneological requirements, and with
the example of important mineral water resorts, as at

PREFACE TO ELEVENTH EDITION.

V.

Aix les Bains, Mont Dore, etc., a still more partial
external use of mineral water has been resorted to ; and
jets, or streams, or showers, or sprays, have been directed,
more or less specially, to the parts affected, instead of
any immersion in the water at all ; and these adaptations
of treatment have been introduced for most of the
greater health-resorts of Great Britain, and so are
allowed to be added to the Buxton means of treatment.
How far this may be necessary, or may be fcund to be
useful or expedient, time only can determine. But it is
only fair, that this great curative mineral water should
be given every means that can be asked for, to satisfy
medical requirement. The only anxiety allowable may
be, lest total or partial immersion of the body in the
water, which has produced and maintained the name and
fame of Buxton through successive centuries, by the
relief or the cure of a large proportion of those who
have resorted to it for rheumatic infirmities, should be
less trusted to and made use of, or needlessly neglected ;
a number of bathers which, through the centuries, must
have been well nigh beyond the guesses of imagination ;
and which, year by year, must have amounted to many
thousands, of whom there is no record; but a fraction of
whom, under the action of the Buxton Bath Charity,
and more recently of its Devonshire Hospital, have been
recorded during the last sixty-five years, and give a total
of 78,921 cases, of which 70,563 derived more or less
substantial relief or cure, and 8,358 appeared to have
derived no relief.

But, all this long continued and favourable result
notwithstanding, as to the curative effect of immersion
in the Buxton mineral water, it may well be that
exceptional or complicated cases may require special and
exceptional means, as to the use or application of the
water ; and these means may be of value, either as to

VI.

PREFACE TO ELEVENTH EDITION.

the safety in the use, or as to curative result. The
efficiency of the douches, or other means of local appli-
cation, in whatever form or degree they may be given, is
added to, if desired, by shampooing, kneading, or
massaging, the parts affected, by skilled manipulation.
How far the effect thus produced may result from the
mechanical action of the pressure on the vessels near the
surface, or on the muscular or other tissues, or on the
nerves of the part, or may he intensified by the greater
absorption of the mineral water thus obtained, can be
probably only conjectured, even when the good result
may be unquestioned. The single wish must be, that
any means of using the Buxton water should be
methodical, based upon the morbid condition, and duly
considering the age, sex, temperament, habits, structural
state, disease, and degree; as far removed as possible
from a rule of thumb treatment, applicable to all alike.
The more strictly the use of the mineral water is defined
by accuracy of diagnosis and orthodox deductions, and is
free from quackery, the more stable will be its medical
position, and the more successful its results.

The future of Buxton as a health-resort has been still
more effectually earned by the extension and completion
of its drainage and sewerage, which has now, in all
probability, been rendered well nigh complete ; the pro-
duct being no longer passed unaltered into the river
Wye, even at the important distance of nearly a mile
from the town ; but, under the guiding and suggesting
action of Dr. Thresh, being defecated by the united
action of a ferruginous stream and of lime ; the
effluent being pronounced to be chemically more pure
than the water had been before its contamination ; the
residual sludge being dried by extreme pressure, and
otherwise so dealt with as professedly to obviate, if not
annihilate, risk of nuisance or injury ; and the insoluble

PREFACE TO ELEVENTH EDITION.

VU.

remainder being burned. It is difficult to foresee how
far this may enhance the sanitary character of the
district, which had previously reduced its liabilities
below all expectation.

The mineral water of Buxton has been fortunate in
finding a new analyser, who enjoys the distinction of
being a Doctor in Science of the University of London.
Thirty years had elapsed since the water was fully and
carefully analysed by Sir Lyon Playfair ; and in 1882,
Dr. Thresh, versed in all the means of accurate investi-
gation, and with all the advantages of a local laboratory,
and local residence, was able to devote time and attention
to the analysis. The details of this important investiga-
tion are given in the body of the work ; but it is highly
gratifying to find, and important to the interests of the
public, that Dr. Thresh was able to confirm the reports
of the previous analysts, that the Buxton mineral
thermal water is surcharged with nitrogen gas, and, as
is believed, in a greater degree than any other known
mineral water. This may be only chemically interesting ;
the medical effects may be independent of any analytical
considerations whatever ; but it is again proved, that it
possesses a salient chemical character, and is a mineral
water of determinate composition, unvarying outflow,
unvarying temperature, and unvarying medical qualities.

Within the last five years the extension and enlarge-
ment of the Devonshire Hospital, for the patients of the
ancient Buxton Bath Charity, have been completed,
under the kind and large action of the Governors of the
Cotton Districts Convalescent Fund, who have devoted
£24,000 to this great means of extending the use of the
Buxton mineral water to the necessitous classes of
the neighbouring industrial centres. This extension
has involved a total expenditure of £36,000 on
the magnificent building, which the munificence and

viii. PREFACE TO ELEVENTH EDITION.

charity of the sixth and seventh Dukes of Devonshire
have granted to the sick and suffering poor. The details
of this extension are given in the body of this work, by
which the number of the beds for patients has been
doubled, and the future of the remedial use of the
Buxton water, by poor people, has been hopefully secured
for all time to come.

Within these five years the buildings, gardens, and
attractions of the Buxton Improvements Company have
been added to in all ways. The grounds have become the
arena of one of the most successful of the annual open
Lawn Tennis Tournaments, and possess, probably, the
best lawn and gravel tennis courts in the Kingdom. The
band of music is believed to be unexceptionably good, and
performs twice every day, except Sunday, throughout
the year, either in the grounds or in the buildings, which
are warmed with hot-water pipes and lighted with gas,
as required.

Enough has been written by way of preface, to prove
the progressive advances of Buxton, to supply the in-
creasing medical and general requirements of the public.
It has been said, more especially of late, both in the
newspapers and otherwise, and with scant courtesy, that
Buxton has been standing still, if it have not retrograded,
as to the advantages offered to invalids, and as to its
general attractiveness as a health-resort. With the
main view of showing the injustice of this charge, it has
been a pleasing duty to state some of the more important
of the efforts that have been made, within the five years,
to maintain a time-honoured reputation. It seems to be
no unreasonable opinion, that perhaps no other health-
resort has obtained greater or more lasting development,
than Buxton has realised during the last five years. The
list that has been detailed in these prefatory pages must
satisfy both residents and others, that Buxton need fear

PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION.

IX.

no rivalry, either from a medical or general point of view.
With the pre-eminent curative value of its mineral water,
as proved by the continuous statistics of the Buxton Bath
Charity and Devonshire Hospital, during sixty-five years ;
with the demonstration that its chemical character is
exceptionally remarkable and unassailable, as confirmed
by the recent analysis of Dr. Thresh ; with its sanitary
advantages and exceptionally low death-rate; with its
mountain air ; with its extensive acreage of gardens and
pleasure-grounds ; with its large Pavilion buildings ;
with its excellent roads and footpaths ; With its surround-
ing hills and valleys ; with the dense population to which
it is accessible from short railway distances, Buxton can
need only to be true to itself, as to meeting the require-
ments of the public.

May, 1886.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

The want of such a work as the present has been so
continually and urgently complained of, that I hope
this volume may prove to be acceptable. I have
made occasional use of my work on Buxton and its
Waters. The present handbook is, however, of a much
more extensive character ; at the same time it is not
intended to answer all the more strictly medical purposes
of the older publication. I am so much indebted to Miss
Hawkins, for the excellent botanical commentary and
catalogue ; to Mr. Smithers, the able and indefatigable
agent to His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, for valuable
suggestions, and kind and efficient assistance in every
way; and to Mr. Henry Currey, the architect of the

X.

PREFACE TO NINTH EDITION.

new baths ancl principal buildings, for permission to use
the elevations and plans ; that it is my grateful duty to
record the obligations and express my thanks.

June, 1854.

PREFACE TO THE NINTH EDITION.

A sale of nearly twenty thousand copies of the various
editions of this work in the course of the intervening
twenty-four years, in addition to a still larger sale of
smaller guide books to the use of the Buxton Mineral
Waters, and the sale of many other guides to Derbyshire
and the Buxton district, tell sufficiently of the large
resort of the public to Buxton for the use of its Baths
and Waters, and the healthful and strengthening influ-
ence of its mountain air. Every effort has again been
made, in this ninth edition, to keep the work on a level
with the rapid extension and progress of Buxton : an
P extension and progress which can only be limited by its
hills and valleys and the wants of an ever-increasing
national population, and need have no check from an
unvarying outflow of mineral water, amounting to nearly
two hundred gallons per minute.

It may well be an unmixed pleasure to all concerned, to
look back upon Buxton as it was in 1854, and note its
progress, as to size, population, and general prosperity,
from that time to the present. The baths, then newly
and entirely rebuilt, have since been added to again and
again. The Buxton Bath Charity, then without hospital
accommodation for its patients, by the kindness of the
late and the present Dukes of Devonshire, has now a
large hospital, to be immediately extended, by a grant

PREFACE TO TENTH EDITION.

XI.

from the Governors of the Cotton Districts Convalescent
Fund, to the provision of 300 beds for patients ; — the
Gardens, in the earlier days a charge upon the munificence
of the Duke of Devonshire, are now, by a grant of the
grounds to the Buxton Improvements Company, enlarged,
newly and artistically laid out, embellished with all the
aids of modern gardening, and supplied with extensive
pavilion buildings for music rooms, conservatories, news
room, promenade, &c. ; — the Park and Yalley of Buxton
are gradually becoming studded with detached villas :
and a Local Board has provided efficient drainage, water
supply, gas supply, and the many advantages of the
larger towns, securing high character in a sanitary
point of view, in keeping with the advanced knowledge
of the time. The maintenance of a sound policy as to
such conditions and requirements, backed by the curative
effects of the nitrogenous waters, and the restorative
value of its dry mountainous elevation, will secure an
advancing prosperity in the future, as it has promoted
the well-doing of the past.

July, 1878.

PREFACE TO TEE TENTH EDITION.

I am asked by the Publisher to introduce this edition
with some information as to the more recent advance of
Buxton. The work contains details of its previous
history and progress, and every successive edition has
borne evidence of some important extension of its
attractions and advantages.

Since the last issue of this work an additional area of
more than seven acres has been secured from His Grace

xii. PREFACE TO TENTH EDITION.

the Duke of Devonshire, on a perpetual lease, for the
gardens and grounds of the Buxton Improvements
Company, adding not only so much varied ornamental
grounds, so much of well-made footpaths, and so many
more points of view from which the valley and surround-
ing uplands may be seen to advantage, but including a
large addition to the surface that is covered by water,
with all the charming variety of embellished effect that
water only can give to the utmost efforts of the landscape
gardener. In addition to this enlarged water-area, and
the extension of the planted banks and borders, level
lawns and asphalted spaces will supply any wants that
may be indicated from time to time for the out-door
games that may happen to be in vogue. It need not be
added that the large concert hall and pavilion buildings
remain as before, and that bulbs and bedding out plants
supply an ample and varied floral decoration in the
successive seasons of the year, and that musical per-
formances every forenoon and every evening throughout
the year, are provided at charges of admission which are
as low, if not lower than are received at other places. A
much extended water supply and gas supply are furnished,
under the action of a most efficient Local Board ; the
gas works being now taken to a considerable distance
from the town ; and the good management by the Local
Board of roads and footpaths, drainage and sanitary
requirements, is believed to be in advance of most other
places of Health Resort.

The magnificent provision for the extension of the
Devonshire Hospital of Buxton, under the carefully
■considered action of the Governors of the Cotton Dis-
tricts Convalescent Fund, at an outlay of twenty-four
thousand pounds, which is mentioned in the body of
the work as being in contemplation, is now in actual
progress, and gives evidence of results that may

PREFACE TO TENTH EDITION.

xm.

well content the fullest expectations of all well-wishers
to this ancient and noble Charity. When all the
circuit of building-, around the half acre of ground
contained in the centre area, is occupied by wards,
lighted and ventilated from within the area and from the
outside of the building, giving northern and southern,
or eastern and western aspects and light to the respective
interiors, and the whole of the half-acre is covered by a
dome, well lighted and ventilated, and warmed according
to requirements, surrounded by a gallery for convenience
of access to all parts of the interior, but the great floor-
space left undivided for all possible purposes of religious
services, recreation, exercise in cold or wet weather, and
general utility, the memory that all this was once a range
of stables will be realised with difficulty ; and the three
hundred patients, with all the comfortable provision of
space and offices, attendants and sanitary conditions, will
have a hospital lodgment that can leave little to be wished
for. It is something to be thankful for that after an
occupation of the greater part of this building for
hospital purposes during twenty years, such an extension
and completion is thus offered to the poor sufferers from
rheumatism who resort to Buxton for relief from the
use of its mineral waters, the number of beds being
three times that possessed by the hospital in the year 1860.

May, 1880.

W. H. R.

INTRODUCTION.

The additions to this work, which have been made in its
successive editions, may be left to speak in detail of the
principal extensions and improvements which have been
made in Buxton from 1854 to the present time. Buxton
has advanced with the times, and in direct proportion to
the facilities of access which have been afforded by rail-
way extensions. It might have been expected that a
place mainly dependent on the curative value of its
Mineral Waters, would be especially influenced by a
readier communication with other places ; and more
particularly, when the curative value applies chiefly to
the crippling effects of rheumatism. The immediate
effect of the railway extensions to Buxton upon the class
of patients, the severity of the cases, and the distances of
the localities from which they are derived, admitted year
by year to the benefits of the Buxton Bath Charity and
its Devonshire Hospital, has exemplified the influence
thus exerted on the usefulness and prosperity of Buxton
and its Waters. Degrees of suffering and disablement,
which would have rendered the removal to Buxton, even
from the adjacent towns, difficult, hazardous, or im-
possible, are now found to be easily brought to the
Hospital from the more distant parts of the kingdom.
As a rule, travelling by railway seems to task very
slightly the strength or sensitiveness of invalids ; and
the roomy carriages and rapid transit lessen suffering
and fatigue to a degree that scarcely could have been
anticipated. Whether as regards the applicability of

SANITAEY VALUE OF DEBBYSHIBE UPLANDS. XV.

the Buxton Waters to a more severely afflicted class of
invalids than could have previously travelled to Buxton,
or their use by invalids from more distant places than
heretofore, the effect of the railways upon their medical
character and value, is probably capable of indefinite
development. This, however, by no means embraces the
whole matter in all its bearing. The upland district of
Buxton and the mountain limestone represent a vast
sanatorium, where sufferers from the atmosphere and
occupations of the larger towns, and from places of lower
elevation and damper soil, might easily seek renewal of
health and strength. Increasing' railway facilities, and
increasing outward pressure from the manufacturing
towns which surround the Derbyshire uplands on all
sides, must cause the district to become more and more
utilized : to be selected as a locality in which the more
delicate childi'en may be reared, as a fitting district for
schools, as the best location for the houses of those
engaged in business in the larger towns day by day, and
to which those unable to reside at a distance from their
place of occupation, might easily resort for rest or recrea-
tion : supplying the best of restoratives for the weak or
exhausted machinery of mind or body. With such views
and expectations, it is gratifying to know that there are
these vast and dry uplands, with millstone grit or moun-
tain limestone as their subsoil, at a vai’ying elevation
from a few hundred to nearly two thousand feet, and
with an average diameter of some thirty miles ; and
which must, eventually, become the physical safeguard
of the dense populations that surround it on all sides.
But, although the two great geological formations which
meet at Buxton, and form the upland country of
j which Buxton is the centre, are thus mentioned together,
it must not be inferred that they are considered to have
an equal value in a sanitary point of view. I believe, on

XVI.

RAILWAY FACILITIES.

the contrary, that there is a value in the air which is on
the secondary limestone, and belonging’ to a residence on
this formation, that is peculiar to it, and not elsewhere
obtainable. I think, that, other things being equal, the
chances of health and strength and life are greater on
the secondary limestone than on the millstone grit ;
although it may be at least as true, that these chances
are greater on the millstone grit than on any less elevated
and less dry formation. On the other hand, districts
covered by the primary rocks may offer situations equal
or superior to the gritstone. But the mountain lime-
stone not only affords a dry subsoil, but it is thinly
covered with a layer of soil, mainly composed of its own
detritus, and offers neither vegetative decay to taint, nor
stagnant waters to infect its atmosphere. The claims of
Buxton to be chosen as a place of residence or l’esort by
others than those who seek the use of its mineral waters,
rest upon its geological position ; but especially, as I
think, on the condition, that, on at least two of its sides,
the mountain limestone supplies sites for indefinite
extension, and covers a district of country large enough
to give a special character to the atmosphere and climate.

A great part of the Peak of Derbyshire is within easy
distance from any district of Great Britain, now that
extensions of the Midland and the London and North
Western Railways are completed to Buxton. These
important constructions were opened to the public in June,
1863 ; and they represent respectively the triumph over
great engineering difficulties. Carried through the
valleys of the Derbyshire limestone, slicing and tunnell-
ing the rocks of this formation, to secure the directness
or the gradients of its course, the Midland Railway, from
Ambergate to Buxton, traverses some of the loveliest
scenery that this picturesque district has to offer, opening
to the tourist the woods and valleys of Alderswasley,

RAILWAY FACILITIES.

xvii.

Matlock Batli, Parley Dale, Rowsley, Chatsworth,
Haddon, Bakewell, Hassop, Long-stone, Monsal Dale,
Cressbrook, Miller’s Dale, Cbee Tor, and Asliwood
Dale. The railway route from Ambergate to Buxton
is 27 miles in length. The branch railway from
Blackwell Junction to Buxton is rather more than three
miles in length. The main line of the Midland Railway
to Manchester is continued from the Blackwell J unction
at the end of Great Rocks Dale ; follows the valley of
Great Rocks, and reaches the valley of Chapel-en-le-
Frith through a tunnel nearly two miles in length.
With the exception of the bare and confined route
through Great Rocks Dale, the Midland route from
Blackwell Junction to Manchester is interesting, — pass-
ing close to the town of Chapel-en-le-Frith, and through
various and fine valley scenery at Chapel-en-le-Frith,
Bugsworth, New Mills, Marple, Guide Bridge, &c. The
Buxton extension of the London and North Western
Railway forms another but less picturesque route from
Buxton to Manchester. In its short course of nine miles
from Whaley Bridge, it passes through the beautiful
valley of Chapel-en-le-Frith, and presents commanding
views through the greater part of it.

Previously to the days of extensive railway communi-
cation, which may be dated from 1835 to 1845, or from
forty to fifty years since, Buxton was situated on the
old main line of road between the West of Scotland,
Manchester, and London, and had been passed through
daily by mail and stage coaches, carriers’ waggons, &c.,
enjoying the full advantage of being on one of the greatest
thoroughfares of the kingdom. At the time in question
the London and Glasgow mail coach passed through
Buxton daily, to and fro; there were two well-known
coaches, the “ Bruce ” and the “ Peveril,” between Lon-
don and Manchester, and the “ Lord Nelson ” and the

B

xviii.

RAILWAY DETOURS.

“ Lady Nelson ” between Manchester and Nottingham.
These coaches were appointed in the best manner,
were drawn by the best horses, and were timed to
travel at from eight to ten miles an hour. There
was also a considerable number of small carriers to
and from the neighbouring towns, Ashbourne, Derby,
Bakewell, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Macclesfield, Manches-
ter, &c. ; and there were extensive carriers, whose large
waggons and teams passed along this great commercial
highway. Buxton had thus enjoyed immemorially a
directness and facility of communication with other
places, much greater than was due to its own relative
importance. The effect of the introduction of the rail-
way system was to place Buxton at much disadvantage in
this respect, during many years. It was not until 1863,
or until virtually after a lapse of a quarter of a century,
that Buxton became in any adequate degree restored to
its due level of easy communication with other places ;
and, even now, so far from being placed at the compara-
tive advantage which it had originally enjoyed, it suffers
much from difficulty of access in any but the two direc-
tions traversed by the existing railways. In order to
reach Ashbourne, or Leek, or Macclesfield, or Congleton,
or Castleton, or Sheffield, or the intervening or more
distant districts in the directions of those towns, large
circuits have to be made, and so much increased mileage
has to be travelled over. But time, which has seen and
done so much, will see and do more. After having been
dragged round a circuit of some fifty miles, in order to
reach a railway route to London, the traveller now,
strange to say, proceeds by a railway which follows almost
exactly the old highway route to the Metropolis ; and so,
after making detours of some fifty miles in the different
instances, in order to reach Sheffield, or the Potteries, or
Birmingham, or Lichfield, he will, by and by, be again

BAILWAY ADVANTAGES. xix.

taken by tbe same routes that were followed by tbe Pack-
horses or rude vehicles of bygone ages, to the great
manufacturing centres of iron and coal, cutlery, pottery,
and hardware. A new railway via Dore may probably
soon open to Buxton the districts of Peak Forest,
Castleton, Edale, Hope, Ashopton, Hathersage, Sheffield,
and the adjoining districts of the West Riding- of York-
shire; and a new railway to Macclesfield has opened
readier communication into the Pottery districts and the
great Birmingham districts beyond them.

In the meantime, thinking of the years between 1836
and 1863, the Buxton district has already a large amount
of valuable railway communication for which to be
thankful. It is already placed within easy railway reach
from Liverpool and Manchester, and the whole interven-
ing districts, and also from Ireland, Wales, and Cheshire,
the West of Scotland, Cumberland, and the Lake district,
on the one side ; and, on the other side, within easy
reach of London, via Bedford, Wellingboro’, Leicester,
Hitchin, Derby, Ambergate, Matlock, Rowsley, and
Bakewell. As has been said, the Midland Railway
system now connects Buxton with Chapel-en-le-Frith,
New Mills, Glossop, and Manchester; and the same
system now connects Buxton still more immediately
with the Capital. Even as it is, Buxton is within a
four and a half hours’ journey from London; Derby
is reached in less than an hour and a quarter ; Not-
tingham in two hours ; Bristol in seven hours ; Chel-
tenham in five and a half hours ; Norwich in eight and
a half hours ; Peterboro’ in five hours ; Birmingham in
three hours ; and so forth, by the Midland Railway ; and,
by both the London and North-Western and Midland
Railways, Buxton is placed at less than one hour’s distance
from Manchester, and one and a half hours’ distance from
Liverpool. With easier gradients, and under the pressure

XX.

RAILWAY ITINERARIES.

of competition, and witli shorter routes in some instances,
the facilities will be increased, and the time shortened, to
a degree that will be probably important.

There are two railway stations at Buxton, belonging
respectively to the London and North Western and the
Midland Companies. They are unfortunately separated
by a roadway from one another; and, there can be no
question that, in the interest of the Companies, and for
the reasonable accommodation of the public, the roadway
between the two stations should be roofed over, so that
the passage of passengers from one station to the other
might be accomplished without exposure to the weather.
In all other respects, the stations are quite equal to the
wants of the public. The platforms are extensive, and
well lighted and protected ; the offices and waiting rooms
leaving nothing to be desired.

An interesting feature in the railway management, as
regards the interests of Buxton and its visitors, is the
issue of what are called “ tourists’ tickets,” which
provide for the double journey, from almost every part
of Eng-land, Scotland, and Ireland, and back again, at
little more than the charge for the single journey, with
permission to remain in Buxton during- any shorter time
than two months without extra charge. Facilities are,
moreover, given, in the instance of families, to enable
one of the members to return home as frequently
as may be desirable, on very moderate charges. A
drawback to this judicious liberality on the part of the
Railway Companies, is that it is limited to the time of
year, from June to October, inclusive. If the privilege
were extended throughout the year, it would be eventu-
ally as much to the advantage of the Railway Companies,
as it would be obviously advantageous to Buxton and its
visitors Such an unrestricted arrangement has been long
in operation in regard to the *■ Lake District, and it is

RAILWAY ITINERARIES.

XXI.

to be supposed with advantage to all the parties concerned.
Why should it not be extended to the Buxton district ?

The railway facilities are of great value to all visitors
and tourists, as affording ready access to many of the
most interesting places in the locality. A return ticket
to the Miller’s Dale station gives easy access to Miller’s
Dale, Chee Dale, Chee Tor, and even to Tideswell ;
a ticket to Hfssop places the traveller within easy
distance from Chatsworth, and at no great distance from
Eyam, Stony-Middleton, and Baslow ; a ticket to Bake-
well enables the bearer to see Bakewell, the Yale of
Haddon, Haddon Hall, the sceneiy of the river and valley
of the Lathkil, and Youlgreave; a ticket to Rowsley
takes the bearer to the opening scenery of Darley Dale,
the extensive grounds of Sir Joseph Whitworth, not far
from the South Eastern boundary of Chatsworth Park,
and to the point of junction between the river Derwent
and the Wye ; a ticket to Darley Dale takes the bearer
close to the church, with its old yew tree of immemorial
distinction ; a ticket to Matlock Bath gives ready access
to Matlock with its river, and rocks, and heights, and
interesting Yia Gellia, and other walks and drives, with
Willersley and its grounds, & c. Even Derby, with all

its points of interest ; — Chesterfield, with its crooked
church-spire, collieries, iron works, &c. Sheffield, with
its vast foundries, steel works, and cutlery manufacture,
are all within easy accessibility during an ordinary
summer day ; and the same may be said in regard to the
more important of the houses and parks in the neigh-
bourhood of Derby, — those of Lord Vernon at Sudbury,
of Lord Scarsdale at Kedleston, and of the Earl of
Harrington at Elvaston ; the old manorial ruin of South
Wingfield, near the Wingfield Station, between Amber-
gate and Chesterfield ; Hardwick Hall, a beautiful
Elizabethan house, belonging to the Duke of Devonshire,

XXII.

RAILWAY ITINERARIES.

between Chesterfield and Mansfield, and near to the finely
situated castle of Bolsover, belonging- to the Duke of
Portland. The London and North Western Railway
does not reach Buxton through a country of similar
character to that opened to it by the Midland Railway ;
but it is of no small advantage to be able to reach, at
little cost of time or money, Chester or Liverpool,
Manchester or Slockport, or Whaley Bridge with the
Roosdych close to it, or to see from the Disley Station,
Lyme with its mansion and park.

By the combined assistance of a carriage and the rail-
ways, Leek and Alton Towers — Macclesfield, Trentham
Hall, Stoke and the Pottery district, — Cliapel-en-le-
Frith and Glossop, Castleton, Edale, and Yale of
Hope, — Chelmerton, Arbor Low, Monyash, the valley
of the Lathkil and Youlgreave, — are so many avail-
able objects of interest which may be seen without
difficulty during- a long day. But, to see the whole
of this most interesting district to the best advan-
tage, Worksop, Ashopton, Matlock, Buxton, and Ilam,
might be wisely made so many points of departure ;
any one of which might be made the pleasant place of
sojourn during as many days as time and circumstances
would justify. Thus, from Worksop might be seen the
extensive association of parks and park lands locally
known as the Dukeries, containing the finest remains
of the Great Sherwood Forest, including, of course.
Clumber, and Welbeck, and Thoresby ; while from the
same point, Nottingham and Mansfield, Hardwick and
Newstead Abbey, might be readily seen ; from Ashopton,
all the High Peak district, more strictly so called, would
be easily reached, including Castleton, Hope, Hathersage>
Edale, and the Woodlands, containing some of the
grandest scenery of the Derbyshire Moorlands ; while
Matlock and Buxton would supply convenient centres

KAILWAY ITINERARIES.

xxiii.

for seeing different parts of the Scarsdale and High
Peak districts ; and Ilam is at one end of Dove Dale,
from which Dove Dale, Ilam Hall, Ashbourne, Alton
Towers, Tissington, Winster, the Rowtor Rocks, and
Arbor Low might he conveniently seen.

The details of much that has been indicated are given
in the subsequent pages. Few districts are more rich in
materials for geological and botanical investigation, in
varied scenes of archaeological and historical interest, in
singular and various beauties of scenery. Whether to
the traveller by railway or by road, or to the pedestrian
who is at an infinite advantage above the others, there is
no part of the High Peak valleys or uplands that has not
its strong point of interest, or peculiar claim to consider-
ation. Every mile, every turn of road, every ascent and
descent, has its charm, or lends its variety. A pedestrian
expedition alone can do justice to such a field ; and the
practised eye and hand of the geologist and botanist, the
quickened senses of the scholar, historian, and antiquarian,
and the educated eye of the artist, would be needful to
exhaust the opportunities presented by such a tour
through the Peak of Derbyshire. The grey rocks, the
dark or richly tinted moorlands, the extensive uplands,
the stream-channelled gorges, the limestone caverns, the
untouched or traceable antiquities, and the historical
associations, give the stamp of single or multiplied
interest to every place. The valley and river scenery of
the Dove, the Derwent, the Wye, the Lathkil, the Goyt,
the Dane, and the Manifold, — the hills and valleys of
Glossop, Hathersage, Stoney Middleton, Eyam, Peak
Forest, Flash, Longnor, and Darley, — the rocks and
caverns of Castleton, Matlock, and Ludchurch, — are
only some of the indexes to extensive detail.

'

A HAND-BOOK

TO THE

PEAK OF DERBYSHIRE,

AND TO THE

USE OF THE BUXTON MINERAL
WATERS.

CHAPTER I.

ANCIENT HISTORICAL RECORDS OF BUXTON AND ITS
BATHS. — POPULATION RETURNS, ETC. — EMINENT
NATIVES OF DERBYSHIRE.

“ UXTON is situated on the western side of the
Tig) north part of the county of Derby, in a tract
of elevated, uneven, and hilly moorland, called
therefore, the High Peake, or the Peake Hundred.

“ The Peake is about fourteen or sixteen miles broad
from the south-west to the north-east side ; its whole
length, from the north-west to the south-east, may be
twenty miles ; and it is supposed to contain one-fourth
part of the whole county, or 170,000 acres.

“ This region of high land is the southern extremity
of the ridge or chain of mountains and hills, that extends

" the PEAK OP DERBYSHIRE.

from the Cheviot Hills, in Scotland, nearly through the
middle of the island, and terminates in the north part of
Derbyshire. As this range of eminent land runs through
the middle of the north of England, as the Apennine
does through Italy, it has been called the English
Apennine.

“ The British Apennine may be reckoned, for the sake
of forming a general conception of it, from fifteen to
twenty miles broad. Near Scotland, it is much broader;
and as the island to the north of Derbyshire contracts
itself considerably in breadth, this tract of high lands
bears no small proportion to the breadth of the north
part of England.

“ The whole length of this ridge of land appears to be
about a hundred and forty miles.”

The above is a quotation from a large work, in two
octavo volumes, by Dr. Pearson, an eminent physician
and chemist of the time, and published in 1784. But the
upland country, on which Buxton is situated, must have
much larger dimensions assigned to it. From Ashbourne,
on the south, at a distance of twenty miles, to beyond
Glossop, on the north, at a distance of seventeen miles,
(Bnxton being placed almost centrally, in reference to
these boundaries,) the hill country rises from the lower
districts of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, on the one
side, and of Lancashire and Cheshire, on the other.
Arising, again, from Staffordshire and Cheshire, on the
west, to the east of the towns of Leek, Congleton, and
Macclesfield, at a distance of about twelve miles from
Buxton, the upland country extends eastward into
Yorkshire, stretching at length into Scotland. The
upland district, which is virtually the Peak district, and
almost in the centre of which Buxton is placed, may be
said to have a diameter of between thirty and forty miles,
in all directions. Presenting a varying elevation from

HISTORY OF THE BUXTON BATHS.

3

a few hundreds to nearly two thousand feet higher than
the level of the sea,— and nearly the whole of this great
surface of country being divided, and almost in equal
proportions, between the formation of millstone grit and
that of secondary limestone, — the scenery is characterised
by large outlines, massive boldness, and great variety ;
the mountain masses, sloping hill-sides, broad, basin-like
valleys, and moorland summits of the g-ritstone, contrast-
ing with, and vai-ying, the more abrupt and fantastic
grandeur, the summits of bare and rugged rock, and
sharp outlines, and the narrow and rocky valleys of the
mountain limestone. Overlooking the lower districts
around it, in all directions, and offering numberless
pictures of more confined character, in its own valleys,
shut in by its own hills, — many of these scenes, however,
having an extent of many miles, — this great upland
region is deservedly considered to be one of the most
picturesque and beautiful districts in Great Britain.

According to the statement of Messrs. Lyson, in their
History of Derbyshire, the word Buxton was written
Bawkestanes, in the time of King Henry the III. ; and
they add, “ It seems probable that it was originally
written Baclestanes, deriving its name from its stone
baths.”

Dr. Short, in his “ History of Mineral Waters,”
presented and dedicated to the Royal Society, and
published in 1734, states that, “ without all dispute,”
the Buxton Baths must have been well known to the
Romans. It seems that, in 1709, Sir Thomas Delves, of
Cheshire, in memory of having been cured by these
waters, caused an arch to be erected over one of the
springs, “twelve feet long, and twelve feet broad, set
round with stone seats on the inside ;” and “ in the
middle of this dome the water sprung up in a stone
basin, two feet square above.” In preparing the site for

4

ANCIENT WELLS AND BATHS AT BUXTON.

this erection, which in its turn had to be removed when
extensive buildings were erected, in 1780 — 1784, “ an
ancient Roman brick wall about St, Ann’s Well,” had
to be removed. “In 1698, when Mr. White, then of
Buxton Hall, was driving up a level to the Bath, fifty
yards east of St. Ann’s Well and fourteen yards north
of Bingham Spring, the workmen found, buried under
the grass and corn-mould, sheets of lead, spread upon
great beams of timber about four yards square, with
broken ledges round about, which had been a leaden
cistern, and not unlikely that of the Romans, or some
other ancient bath, which had been supplied with water
from Bingham Well. Thirdly, the Roman highway
from Burgh (Brough), a small village twelve miles east
to Buxton, a great part whereof remains entire to this
day, reaches within half a mile of Buxton Hall; and not
improbably it took a turn from Brough to Castleton, two
miles north-west : for, above this, on the top of Maniton,
is remaining a very beautiful and strong camp. All for
two miles below, is a fortified station, four square ; the
town, a garrison ; and the castle above it, a fort, armoury,
or watch-tower, to answer the camp. Fourthly, that it
was of great repute in the darkest distant times is
undeniable, from the chapel here dedicated to St. Ann,
whose foundation was likewise discovered, and a large
piece of its wall dug up, in driving the aforesaid level.”
Dr. Leigh, who seems to have died about 1671, and
who was one of the numerous writers on the subject of
the Buxton waters, says that, in his time, a wall was to
be seen near St. Ann’s Well, which he believes to have
been of Roman erection. He describes it as cemented
with plaster, red and hard as brick, but very different
from anything at that time in common use, having more
the resemblance of some kind of tile than of any other
substance. The ruins of an ancient bath, too, he says,

ANCIENT WELLS AND BATHS AT BUXTON.

5

were tlien visible, composed of matters similar to the
wall, and so perfect in every part as to present to an
observer every one of its dimensions. Mr. Pilkington,
in a work published in 1781, observes, that, “ when the
foundations of the Crescent were dug, the shape and
dimensions of this bath (speaking of one mentioned in
Bishop Gibson’s edition of ‘ Camden’s Brittannia,’ as
visible near St. Ann’s Well) might be very easily
discerned. Its form was that of an oblong square : it
measured thirty feet from east to west, and fifteen feet
from north to south. The spring was at the west end of
the bath ; and at the east end there had evidently been a
flood-gate for letting out the water. The wall was built
of limestone, and appeared to be of rude workmanship.
On the outside, it was covered with a strong cement,
supposed to have been for the purpose of preventing’ cold
water from mixing with the warm spring supplying the
bath. The floor was formed of plaster, and appeared to
have been uninjured by time. On the top of the walls
were laid strong oak beams, which were firmly connected
together at the four corners ; and the bath had the
appearance of having been exposed to the air.”

Dr. Jones, who published a work entitled “ The Benefit
of the Ancient Baths of Buckstones,” in 1572, says: —

“ Joyning to the chief spring, between the river and the bath, is'a
very goodly house, four-square, four stories high, so well compact
with houses and offices underneath, and above, and round about,
with a great chamber, and other goodly lodgings to the number of
thirty, that it is, and will be, a beauty to behold, and very notable
for the right honourable and worshipful that shall need to repair
thither, as also for others ; yea, and the poor shall have lodgings and
beds hard by, for their uses only. The baths, also, are bravely
beautified with seats round about, and defended from the ambient
air, and chimneys, for fire, to air your garments, in the bath side,
and other necessaries most decent. And truly, I suppose, that if it
were for the sick, a sanctuary, during their abode there, for all

6

ANCIENT EOADS AT BUXTON.

causes, — saving sacrilege, treason, murther, burglary, and robbing by
the highway side, with also a license for the sick to eat flesh at all
times, and a Friday market, weekly, and two fairs, yearly — it should
be, to the posterities, not only commodious, but also, to the Prince,
great renown and gain.”

Such are some, out of many, of the curious and not
uninteresting accounts of Buxton, in its more ancient
days. There seems to he every probability that, at least,
two of the great ancient roads met at Buxton. One of
these has already been noticed in the quotation from Dr.
Short’s important work — between Brough, or Burgh, a
Roman station near Hope, and Buxton. This road was
traced by Mr. Pegge, in the year 1779. It seems to have
extended from Buxton and Brough, to York and Aid-
borough. The part between Buxton and Brough is still
called Batham Grate. Another of these great roads
extended from Manchester to Buxton, and thence south-
ward, under the names, in different parts, of High Street,
Street Fields, Street Lane, Old Gate, &c. The parts
of this road, which are still noticeable, extend from
Bollington, about thirteen miles from Buxton ; cross the
higher grounds, by Pym’s Chair, and descend thence to
the Valley of the Goyt; being continued as far as Goyt’s
Bridge, within three miles from Buxton. The road may
have been continued up the valley, by the side of the
River Goyt, to Goyt’s Clough ; or, more probably, was
carried across the river, and up the opposite hill-side,
near to, or on the site of, the existing Goyt’s Lane.
Immediately to the south of Buxton, this road is again
noticeable near to Coteheath, close to the high road to
Ashbourne; and again, about five miles from Buxton,
near the “Duke of York” public-house, on the same side
of the same road.

In the year 1862, an ancient inscribed stone was
discovered close to Upper Buxton. It is supposed to be

ANCIENT ROADS AT BUXTON.

7

part of a Roman milestone ; and although most of the
inscription is so far defaced as to render its decipherment
a matter of inference and question, enough remains to
mark the distance between Buxton and some place,
perhaps the Roman Station Brough, as xi. or xii. miles.
Mr. Jewitt, in the Reliquary , expresses his belief that
no fewer than seven ancient roads diverged from the
important and central station of Buxton. These roads
were usually made in straight lines, from one station to
another, with little regard to natural obstacles. The
solidity of the construction was fully equal to the bold-
ness of the design ; and many of the roads formed by the
Romans have actually borne a traffic of nearly two
thousand years, without material injury. The Roman
engineers were painstaking and particular in securing a
firm foundation for the work ; which was done, when
necessary, by covering the ground with small stones,
fragments of brick, &c. ; over this preparation, a
pavement of large stones was often firmly set in cement,
the stones being fitted to one another more or less
carefully. Even when the substratum has been washed
away, such a road-surface has been found to be firm and
unaffected. The extensive trade with the mining district
of Derbyshire, no doubt gave early importance to means
of communication with it ; and it would seem that the
Britons had made a road called the Rykneld, which
traversed the county of Derby from its Staffordshire to
its Yorkshire boundary. This road seems to have been
1‘epaired by the Romans. It enters Derbyshire near to
Willington, over Monk’s Bi’idge, between Burton-on-
Trent and Tutbury, on the Southern border of the
county, and pursuing a north-easterly route, passes near
Little Over, and to the west of Derby, Breadsall, Morley,
Horley, Ripley, South Wingfield, Clay Cross, North
Wingfield, Chesterfield, and Staveley. The great North

8

ANCIENT ROADS AT BUXTON.

Derbyshire Roman road already referred to, as having
traversed the Peak district from Manchester and Boiling-
ton, by Pym’s Chair and Errwood, to Buxton, and thence
by Foxlow, Brierlow, and the Duke of York Inn,
Newhaven, Brassington, Mugginton, and Duffield,
probably joined the great Rykneld road near Breadsall.
This road would be the main channel of traffic for North
Derbyshire, as the Rykneld was for the southern and
eastern parts of the county, and would be supplemented
by the important road from Buxton to Brough, by
Fairfield and Bradwell, which was probably extended
from Buxton on the south-west to Congleton and
Middlewich. The difference in degree of relative
importance of different parts of Derbyshire in the
ancient and modern times, is curiously indicated by the
position of the ancient Rykneld and of the Roman road
through North Derbyshire. The whole of the districts,
now so important, which lie between these main roads,
may be supposed to have been in those days wild forest,
little traversed, and almost unpeopled ; the drier uplands,
with their woods and their mines, being then the more
important and more populous districts. There would
seem to have been, moreover, an ancient road from
Melandra Castle, near Glossop, to Chapel-en-le-Frith
and Buxton ; and there may have been also an ancient
road from Buxton to Macclesfield, and thence to Deva
(Chester) ; and also an ancient road from Buxton to
Leek, and thence to Mediolanum (Chesterton, near
Newcastle, in Staffordshire).

Whether these roads were originally constructed ex-
clusively for military purposes, for effecting the conquest,
or more complete subjugation, of the people of the
country — or whether they may have only been the means
of communication between important places — it seems to
be evident that they would bring into notice, if they

ANCIENT ROADS AT BUXTON.

9

were not constructed for the convenience of, the places
through which they might pass ; and the Buxton waters,
with their elevated temperature, large flow, and medicinal
value, would acquire repute, at very remote periods of
time. That, at periods so remote from our own, large
baths should have been constructed of such a durable and
costly character as a framework of wooden beams, lined
with lead, in one instance ; and, in another, of masonry,
floored with concrete, and most carefully protected out-
side with thick and strong cement (even although these
structures may have been uncovered and exposed to the
open air), cannot fail to astonish us. Now that modern
roads and modern railways have served to bring distant
places so much more within reach of one another, the
Peak of Derbyshire is still sometimes thought to be too
remote from the southern parts of England ; and it may
well be thought wonderful that sufficient numbers of
people should have made the pilgrimage to Buxton, in
those early times, in search of health from the use of its
waters, to have led to the formation of such baths as
these. Even now, in the baths which have been re-
constructed, and so much extended, the largest of them
is twenty-six feet long and eighteen feet wide; and we
find the measurement of one of these old baths, probably
the work of the Romans, to have been thirty feet long,
by fifteen feet wide. The bath of lead and oak seems to
have been of older date than this, and, at least, twelve
feet square ; and either will tell a tale full of import as
to the enterprising spirit of a time so distant from our
own, as to the estimation in which the Buxton waters
were then held, and as to the still more ancient period at
which they must have begun to be famous for their
medicinal qualities.

0

10

HISTORICAL RECORDS OP BUXTON.

BUXTON TEMP. QUEEN ELIZABETH.

In the midst of all this activity of hand, and skilled
labour, there was no printing press, and there were few
scribes ; the affairs of remote provinces had no historians ;
traditions and public report were the histories and
newspapers of the age ; and, but for accidental discoveries
of such magnitude, the ancient use of the Buxton waters
and their ancient fame would have been unknown to us.
Amd, even down to the age of Queen Elizabeth, there is
no history of Buxton, nor account of its waters,
although the reputation of their curative efficacy had
become so considerable, that the accommodations of the
place were no longer equal to the wants and demands of
the people resorting to it ; and a large building was, in
consequence, erected by the Earl of Shrewsbury — at that
time the principal proprietor of Buxton and the estates
adjoining. This building, so quaintly described by Dr.
Jones, in the quotation already given, must have been
regarded as a fine and imposing edifice, even in that less
ancient time. It supplied accommodation to some of the
principal personages of that age, who visited Buxton for
the use of its waters.

Mary, Queen of Scotland, visited Buxton at least four
different times, while in the custody of the Earl of
Shrewsbury. These visits must have occurred between
the years 1570 and 1583, inclusive. There is a curious
account of the circumstances leading to, and connected
with, these visits, in Lodge’s “Illustrations of British
History.” From this authority we likewise learn, that
the Buxton waters were used for the relief of their
ailments, by two of the greatest men of those times,-
viz., the Earl of Leicester and Lord Burleigh. Miss

BUXTON TEMP. QUEEN ELIZABETH. 11

Strickland’s edition of the “ Letters of Mary Queen of
Scots, and Documents connected with her Personal
History,” may also be referred to. One of the visits of
the great Lord Burleigh is noticed in one of these letters.
This visit took place at the time when Queen Elizabeth
was sojourning at Kenilworth. In a letter dated Buxton,
August 10th, 1579, Queen Mary mentions the benefit
which she had derived from the use of the baths, in
relieving a severe pain in the side. The Queen’s last
visit to Buxton seems to have been in the year 1583.
When the statements contained in these letters are
considered, as to the condition of the places in which the
poor Queen was confined — the extremely damp state of
the grounds and buildings, and even the apartments, at
Tutbury, which this royal lady was made to occupy,
affording even an inadequate shelter from the weather —
it seems to be probable that her ailments were of
rheumatic character ; and, for the relief of such, the use
of the baths and waters at Buxton would be of no mean
value.

The Queen is said to have scratched on a pane of glass,
in a window of the x-ooni she occupied, the following
classical and kindly farewell : —

“Buxtona, quas calid® celebrabere nomine lymphse,

Forte mihi posthac non adeunda, vale ! ”

It is stated, in “Camden’s Britannia,” that this distich
is an adaptation to Buxton of Cmsar’s verses upon
Feltria. The relief afforded to Queen Mary’s case
appears to have induced both Lord Burleigh and the
Duke of Sussex to resort to Buxton for the cure of their
ailments. As Lord Burleigh visited Buxton, at least
twice, — viz., in the years 1577 and 1580, it seems to be a
justifiable inference that the baths were of use to him.
The visit of the Duke of Sussex is mentioned as having
occurred in July, 1580.

12

STATUTE OP QUEEN ELIZABETH.

EARLY RESORT OF IMPOTENT POOR.

It is difficult to realise the various circumstances and
position of times so remote as even those of Queen
Elizabeth, and to picture the condition of Buxton, and of
the inhabitants of the town and the adjoining1 hamlets,
in those days. There is, in the Chapel of the Rolls, the
original record of “A Grant to Thomas Dakyn and the
Inhabitants of the Chapelry of Fairfield,” dated the
thirty- seventh of Queen Elizabeth, a.d. 1595, which
illustrates, curiously, the state of Buxton at that time,
and contrasts very much with what obtains at present.
Fairfield is a pretty village aud chapelry adjoining to
Buxton ; and it is in the present day much indebted to
its close proximity to Buxton for an enhanced value of
its land, and as affording a ready sale for its agricultural
produce — the village, moreover, being advantaged by
affording lodgings to some of the visitors of Buxton. In
those days, however, the people of Fairfield appear to
have suffered more from the poor frequenters of Buxton
than they gained, either directly or indirectly, from being
so near a place of such resort ; and, accordingly, the
inhabitants humbly supplicated the Queen for a grant to
support a “minister or chaplain,” pleading, in the
supplication, among other weighty reasons justifying the
royal bounty, that “the inhabitants aforesaid had fallen
into extreme poverty,” stating that the said poverty was
in part : —

“ By reason of the frequent access of divers poor, sick, and impo-
tent persons repairing to the Fountain of Buxton, in the county
aforesaid, within the neighbourhood of the Chapel aforesaid
for whose maintenance and relief the Inhabitants aforesaid are
daily charitably moved to apply their own goods, by which the

EARLY RESORT OF IMPOTENT POOR.

13

aforesaid inhabitants of the Chapelry aforesaid are not rendered only
unable to sustain and maintain the Minister or Chaplain aforesaid,
but also, by reason of their poverty, the aforesaid Chapel has fallen
into great ruin and decay, and thus the inhabitants aforesaid will be
altogether deprived of all Divine Service and Spiritual Instruction,
unless a speedy remedy, in this behalf, shall be provided by us,
wherefore they have humbly supplicated us, that we, being piously
inclined, should be pleased to found and establish, within the town
of Fairfield aforesaid, one perpetual Chapel, for our Minister or
Chaplain to celebrate divine service there, for all the Inhabitants,
within the Chapelry of Fairfield aforesaid, for ever to remain.”

I am indebted for this interesting reference to the
kindness of the late Mr. Goodwin, of Pigtor; and it
furnishes a curious picture of the times ; illustrating the
difficulties with which poverty and disease must have had
to contend in so much greater a degree, when the means
of travelling from remote distances must have been most
tedious and expensive, and when the journey of a poor
sick person to Buxton must indeed have been a difficult
and severe undertaking. It shows, however, how much
the use of these waters must have been valued even at
that remote period, when such difficulties and severe
privations had not so checked the visits or kept down the
numbers of these poor seekers after health, but that they
should have proved to be so great a tax and burthen to
the inhabitants of surrounding hamlets. The poorest
can now find means of transport ; and the visit to Buxton
is never, in these days, the weary and trying pilgrimage
which it must have been to poor sufferers in the days of
Queen Elizabeth. Two years after the grant above
mentioned, in the thirty-ninth year of the Queen’s reign,
perhaps in consequence of the supplication from the
people of Fairfield, perhaps from increasing resort to
Buxton, and further supplications, it was enacted, “that
none resorting to Bath or Buxton Wells should beg, but
should have relief from their parishes, and a pass under

14

BUXTON TEMP. THE REFORMATION.

the. hands of two justices of the peace, fixing- the time of
their return, nor were they to beg- there under pain of
incurring- the penalties of that Act.”

BUXTON AT THE REFORMATION.

Previous to the period of the Reformation, the
medicinal effects of the Buxton waters had been ascribed
to the saintly influence of their great patroness, St.
Ann ; and the walls of a chapel, that was dedicated to
her, had been decorated, from time immemorial, with the
crutches of those cripples who had been cured by the use
of these baths, and who no longer required them. In
the earlier years of the reformed religion. Buxton was
made to suffer on account of the superstitious errors of
its earlier patrons. Conceived to aid in keeping up a
belief in the Romish doctrine of saintly interference in
human affairs, these interesting memorials of gratitude
for restored health were destroyed ; and, indeed, so
bigoted had the national feeling, or rather, perhaps, the
feeling of the dominant party, become, against every-
thing connected with the unpopular faith, that the waters
were for a short time prevented from being used by
public authority. The following document, in regard to
this, is too curious to be omitted. It is addressed to Lord
Cromwell by one of the agents employed by him, for the
suppression of all establishments connected with the
Romish faith : —

“ Eight Honourable and my inespecial Good Lord, —

“ According to my bounden duty, and the tenor of your Lordship’s
letters lately to me directed, I have sent your Lordship, by this

BUXTON IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTUKY.

15

bearer (my brother), Francis Bassett, the images of St. Ann, of
Buckston ; and Saint Andrew, of Burton-upon-Trent ; which images
I did take from their places where they did stand, and brought
them to my house within forty-eight hours after the contemplation
of your said lordship’s letter, in as sober a manner as my little and
rude will would serve me. And, for that there should be no more
idolatry and superstition there used, I did not only deface the
tabernacles and places where they did stand, but also did take away
crutches, shirts, and shifts, with wax offered : being things that
allure and entice the ignorant to the said offering; also giving the
keepers of both places orders that no more offerings should be made
in those places till the King’s pleasure and your Lordship’s be further
known in that behalf.

“My Lord, I have locked up and sealed the baths and wells of
Buckston, that none shall enter to wash there till your Lordship’s
pleasure be further known. Whereof I beseech your good Lordship
that I may be ascertained again at your pleasure, and I shall not
fail to execute your Lordship’s commandments to the utmost of my
little wit and power. And, my Lord, as touching the opinion of the
people, and the fond trust they did put in those images, and the
vanity of the things, this bearer can tell your Lordship better at
large than I can write ; for he was with me at the doing of all this,
and in all places,- as knoweth good Jesus, whom ever have your
Lordship in his precious keeping.

“ Written at Langley, with the rude and simple hand of your
assured and faithful orator, and as one and ever at your command-
ment, next unto the King’s, to the uttermost of his little power.

“WILLIAM BASSETT, Knight.

“ To Lobd Ceosiwell.”

BUXTON IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

The shutting up of the baths and wells would not
appear to have been long enforced, nor the reputation of
the waters to have been much influenced by these

16 BUXTON IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

arbitrary and prejudiced proceedings. In truth, the
cures which had been effected, during so many ages,
could not be set aside and ignored ; and, as they were no
longer to be considered as attributable to saintly influence,
they began to be ascribed to the properties of the watei*s
themselves.

The Hall, “at that time (1572 and previously) reckoned
a fine mansion,” — a “ very goodly house, four-square,
four stories high,” — appears to have been well frequented,
and has been extensively added to from time to time.
The more important of these additions, and certainly the
oldest of them, were erected about the year 1670, by
William, the third Earl of Devonshire. There is extant
an engraving of the old building, “ four square,” with
two rows of four windows each on the opposite sides, at
different heights, so as to constitute “the four stories
high.” It was surrounded by a high wall, evidently
strong enough to resist a common attack of robbers, or
the like ; the wall of the house near the ground being
pierced by loop-holes, which might have been used for
observation, or the discharge of missiles. There was also
an observatory on the top of the house, no doubt intended
for the same purposes of defence and protection. Some
staples on which gates or doors were hung still remain in
the centre of the building ; and there are parts of the
ancient windows ; but the present west front of the
building was no doubt added in the year 1670 ; the
eastern front of the hall has been added much more
recently, and the centre of the south front has been
covered within the memory of the present generation.
This mansion, with many alterations and very con-
siderable additions, is still a principal hotel in Buxton,
and is still called the Hall. Speaking of this building,
audits surroundings, Dr. Short, writing sixty years after
the time of its alteration, says : —

BUXTON IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

17

“Buxton Hall is situated on the south brink of the rivulet Wye
or We, from the union of three springs, a short mile west of the
house, called I, Thou, He, which, being united, obtained the plural
We. On the north side of the river is a steep mountain, covered
chiefly with heath, under which is a black moss, or peat heath ;
Below that, a shale; then clay and coal; and lead in some places.
The surface here is very barren; and, therefore, return we to the
south side, which, for about two miles, is a mountain of an easy
ascent. The ground, all about the warm springs, on the south side
of the river is very dry, fruitful, and pleasant ; being a thin, warm,
fertile mound, lying upon limestone ; the grass, though short, is very
sweet and fattening : hence they have the most delicious beef and
mutton. Snow lies a much shorter time here than in the lower
country.* Here is good store of hares and foxes, several wild
rabbits of the rocks, partridges, moor game, of two sorts : one, a
large black cock, weighing five pounds a piece ; the other, a brown,
and much less, tho’ more plentiful. The small river, which runs
from west to east abounds with fine trout, grellin (grayling), crayfish,
and silver eels. A little east of St. Ann’s Well, over the ditch or
level which carries the warm water from the bath, is made a curious
natural hotbed ; and, upon the rest of this canal, might be made the
finest greenhouse in the northern kingdoms. Mr. Taylor, of the
Hall, has also taken in several new gardens, with planting, and
several curious walks. The garden stuff has a peculiar grateful
flavour. Up one pair of stairs, in the Hall, is a beautiful dining
room, seventeen yards long, and nineteen feet wide ; seven other
entertaining rooms, eleven lodging rooms, with single beds and
closets; twenty-nine other lodging rooms. This one house affords
sixty beds for gentlemen and ladies, besides suitable accommodations
for their servants, and all other proper or useful offices.”

In the front of the Hall was “ a pleasant warm bowling
green, planted about with large sycamore trees,” and, on
the north side of the green, was a grove of trees, which
extended on the north side of the Hall, and on the south
bank of the river : sheltering the bowling green, the

This evidently applied to the small closes of land in which the
wa>rm springs arose, the ground in the neighbourhood of the outflows
by fcbe water' The land is now covered by the Crescent,
and the buildings and walks around it.

18 BUXTON IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

Hall itself, and the wells and baths, from the northerly-
winds. St. Ann’s Well was situated on the east of the
great bath, and very near to it ; as nearly as might be, on
the spot where the St. Ann’s Drinking Well was erected,
in 1852; and therefore, some yards to the west of the
well removed at that time, which was situated at the foot
of the Terrace Walks of St. Ann’s Cliff, opposite the
Crescent. Close to the river, and the grove of stately
trees, at the back of the Hall (probably near to the site
of the western end of the Crescent), were the gardens,
which appear to have been, at one time, so well managed
and productive; and, beyond, to the south and south-east
of these gardens, the valley was divided into closes, or
small fields, in which the different wells were situated.
In a work, published in the year 1646, entitled, “A
Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World,”
under the head “ Darbyshire,” is the following: — •

“ Things of strange note are the hot water springs bursting forth of
the ground at Buxton, where, out of the rocke, within the compasse
of eight yards, nine springs arise : eight of them warm, but the
ninth very cold.”

The street, called the Spring Gardens, evidently obtains
its name from the gardens of the Hall, which were so
famous in the time of Dr. Short.

Lord Macaulay, in the first volume of his “ History of
England,” page 345, says : —

“ England, however, was not, in the seventeenth century, destitute
of watering places. The gentry of Derbyshire, and of the neighbour-
ing counties repaired to Buxton, where they were crowded into low
wooden sheds, and regaled with oatcake, and with a viand which the
hosts called mutton, but which the guests strongly suspected to be
dog.”

Lord Macaulay gives, as his authority for this statement,
a “ Tour in Derbyshire, by Thomas Browne, son of Sir
Thomas.” It has been seen, however, that, from a much

BUXTON IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

19

earlier time than that mentioned by Lord Macaulay,
Buxton was not only a watering- place of much importance
and resort, but that its principal hotel was a large and
commodious house, supplied with all the comforts and
requirements that were then to be obtained anywhere;
and, indeed, that during, at least, three centuries before
the period at which Buxton is thus stigmatised, the wants
and expectations of the public had been provided for in
the fullest manner, by an amount and excellence of house
accommodation, and bathing- accommodation, that must
have been considerably in advance of most other places
of the same kind. The excellence of the mutton, se
vaunted by Dr. Short, and so well known in our own
times, gives to the stig-ma a still more marked ironical
character.

BUXTON IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

The resort of large numbers of invalids to Buxton
must have rendered the place unequal to supply adequate
house accommodation to its visitors long before the
Crescent was finished in 1784. The Duchess of Portland
derived benefit from the Buxton Baths in 1766, and
resorted to the place during many successive years.
Mrs. Delaney, in a letter, dated 4th September, 1766,
thus writes : —

“ I rejoice that nur amiable friend the Duchess of Portland has
found so much benefit from Buxton, and hope no perplexities will
undo what she has gained so dearly; for, by all accounts, Buxton,

is a shocking place : but the blessing of health is worth a state of

trial.”

20

MRS. STAPYLTON’s LETTER.

A similar account of the limited capabilities of the
place is given much more at large, in a letter which
was written from Buxton to the Honourable Mrs.
Grenville, by Mrs. Stapylton, who was born in the year
1728, and died in the year 1815. The letter was found,
among other papers, after Mrs. Stapylton’s decease, and
was kindly given for publication in this work, by her
nephew, the late Viscount Combermere. It seems, from
the internal evidence of the persons mentioned in it. to
have been written between the years 1750 and 1761, when
the writer would have been from twenty-two to thirty-
three years of age. The MS. seems to be a copy of the
original that was kept by the writer ; and it is without a
date as to the year in which it was written.

MRS. STAPYLTON’S LETTER.

“ My dear Mrs. Grenville. You are now to Receive an Account of
us from a more Intolerable Prison than We Left in Town. We were
prepar’d by what we had heard from Several People to meet with
every thing as Bad as it was Possible to Expect, but the Place and
Accommodation exceeds Imagination or description very Much In-
deed. It is a fuller Season than usual, which is not an advantage
in any Respect, as we have not been fortunate enough to meet with
any Body we know Little more than by Sight. The Bishop of St.
Asaph & Mrs. Drummond went away the morning after we came,
much regret’d by all They Left as well as ourselves. But our Seeing
them a few hours the Night we Came was the Greatest Comfort in
the World. For they Inform’d us Perfectly of the Manners and
Customs of this delightful Place, Recommend’d Doer. Harding as
the Doctor Fanny shou’d Consult as to the necessary Preparatives
to Drinking the Waters, &c., &c., who is a Darbyshire Man. But all

MRS. STAPYLTON’S LETTER.

21

this gives no idea, unless you have heard a fuller description. If Lady
Egremont ever saw it you must, & has no other Place but the worst
of Bed Booms to spend her time in when she wou’d be by herself.
Writing for Lodgings makes Little difference, for here are some
people who have wait’d Six Weeks & are not better off than we are,
which is being bless’d with one Garret (it deserves No other Name)
with Three extreme Dirty Beds in it, a Broken Table, One Glass, &
Four Chairs, besides not having any Place, except the Public Boom,
but this I have described to be in. The Weather, I am told, as we
have found ever since Saturday, is always so bad you must spend
more time in the House than anywhere. Without being too Hot we
Breakfast in a very Low and not a Large Boom, with a Fire, by wh.
the Maids who attend us are toasting and buttering what we are to
Eat, from which, you will judge, it must be Bather Cool for Augt. &
it Bains every Day. At Twelve o’clock we have Prayers in the
Boom we dine in, which is at Two, then we drink Tea, Play at Cards,
Sup at Eight, & dance till Eleven if you can, but it is with difficulty
a set is to be made up, for it is not approv’d of for those who Come
for their health, and there are not many here upon any other acc.
The windows of the Boom, where so much is done, are hardly ever
open’d because of the Damps and Cold, &c. It’s impossible to Let
you know half the joys till I have the Pleasure of telling ’em to you ;
but, if it answers the Purpose of our coming, we can desire no more.
Doer. Harding gives us Great hopes. He Order’d her to Bepeat her
Fifteen Grains on Sunday, and she began to drink the Water
yesterday in the most cautious way. He does not propose to Let her
Bathe these Ten Days at Least. The Water is not Purgative— I
thought it had, and it cannot, I think, be call’d Warm Bathing — it
is only not cold. ’Tho I said I wou’d not, I went into the Bath ys
morning, but I do not propose to make a Practice of it. We are
more in the midst of mountains than in any part of Wales I have
been in, tho’ to speak fairly and honestly, less Bocky : but then you
may go here from mountain to mountain without having anything
Like a Prospect not a Tree, hardly a Bush ; and, instead of Hedges,
Toad Walls as we call ’em : for here and there we have the same,
but it is Twenty miles from Ashbuinham (qy. Ashbourne) to ys
Place, and there is nothing to be seen the whole way besides.
Compts. as usual.

“ Augt. ye 19.

I am, &c., &c.”

22

additional accommodation.

ERECTION OF THE CRESCENT, ETC.

Additional accommodation was mncli required, and in
the year 1780, according- to Mr. Bray, the foundations of
the great pile of building were laid, called, from its form,
the Ciescent : the architect having- been the celebrated
Mr. Carr, of York. This beautiful structure, which was
finished in 1781, is still the finest crescent-shaped elevation
in England, and, probably, in Europe.

By the erection of this building, all the immediate
localities of the river, baths, wells, roads, &c., were much
altered. The high road from Manchester, which seems
to have passed near to the Hall previously, was turned,
and made to pass at the back of the large new pile of
buildings. The greater part of the grove or avenue of
trees was cut down : those only being left which
surrounded the bowling green of the Hall, and protected
this piece of ground on the north, some of which
probably still remain. The river was enarched the whole
way from the Hall to some distance beyond the eastern
end of the Crescent ; and the space occupied by this arch,
by the large part of the avenue of trees that had been
cut down, and by some of the springs which had emerged
near to the south bank of the river, and by the closes of
land on the river side, between the river and a rocky
mound called St. Ann’s Cliff, was occupied by new
buildings, forming the Crescent and the Square. And,
in course of time, the rocky bank, or rounded and con-
siderable eminence, fronting the Crescent, and said to
have been a most unsightly-looking foreground to so

ERECTION OF THE CRESCENT, ETC. -‘O

palatial a structure, was forced into form and usefulness
by the taste and skill of Sir Jeffery Wyatville, and
formed into ranges of terrace walks, with intervening
grass banks, adorned with vases of form, and style, and
size, to correspond with the Crescent : the whole being
made into a foreground of pleasing and ornamental
character.

BUXTON SEYENTY-FIYE YEARS SINCE.

The following account, containing, it may be noticed,
no complaint of the quality of house or hotel accommoda-
tion,— such cause of complaint having been removed by
the completion of the Crescent, — is taken from a History
of Derbyshire, by the Rev. D. P. Davis, published in the
year 1811 : —

“ Buxton lies in a hollow, surrounded uy dreary hills and extensive
barren heaths ; and so uninviting and cheerless is the scenery around
it, that were it not for the deserved reputation of its mineral waters,
it would never have attracted any notice, and, perhaps, never have
become the residence of human beings. On approaching this
celebrated watering-place, the country appears naked and forlorn ;
and nothing but extensive tracts of bleak, elevated moorlands
present themselves to the eye. Long before Buxton is approached,
its site may be discovered by the singular appearance of the hill a
little beyond, whose declivity is scarred by innumerable limestone
quarries — the rubbish from which contrasts strikingly with the black
heath around, and produces a very remarkable effect. Owing to the
hills, which rise to a considerable height all around, the town is not
discovered till it is almost reached ; and its appearance, when the
public walks and rides are thronged with carriages, persons on
horseback, and parties of gay pedestrians, must produce a striking

24

BUXTON SEVENTY- FIVE YEARS SINCE.

effect upon a stranger, who, after travelling several hours over moors
and sterile heights, suddenly advances within view of this sequestered
spot, rendered gay and lively in its appearance by its stately buildings,
and its showy, dashiDg, temporary inhabitants.”

Gradually, in addition to the pile of building formed by
the Crescent, the Hall, and the Square, a row of bouses
on the west side of St. Ann’s Cliff, called the Hall Bank,
an inn — the George, and another inn — the Grove, in
addition to a church, built at much cost by the Duke of
Devonshire, the noble owner of the baths and adjacent
property — in addition to a large range of building,
erected on the rising ground on the north, and at the
back of the Crescent, for stables and coach-houses, &c.,
now the Devonshire Hospital — a street came to be formed
on the south bank of the river, beyond the enarchment
of the stream which is covered by the Crescent. All
these buildings, however, with no exception of any
importance but the Hall, are comparatively modern.
.Buxton, more strictly so called, distinguished now-a-days
from the part of the town above mentioned, which is
called Lower Buxton, by being called Upper Buxton—
this, the old town of Buxton, is on a level with the sum-
mit of St. Ann’s Cliff, and has an elevation of upwards
of seventy feet above the lower and more modern part of
the town. Higher Buxton or Upper Buxton, contains a
much older and smaller church, also a new church and
dissenting chapels, a spacious market place, a market
house, a cattle market, police station, the Eagle Hotel,
(a large house which has been long in repute,) and many
inns, and a great number of lodging-houses.

But for a long time after the Crescent had been built,
and after many other additions and improvements had
been made, to meet the wants of those resorting to it,
chiefly for the use of the baths, Buxton had to contend
with many local disadvantages. The town had been

BUXTON SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS SINCE.

25

situated in the midst of a bare and barren tract of
country ; there was hardly a tree within miles of it,
unless at the bottoms of the more important valleys ; the
land was, for most part, unenclosed, uncultivated, and
unsheltered from the winds ; and the whole district must
have looked wild, dreary, and inhospitable. Even within
the memory of old inhabitants, there was neither cultiva-
tion nor enclosure within twelve miles, in the direction
towards Ashbourne, unless in rare and isolated patches ;
and nearly the whole of the valley of Buxton, on the
south-west and west of the town, and within a stone’s
throw of the old bowling green and new church, was
untouched moorland. And yet, induced by the great and
well deserved reputation of its healing waters, the
invalided from all parts have been content to visit and
sojourn in this region of wild and barren, if picturesque
and mountainous beauty ; and so great were the benefits
derived, that, without most of the usual supplementary
watering place attractions, the Buxton waters supported
and added to their celebrity.

At length it was found, about seventy years ago, that, in
this mountainous and large featured district, which,
in the ancient times, had been well timbered, and
formed part of the great midland forest of England, trees
would grow if they were planted. It had been thought,
notwithstanding the fine old hawthorn trees to be seen
here and there, in all sorts of situations, elevations,
and exposures, in different parts of the district, that the
hawthorn would not thrive in the locality ; and, therefore,
that hedgerows could not be substituted for stone walls,
as fences for the fields. Many hundreds of acres have
been planted from that time to this ; and, accordingly,
although such a country as this ought always to be
characterised by the bold and massive grandeur of its
scenery, it no longer conveys a sense of bleak desolation.

D

26 BUXTON SEVENTY YEARS SINCE.

which it must have done even half a century ago ; and the
country around Buxton is now universally allowed to be
beautiful. That Buxton should have been yearly resorted
to by thousands of invalids, under such disadvantageous
circumstances, may be accepted in confirmation of the
power of its waters, in relieving and curing disease.

The descriptions convey an all-sufficient idea of the
efforts which have been made from the beginning of the
century to the present time, to render the town and
district of Buxton worthy to be the site of the mineral
waters. Mr. Heacock was the resident agent of the
Duke of Devonshire, during- nearly fifty years ; and to
him Buxton and its district owe much. During Mr-
Heacock’s agency, the extensive plantations were made
throughout the district, which have done so much to
clothe, embellish, and shelter the town and valley of
Buxton. During this agency, St. John’s Church was
finished ; the pile of houses called the Square, was
erected ; the older terrace and plantation walks were
formed ; the pure water of gritstone springs was brought
from a mile to the north-west of the town for the domestic
supply of some of the principal buildings — a supply
eventually extended, during the same agency, to a large
part of the town ; hot baths, for the use of the mineral
waters at a higher temperature than the natural degree
of warmth, were made; the Old Church, in Upper
Buxton, was restored; a new church was built at
Fairfield; the greater part of the street called Spring
Gardens was built; Gas Works were established; and
the means and position of the Buxton Bath Charity were
greatly extended.

But much had still been left undone. A larger amount
of house accommodation had been afforded from time to
time, but below the wants of the public; additional

BUXTON THIRTY-FIVE YEARS SINCE.

27

baths had been made at distant intervals of time, but
even this essential requirement was not adequately-
provided; public walks and pleasure grounds had been
laid out, and planted, and maintained in order, with a
princely liberality, for the use of the inhabitants and
visitors ; but embellishment, drainage, and extensions
were still required. It was under these circumstances
that the late Mr. Smithers succeeded to the ducal agency
in the year 1851. Under the energetic advice and super-
intendence of Mr. Smithers, many extensions, additions,
and improvements were made or planned : and with a
success which has been subsequently shown to have been
entire. During the five years (1851-6) the supply of the
tepid waters to the baths was considerably increased;
both the Natural and Hot Baths were reconstructed and
greatly extended, and provided with many accessories for
comfort and advantage ; new baths were erected for the
use of the patients of the Buxton Bath Charity ; the
analyses of the waters by Sir Lyon Playfair were
obtained ; a park of more than a hundred acres was laid
out and planted for ornamental and building ground, from
plans by Sir J oseph Paxton ; a wooded upland with
southern aspect (Corbar Hill) the site of old gritstone
quarries, was intersected by picturesque walks of remark-
able character ; and a large public subscription was
obtained towards the cost of a Hospital for the patients
of the Buxton Bath Charity.

On the decease of Mr. Smithers, in the year 1856, the
late Mx*. E. Woollett Wilrnot succeeded to the Buxton
agency. In the eight years of this agency a Market
Hall was erected by a public company; Gas Wbrks were
extended to supply the out-lying districts of Fairfield,
Burbage, and Cote Heath ; a new Church was erected in
Burbage, and two new Chapels in Buxton ; a new Cattle
Market was made by which much occasional inconvenience

28

BUXTON THIRTY YEARS SINCE.

to the town was got rid of ; and, much more than all
besides, Buxton was placed within the provisions of the
“ Act for the Local Government of Towns ; ” its main
drainage and sewerage were accomplished under the plans
and supervision of Sir .Robert Rawlinson ; and a local exe-
cutive authority was obtained, by which new houses and
streets, roads, footpaths, &c., are planned or supervised.
Mr. Wilmot died in the year 1864 ; since which time Mr.
Drewry has held the agency for the Buxton district.
Miss Hawkins also died in the year 1864; to whom this
work owes so much for the botanical commentary and
the classified list of the plants which grow in the neigh-
bourhood of Buxton.

Within the last twenty years there has been a rapid in-
crease in the number of lodging-houses — connecting
Buxton with Fairfield, in one direction ; with Nithen End,
in another direction ; with Cote Heath, in a third ; and
with Burbage, in the fourth direction. An important
Terrace Walk has been made, which is 581 yards long.
A most suitable and valuable building, by the munificent
kindness of the late Duke of Devonshire, has been
granted to the use of the patients of the Buxton Bath
Charity, under the name of the Devonshire Hospital.
The railway extensions of both the Midland and the
London and North Western Railways were opened to
Buxton, in June, 1863. In the year 1867, not only
were these railway extensions to Buxton completed, but
a new line to Manchester was opened by the Midland
Railway Company ; and a large Hotel was finished, on a
commanding and excellent site, very near to the railway
stations, by a public company, from the able plans of
Mr. Henry Currey. This, which is called the Palace
Hotel, from its size, character, capabilities and position,
is well supported, and of much public value. Many
detached and semi-detached villas, and rows of houses.

BUXTON TWENTY YEARS SINCE.

29

in convenient and picturesque positions, on tlie terraces,
slopes, and various approaches to the town, in all
directions (either recently built or in course of erection)
have added very much to the attractiveness and capability
of the place.

During the year 1871, the present and future prosperity
of Buxton were promoted in a very important degree
by the Buxton Improvements Company. This Com-
pany was primarily instituted in order to obtain
money for the payment of the band of musicians, which
had always been important to the interests of the
place, and had been during a very long time supported at
the sole cost of his Grace the Duke of Devonshire. As
the number of the smaller freeholders of Buxton
increased, and the proportion of property belonging to
the Duke of Devonshire became relatively smaller and
smaller, it became less and less justifiable that the whole
of this considerable outlay should be made by the princi-
pal owner ; and during more recent years a subscription
of £100 yearly on the part of the Duke of Devonshire
had been supplemented by donations and subscriptions
from residents and visitors. The sum required, amount-
ing to about £500, was obtained, but with an increasing
difficulty. To obviate this, it was kindly proposed on
the part of the Duke of Devonshire to convey to a
Public Company twelve acres of land, chiefly garden-
grounds and plantations, from about forty acres still left
free to the use of the public as pleasure-grounds and
plantation-walks ; the conveyance being made without
charge, on the conditions that the twelve acres should
be enclosed, that the enclosure should be embellished
by landscape gardening, that a suitable building should
be provided in which the band might play in unpropitious
weather, and that the Company should pay the members
of the band from the receipts for admission to the

30 BUXTON IMPROVEMENTS COMPANY.

grounds. These conditions have been fulfilled under
the able advice and supervision of Mr. Edward Milner,
in the most satisfactory manner. A large Pavilion has
been erected, in glass, iron, and wood, with central hall,
corridors, and terminal conservatories, 120 yards in
length, and of proportionate width and height, with a
terrace-promenade in front of it having the same length
and width, the whole facing the south, with grassy
slopes and gravel walss down to the river Wye, which
intersects the grounds. The river is crossed by a hand-
some iron and stone bridge, ornamented with flower
vases and gas-lamps. The bridge leads to a central
band-stand, from which another bridge crosses ornamen-
tal waters, and leads to broad walks, artistic rock-works,
an extensive croquet ground, gardens, lawns, &c. The
river and ornamental waters are crossed by three other
bridges, and by two culverts of tasteful rock-work. The
ornamental waters are varied with two very small
islands, disposed and arranged with considerable judg-
ment and effect ; and l-aised and undulating banks
and borders, with flower beds, rosaries, and an
American garden, give much effective variety, and
add to the apparent acreage. The building when needful
is warmed by hot water pipes, and is brilliantly lighted
with gas. The walks throughout these grounds, which
are not less than two miles in length, have been carefully
constructed and drained in the best manner ; and a
succession of floral beauty at different seasons of the
year has been secured by extensive forcing pits. All
these works were executed within less than a year ; and
the Company has obtained a financial success, notwith-
standing the outlay of a considerable capital, the cost of
the band, the cost of labour, and very low charges for
admission. The financial success under such circum-
stances supplies conclusive proof of the prosperity of

BUXTON IMPROVEMENTS COMPANY. 31

Buxton as a place of public resort ; and these buildings
and gardens supply a valuable addition to the advantages
of the town. The sheltered and warmed promenade in
ungenial weather is of evident value ; the multiplication
and improved condition of the walks is an important
feature of the undertaking ; and, last and by no means
least, the character of the music has been improved to a
degree at least on a par with the pecuniary prosperity of
the Company.

During the years 1876, j 1877, the gardens and
buildings of the Company were much extended and
added to, under the architectural plans of Mr. R. R.
Duke, and the curatorship of Mr. Adam Hogg. A com-
modious concert-hall, large enough to seat one thousand
persons, was added to the Pavilion. This hall is of
octagonal shape, with domed and lanterned roof, admir-
ably ventilated, well lighted on all its sides in the day
time, and by gas-sunlights and gasaliers at night, and it
is of such acoustic power that any musical sound can be
heard distinctly and perfectly in every part. The
interior of this hall is too resonant for other than musical
purposes. Opening as the music-hall does from the
end of the Pavilion buildings, it forms part of and
crowns the large internal area of the structure. A finer
interior could hardly be produced, whether by day or by
gas-light, and the whole is admitted to be an unqualified
success. In connection with these buildings, and open-
ing from them, is an admirable and well- supplied reading
room, with retiring rooms, smoking room, &c. An
excellent skating rink has also been completed within
the grounds. The rink and the terrace, <fec., are lighted
with gas in the evening. The terrace and the promenades
have, moreover, been considerably added to.

Yeai by year extensions and additional advantages
are obtained by these grounds. Seven acres have been

32 BUXTON IMPROVEMENTS COMPANY.

added within recent years. A large sheet of water has
been included, sufficient in extent for the use of boats,
which add to the interest of the public in a place which
previously enjoyed no such privilege within many miles.
This sheet of water, which is, happily, too shallow to be
dangerous, has been cleverly provided with a sluice, by
which it may be lowered at pleasure to within from two
feet to a few inches in depth, so as to be rapidly frozen
in the colder seasons, for the purpose of skating, and
lessening so far the discomfort of casualty. Additional
grass and gravel courts have been created for the popular
games and tournaments of Tennis ; and these are admitted
to be unsurpassed in character. The open Tennis tourna-
ments have obtained a national fame and popularity, and
are evidently of great interest to the general public. An
important quarry of limestone was opened in the more
recently enclosed grounds to obtain stone for the con-
struction of the Tennis courts, &c. ; and fortunate
advantage has been taken of the opportunity, under the
good judgment of Mr. Adam Hogg, the curator of the
Gardens, to produce a rockery and fernery of considerable
extent and most interesting character. The rocks ex-
posed, and left in situ, are full of fossil shells, containing
many or most of the fossils of the secondary limestone
formation, and the crevices and shelvings of the rocks
are planted with ferns and mosses, and the wild flowering
plants of the district, forming a most interesting contri-
bution to the flora and primaeval history of great part
of the Peak of Derbyshire. Two old Buxton gateways :
the one, the more ancient, originally leading from the
Spring Gardens to the Crescent; the other, somewhat
less ancient, dividing the highway opposite the Square
from the old plantation walks, have been preserved, and
used as entrances to the Rockery. Two ancient stones
have been placed within the grounds, to the north-west

THE POPULATION OP THE DISTRICT.

33

of the smaller tennis lawn. They have been removed
from a neighbouring field, with the consent of the Duke
of Devonshire, under an opinion that they may have been
of Druidical antiquity and interest.

POPULATION STATISTICS, 1851 to 1878.

In addition to the details as to the more recent history
of Buxton, which have been given, the reports of the
Registrar- General furnish conclusive data as to the
progress of the place, and as to the steadily lessening
death-rate of its population. The conditions of health
and life probability are exceptionally great in Buxton
and its vicinity. The two great geological formations
which comprise the district in and around Buxton ; on
the north and west, gritstone ; and on the east and south,
mountain limestone ; are eminently porous, and free from
stagnant waters, miasmatous or injurious emanations ;
even the peat, on the small area of moorland, has
comparatively little depth, and retains proportionally
- little moisture ; and the remainder of the gritstone
uplands have the characteristically absorbent subsoil.
The great range of mountain limestone is not only thus
absorbent, but is covered with only a few inches of soil ;
and the whole area is singularly wanting in springs, and
the rain-water has to be collected and stored in what are
locally called meres, or round shallow basins of clay lined
with rough stone, for agricultural needs. The absence of
terrestrial emanations has always been held to be a very
important feature in the character of the district, and
unquestionably ministers largely to the healthiness of
the population.

34

POPULATION STATISTICS.

The census returns fully support these opinions.
Buxton Proper had a resident population in 1851 of
1233 : in 1861 the number had risen to 1875 ; and in
1871 had further increased to 2531. The population
of Fairfield, for all practical purposes a part of Buxton,
had been only 57.4 in 1851, had increased to 1074 in
1861, and to 2003 in 1871, or had nearly quadrupled in
the twenty years. Tbe population of Hartington-TJpper-
Quarter, also practically a part of Buxton, had been
892 in 1851, was 1190 in 1861, and 1695 in 1871. The
total population of Buxton and its outskirts, which had
been 2699 in 1851, was 4139 in 1861, and 6229 in 1871,
or had more than doubled in tbe twenty years. The
population of the surrounding parishes or hamlets, as
Chapel-en-le-Frith, Chinley, Bugsworth, and Brownskle,
and Peak Forest, had either remained nearly stationary,
or had decreased during the ten or twenty years. To
the numbers which represent the resident population of
the Buxton district, as the census returns are obtained
so early in the year as to include very few other people,
must be added the correspondingly progressive increase
in the numbers of the visitors, who reside in the district
during a few days or a few weeks only : a number of
which may vary from some very small proportion
during the middle of the winter, to nearly the
number of the whole resident population during some
parts of the months of summer and autumn.

The death-rate returned in the census year, 1881, was
little more than 10 per thousand, from a population of
6025.

But. since 1875, the urban district of Buxton has been
under the supervision of Mr. Frederick Turner, as the
Medical Officer of Health, and the sanitary condition and
the death-rate have been ascertained carefully, the needs
pointed out, and the results determined. From the

POPULATION STATISTICS, 1878.

35

interesting1 tables furnished to the Buxton Local Board
by Mr. Turner, it may be learned that the death-rate of
the Buxton population was little more than nine per
thousand during1 1885, and that there is a gradual decline
from 17 per thousand during the last seven years ; and
the average mortality of the last seven years has been
scarcely more than 11 per thousand, and of the last 10
years scarcely more than 12 per thousand.

These reports tabulate the estimated and census popu-
lation during the last ten years, a summary of births and
deaths, and a calculation of the per centage of mortality
per thousand, for the same period, and show the death-
rate to have been gradually declining, and that of 1883
to have been less than 10 per thousand, that of 1884 to
have been between 11 and 12 per thousand an increase
ascribed to the small rainfall of that year, and that of
1885 to have been even a little lower than 10 per
thousand.

If this lessening death-rate, and all that it implies as
to increasing sanitary advantages, had been fortuitous or
inexplicable, it might have attracted little notice, and had
no immediate practical bearing ; but it has been earned
by securing all the sanitary conditions, from the original
sewage disposal plans of Sir Robert Rawlinson, to the
recent action, under Dr. Thresh, of defecation by a mix-
ture of the sewage with lime and iron, technically carried
out with much engineering skill, by Mr. Joseph Hague,
C.E., the surveyor to the Buxton Local Board. It should
be understood, that, for some years, the sewage of Buxton
has not been allowed to pass into the river Wye as it
runs through the town, but has been conveyed beyond
I the town, and not passed into the river until nearly a
mile from the town, by the side of the road to Bakewell,
in Ashwood Dale. And more recently, before it is
allowed to reach the river, it is strained, and the effluent

36

POPULATION STATISTICS.

is mixed with a red stream, from an old coal-working,
near Ladmanlow ; conveyed thence by conduit and
separate pipes ; and lime is added ; and it is conveyed
to a succession of deposition tanks, where all that is
sedimentary falls to the bottom, either by its own gravity
or by chemical precipitation; the turbid and offensive
liquid becoming almost immediately clear and bright,
and freed from perceptible or chemical impurity; passing
from tank to tank in free exposure to the air; and
eventually streaming down a steep incline into an open
tortuous water- course, until it is finally poured into the
river without any apparent or ascertainable contamina-
tion. Gradually the precipitate collects in the tanks ; a
double series of tanks enables them to be alternately
emptied and cleared ; the precipitate is conveyed and
forced by atmospheric pressure into compression vats;
whence a clear liquid is returned to the tanks ; and a
solidified residuum is obtained, in a portable form, free
from salient offensive character, and suitable for agricul-
tural purposes ; the sludge having been reduced by the
loss of water to one-tenth of its weight and volume.
There is still the remainder of less soluble or insoluble
sewage, which had been arrested by the grating ; this is
mixed with the contents of the ashpits removed from
the houses in the town, containing cinders and other
combustible refuse, and conveyed to a powerful furnace,
well called a destructor : thus ending the series of health-
services to the Buxton population. Buxton owes much
to the medical, chemical, and engineering and surveying
advisers of its Local Board, for sanitary services that can
hardly be over-estimated.

THE RAINFALL.

37

BAINFALL AT BUXTON.

The rainfall of the district is of much interest, not
only as to its climatorial character, but in a sanitary
point of view. During sixteen years, the meteorological
observations were kept by Dr. Sykes, at the Devonshire
Hospital, which is furnished with all the necessary
instruments ; and, more recently, this important and
gratuitous duty has been kindly undertaken by Dr.
Thresh. The average yearly rainfall during the last
twenty years has been a fraction more than 57 inches.
The number of days on which rain fell in 1885 was 203,
As might be expected from the one thousand feet
elevation of Buxton above the level of the sea, and
from the still more elevated ranges of hills on all sides
of it, as well as from its considerable distance of not less
than fifty miles from the sea both on the east and on the
west, and very much further than this on the north and
south, the rainfall of the Buxton district is compara-
tively large. This may be said to be nearly or more
than twice the amount of rain which fell in the
neighbouring districts of Derby, Nottingham, Shef-
field, Chesterfield, or Macclesfield, and considei’ably
more than the rainfall of Manchester ; while, on
the other hand, it is not more than from two-
thirds to one-third of the rainfall of some parts of
Cumberland. The comparison of the number of days
on which rain falls seems to be rather more favourable
to the Buxton district than the aggregate rainfall
would have rendered probable ; and the number of days
tin oughout the year in which there are many hours
without rain seems to be still more favourable to the

38

MEAN TEMPERATURE AT BUXTON.

district. But the amount of ram which may fall yearly
does not seem to be disadvantageous to the sanitary
character of any district ; and indeed may probably have
a favourable influence. The wettest seasons have been
often known to have been the most healthy, both as to
amount of disease and the lowering of the death-rate
throughout the kingdom. Bain carries away impurities
both from the atmosphere and from the surface of the
earth; and in a district like Buxton, where there are no
stagnant waters to become sources of impurity, uor
amount of vegetation, nor depth nor character of soil
to produce noxious emanations, the rainfall can produce
no after-results to be of any importance in a sanitary
point of view. Unless during frosty weather, and there-
fore unless during the winter months, the grounds and
roads are dry almost immediately after the cessation of the
heaviest rain.

MEAN TEMPEBATURE AT BUXTON.

The mean temperature of Buxton is 44 degrees,
Farenheit ; or 3 to 4 degrees lower than the mean
temperature of England ; and from 4 to 5 degrees
below the mean temperature of London and its environs.
The effect of temperature upon climate and upon health
must be much modified by the intensity and direction of
the prevailing winds, and also by the rainfall. The
climatorial character of Buxton cannot, however, from
the results of these observations, be held to be so very
different as to temperature from that of the metropolis
as it has been heretofore supposed to be, and must be
largely modified by the absorbent subsoils of the exten-
sive upland countiy on all sides.

EMINENT NATIVES OF DERBYSHIRE.

39

EMINENT NATIVES OF DERBYSHIRE.

Derbyshire has given birth to several distinguished
men. John Flamstead, the great astronomer, was born
at Denby, near Belper, and died in 179/. Samuel
Richardson, the novelist, was born at Derby in 1689, and
died in 1761. Joseph Wright, the eminent painter, was
born at Derby, and died in 1797 ; and also William
Hutton, well called the English Franklin, successively
stocking-maker, bookbinder, and bookseller, and eventually
historian and poet, was born at Derby in 1723, and died
in 1815. Anna Seward was born at Eyam, in 1747 ; and
Dr. Thomas Denman, the eminent physician, and father
of the late Lord Denman, was born at Bakewell, and died
in London, in 1815; and James Brindley, the illustrious
engineer — the virtual creator of the system of inland
navigation, “ was born in a humble cottage standing
about midway between the hamlet of Great Rocks and
that of Tunstead, in the liberty of Thornsett, some three
miles to the north-east of Buxton. The house in which
he was born in the year 1716, has long since fallen to
ruins ; the Brindley family having been its last occupants.

1 The walls stood long after the roof had fallen in, and at
length the materials were removed to build cowhouses ■

I but, in the middle of the ruins there grew up a young
ash tree, forcing up one of the flags of the cottage floor.
1 1 looked so healthy and thriving a plant that the labourer
employed to remove the stones for the purpose of forming
a pathway to the neighbouring farmhouse spared the
seedling, and it grew up into the large and flourishing
tree, six feet nine inches in girth, standing in the middle
of the croft, and now known as * Brindley’s Tree.’ This

40

EMINENT RESIDENTS IN DERBYSHIRE.

ash tree is Nature’s own memorial of the birthplace of
the engineer, and it is the only one as yet raised to the
genius of Brindley.” — Lives of the Engineers, by Samuel
Smiles. Sir Francis Chantrey, the eminent sculptor,
and perhaps the most distinguished sculptor of portrait
busts in any age or country, was born in Derbyshire, at
Norton, near Sheffield, in 1782.

Of persons connected with Derbyshire by eminent or
successful lives, may be mentioned Sir Richard Arkwright,
the great inventor of “ the Spinning Jenny,” and founder
of the cotton manufacture of Great Britain ; Mr. Strutt,
also eminent as a great inventor of industrial machinery,
and also founder of a wealthy and distinguished family,
one of whom gave the great Arboretum to the town of
Derby; Dr. Darwin, the author of “The Zoonomia,”
also an eminent physician; and Sir Joseph Paxton, the
creator of crystal palaces, and renowned landscape
gardener and horticulturist. On the banks of the Derby-
shire river Dove, talked and wrote and angled Izaak
Walton and his friend Charles Cotton ; and some of the
greatest of the poems of Thomas Moore were written at
Sloperton Cottage, near Ashbourne.

CHAPTER II.

PHYSICAL CHARACTER, ITINERARY, AND ARCHAEOLOGY
OF BUXTON AND THE PEAK OF DERBYSHIRE.

tHE lowest part of the town of Buxton is at an
elevation of one thousand feet above the level of
the sea. It is, however, surrounded on all its
sides by hills of greater elevation ; and it occupies the
north-eastern extremity of an oblong basin, the bottom
of which is between two and three miles long, and about
half a mile in breadth. The surrounding hills rise from
the bottom of the ■* alley by shelving sides, which give to
the upper margin of the basin a diameter of from four
to eight miles, in different directions. The hills which
bound the valley of Buxton, rise from it with different
degrees of abruptness. On the north and north-west,
within little more than a mile from the town, to the
north-east of the road to Manchester, Black Edge, the
highest part of Comb’s Moss, has an elevation of 1670
feet. On the west, at the distance of between two and
three miles, and to the right of the Leek road, and to
the left of the roads which branch from this road to
Congleton and Macclesfield, the highest part of the chain
I of hills has an elevation of nearly 2000 feet. This is a
well known and commanding ridge, called Axe Edge.
On the south, the highest part of a chain of hilly
grounds has an elevation of 1435 feet. These are covered
with what are known as the Grin Plantations, and were
formerly, and at their more distant extremity are still,
the site of extensive lime kilns. The nearest part of this
range of high grounds is within less than a mile from
the town. On the south-east, Chelmerton Low forms

E

42

VALLEY OF BUXTON.

the highest part of the range of hills. This Low,
probably one of the many stations for signal fires in
ancient times in these upland districts, has an elevation
of 1474 feet. Chelmerton Low is at a distance of five
miles from the town, to the left of the road to Ashbourne,
and to the right of the road to Bakewell. But between
Chelmerton Low and Buxton, there is a considerable
elevation of high land called Stadon. Almost due east
from Buxton, at a distance of six miles, is the village of
Taddington, with an elevation of 1122 feet. The high
grounds of the village of Fairfield, flank and rise above
the town of Buxton on the north-east ; beyond which, at
greater and greater distances, rise the higher and higher
grounds of Peak Forest, Mam Tor, and Kinderscout.
These surrounding ranges of more elevated ground, not
only protect Buxton in a considerable degree from the
more severe effects of prevalent winds, but the more or
less steep ascents and declivities of the sides of the
oblong basin represented by the valley of Buxton, offer
a great variety of scenic beauties. Several hundreds of
acres of the valley, to the west and south-west of the
town, present swells and undulations of great capability,
much of the land sloping gently towards the south.
These grounds have been partially turned to much
account, more particularly within the last few years.
The Buxton park occupies 120 acres of this part of the
valley ; and contiguous to the park, the principal public
terraces, pleasure grounds, gardens, and plantation walks
have been made. The higher grounds which surround
the valley on all its sides, are for the most part crowned
with plantations, which not only serve to enrich the
landscape, but must assist greatly in tempering the
severity of the mountain winds.

The whole of the town of Buxton, as has been said,
lies in a valley, and is surrounded by hills of greater

ESTIMATE OF ELEVATIONS.

43

elevation than its own level. This applies more particu-
larly to the lower part of Buxton, which is immediately
protected on the south by St. Ann’s cliff— now more
commonly called the Crescent Terrace A/Valks, and on
the north by the rising grounds on which St. John’s
Church, the Devonshire Hospital, and the house and
grounds of the Buxton Palace Hotel Company are
placed. This part of the town is well sheltered in all
directions. It is more immediately protected by planta-
tions on the west ; and on the east by the higher grounds
of Fairfield, and the rocks which bound the valley
through which the road to Bakewell passes, close to the
town. The upper part of Buxton is much less sheltered ;
the higher grounds are situated at greater distances, and
its position is by so much one of greater exposure. There
is a difference of elevation between the carriage road in
front of the Crescent and the centre of the Market-place,
amounting to 76 feet 9 inches ; and the elevation of Upper
Buxton may therefore be said to be 1080 feet, the elevation
of St. John’s Church being 1029| feet. In regard to
the degree of shelter afforded to Upper Buxton, there is,
however, within less than a mile, on the south, a range
of ground which is 350 feet higher; and at nearly the
same distance on the east and on the north, are grounds
of as great or greater elevation. On the west, the two
miles in length of the Buxton valley intervene between
the upper part of Buxton and the higher grounds in that
direction.

These several elevations, and the various elevations of
the different more important positions throughout this
district, have been obtained either from the excellent
surveys published under the authority of her Majesty’s
Board of Ordnance, or from private surveys which have
been kindly made in reference to this Wflu’k, and the
ccuracy of which may be relied upon. But an approach

44

RELATIVE ELEVATIONS.

to relative accuracy may be obtained in a most interesting
and ready manner, in regard to any locality, whether
upland or valley, by the use of the very ingenious
instrument — the Aneroid barometer. Barometers are
used to indicate the pressure of the air ; and therefore
they may be had recourse to not only as weather glasses,
but inasmuch as they fall with the higher ground, and
rise with the lower ground — the weight of the superin-
cumbent atmosphere, by so much diminishing in the one
case, and increasing in the other— they act usefully in
obtaining the relative elevations of different places above
the level of the sea. The Aneroid barometer is sufficiently
portable to be conveniently made use of for this purpose.
In using this instrument, it is only necessary to have
obtained the elevation of any given object in a district ;
as, for instance, that of St. John’s Church, at Buxton*
This is to be taken as a standard of the comparative
observations, and the index of the Aneroid barometer is
to be accurately read and noted on any given day, when
the relative elevation of any other part of the district is
wished to be ascertained. Every inch on the index of
the instrument is divided into forty spaces, and every one
of these spaces may be considered, with a sufficient
approach to accuracy to satisfy most observers, to signify
twenty-one feet. If any of the neighbouring eminences
be then ascended, the index of the barometer will he
found to fall more and more, as the higher and higher
ground is attained; and by multiplying the number of
spaces thus indicated by twenty-one, a sufficiently near
approximation may be made to the relative elevation of
any part of the district. Thus, for instance, it may be
learned that there is a range of the index of nine and a
half points between the level of the New Church and
that part of *the road to Manchester which is about three
quarters of a mile distant from the church, a little beyond

MOUNTAIN LIMESTONE FORMATION.

45

Northern, or, so called Nitlien End. Multiplied by
twenty-one, a higher elevation is shown of 199| feet ; or,
if added to 1029i feet, the elevation of the church above
the level of the sea, the elevation of this part of the road
is shown to be 1229 feet. Again, between the level of
the church and that of the highest part of the same
road, called the top of Long Hill, the index shows a fall
of eighteen points, which, when multiplied by twenty-
one, gives a higher elevation of 378 feet, or a total
elevation above the sea level of 1408^ feet. In a district
which presents so many different elevations of country,
this instrument supplies an interesting and valuable
resource to the tourist and the inquirer. It should be
remembered, however, that such an estimate, although
sufficiently near for most purposes, is only an approxima-
tion to the truth : the attainment of absolute accuracy
by means of barometrical observation, requires some
deductions for variations of temperature, and other
influencing circumstances, and necessitates a somewhat
intricate process of mathematical calculation.

Buxton is situated on the south-western edge of an
extensive formation of mountain limestone. The forma-
tion presents the usual characteristics of the secondary
limestone. The surface of the country is remarkably
undulating ; broken in the course of the streams into
bold ravines, which are bounded by lofty and precipitous
crags, having deep, time-worn, perpendicular fissures,
with frequent horizontal cracks, often of great length,
and as straight as if formed by art. These cracks often
extend deeply beyond the mere surface of the rocks ; and
in many places, time or art has removed in part the upper
layer or layei’s, and left broad shelvings of rock, which
illustrate very well this character of the formation. In
the instance of a well-known rock in this formation, Chee
Tor, the appearance is as if the upper part of the vast

46

MOUNTAIN LIMESTONE EOKMATION.

mass had been carefully cut off the subjacent layers and
accurately replaced in the same position. The long and
winding valleys of this formation, with bright trout
streams rippling and tumbling over their rocky bottoms,
— with beetling, precipitous, cleft, and time-worn crags,
of pale-grey colour, bounding1 their sides, — and the
mountain-ash, yew, pine, hazel, and thorn, partially
clothing, without concealing, their romantic and various
ruggedness, — while the anemone, orchis, saxifrage, forget-
me-not, &c., embellish them with minuter features of
beauty ; contrasting, as these valleys do so very remark-
ably, with the large-featured upland scenery of this
district, on which the eye wanders for miles, until in one
or two instances it almost distrusts the evidence of its
impressions, and on which the lights and shadows of the
clouds are often mapped with a curious and exquisite
distinctness, and where the distant storm or distant
sunshine may be traced at different points in a single
view, — cannot but be admitted to give a variety and
character to this locality, which can be met with in few
places in this country.

One remarkable characteristic of the mountain lime-
stone formation is well exemplified in the Peak of
Derbyshire. It contains many large natural caverns.
These caverns, the most important of which are at
Castleton, Matlock, and Buxton, are entered by natural
arches or fissures, at different elevations of the sides of
the hills in which they are situated, and lead to alternate
passages and chambers, which differ much as to height,
windings, and length ; the chambers being in one or two
instances of palatial size, and of noble height and
proportions ; in some cases roofed with a flat surface of
rock, in others with arches of different forms and sizes.
In the great Peak cavern, at Castleton, these arches,
from their height, span, proportions, and harmony as to

IGNEOUS ROCKS.

47

character and extent with the chambers which they
canopy, fill the mind with a sense of grandeur and beauty,
scarcely inferior to that produced by the interiors of some
of the cathedrals. In some instances, the constant
dripping of water from the roofs of these caverns, charged
with calcareous matter, — in others, the constant oozing
and welling of such water over large faces of the rocky
sides of the caverns, have, in process of time, formed
stalactites of great size and curious variety, or produced
surfaces of crystalline character. In the Blue- John
cavern, at Castleton, the crystalline surface resembles a
great cascade, and presents, when well lighted up, a
remarkably intricate and beautiful variety of surfaces
and reflections. It is remarkable and adds much to the
effect of these caverns, that a stream of water passes
through the larger number of them. Some geologists
have expressed an opinion that such streams may, during
the lapse of years, have produced these great excavations.
It is difficult to infer such an amount of effect from a
flow of water, that is in general small and unimportant ;
while the alternation of vast chambers and narrow
passages renders the hypothesis still less tenable. And,
moreover, there are chasms, and arches, and caverns, in
this formation, which show no evidence of having been
water- channelled at any time ; and, therefore, it may be
that the whole of these have been equally the effect of
disruptions, probably the immediate consequences of
volcanic action.

IGNEOUS ROCKS.

That volcanic action»has been in extensive operation in
this district, at some remote period of time, is not only

48

IGNEOUS ROCKS.

shown in this way ; and not only, in having1 probably
formed the fissures, through which the tepid mineral
waters of the district find their way to the surface ; and
not only in the displacements, and shatterings, and
extensive disruptions of the limestone strata, hut
evidence is given that molten rocks have, in some places,
overflowed the ordinary strata, — thus covering, or under-
lying, or mixing with the limestone which had not been
acted upon by fire. Sir Henry T. de la Beche, in his
great work, “ The Geological Observer,” says : — “ In
Derbyshire the observer will again see igneous rocks
associated with oi’dinary deposits ; in this case with
limestone, known as the carboniferous or mountain
limestone, in such a manner that their relative geological
antiquity can be ascertained. Careful investigation
shows that in that area, at least, and probably much
beyond it (beneath a covering of the sands, shales, and
coals, known as the millstone grit and coal measures),
and after a certain amount of these limestones had been
accumulated, there had been an outburst and overflow of
molten rock, irregularly covering over portions of them.
And further, that after this partial overflow, the lime-
stone deposit still proceeded ; probably spreading from
other localities, where the conditions for its accumulation
had continued uninterruptedly. Occasionally water action
upon the igneous products may be inferred prior to the
deposit of the calcareous beds upon them, if not also a
certain amount of decomposition of the fox-mer, the
limestones immediately covering them containing frag-
ments (some apparently water-worn), and a mingling of
the subjacent rock, such as might be expected if
calcareous matter had been thrown down upon the exposed
and decomposed surfaces of the igneous rock. In some
parts of the district another overflow of the same kind of
igneous rock again took place, and was again covered

IGNEOUS ROCKS.

49

by limestone beds, so tbat in such portions of the area
two irregularly- disposed sheets of once molten rock are
included among the mass of limestone beds.” The same
excellent authority adds, that, of these igneous rocks
locally known as toadstones, “ natural sections (many of
which are excellent) and mining operations show that as
regards thickness these overflows vary considerably, so
much so as to aid the observer in forming some estimate
of the localities whence the molten matter, when ejected,

may have been distributed around.”

“ In the case of Derbyshire, though there may have been
a removal of a portion of the igneous beds by the action
of water upon their exposed surfaces (and an attentive
examination of the upper overflow shows a quiet adjust-
ment of the limestone beds formed upon it), no deposits
resembling the ash and lapilli beds above mentioned as
found in Devon and Cornwall, Wales and Ireland, have
yet been detected. There is no evidence showing an
accumulation of ash and cinders in the manner of
subaerial volcanoes. It may readily have happened,
therefore, that the igneous matter was thrown out in a
molten state, without any accompaniment of ash and
cinders ; and this might have taken place as well beneath
the level of the sea as above it.” These are some of the
wonderful phenomena of primeval nature ; and they
furnish an interesting illustration of the simple way in
which they may often be studied and explained. They
show the gradual and perhaps slow formation of the
limestone rocks at the bottom of the sea, and the
occasional disturbances produced by volcanic outbreaks,
modified in their degree and effects by the superincumbent
ocean, which would probably not only moderate the
violence of such action, but circumscribe its effects ; the
deposition and accumulation of the calcareous strata
being only interrupted during the time that the volcanic

50

IGNEOUS ROCKS.

outbreak might be going on, and possibly to no very
great distance beyond the immediate locality of such
outbreak. “ Upon examining the structure of the igneous
rock, it is found to be partly solid, and confusedly well
crystallised, a compound of felspar and hornblende, with
sometimes, sulphuret of iron. It is partly vesicular,
in some localities highly so : the vesicles, as usual, filled
with mineral matter of various kinds (carbonate of lime,
as might be expected, being very commonly present),
where the rock has remained unaffected by atmospheric
influences, but exhibiting the original and vesicular state
of the molten rock where these have removed the foreign
substances in them. In some localities the scoriaceous
character of the rock is as striking as amid many volcanic
regions of the present day. Like more modern igneous
products, also, it will often be found decomposed in a
spheroidal form. There is an example of this decom-
position at Diamond Hill, on the south side of Millers’
Dale, where the concretionary structure has been
developed somewhat on the minor scale, and the size of
the spheroidal bodies is about that of bomb-shells and
cannon-balls.” — Sir Henry T. de la Beclie.

The outflow of these igneous products in the district
more immediately around Buxton, may be compared to
the tortuous meandering of a mountain stream. These
meanderings of toadstone extend from Fairfield to the
Water Swallows, where there is a much broader and
more considerable outflow ; the narrower meanderings of
the toadstone continuing thence to Peak Forest, and
thence to Tideswell, Wormhill, Millers’ Dale, Litton,
Ashford, Chelmerton and Buxton. The toadstone varies
much in its density and general physical character;
but it always presents the distinctive difference from
the limestone, which likewise varies much in its density,
that the action of fire has deprived it more or less entirely

LIMESTONE FOSSILS.

51

of the stratified character of rocks formed by deposition.
In different places and specimens, the toadstone shows
varying evidence of igneous action, from a friable, light,
and porous, lava-like tufa, to a dense, and much more
fully vitrified, and compact rock. There are sections of
toadstone on both sides of the Ashbourne road, to the
south of Upper Buxton, beyond Sherbrook ; and on the
Bakewell road, rather more than two miles from Buxton ;
and on the sides of the valley from Millers’ Dale station
to Chee Dale ; and at Green Fairfield, on the Footroad
to Wormhill, about two miles from Buxton ; and of
course in many other places.

LIMESTONE FOSSILS.

The mountain-limestone contains a great variety of
fossil shells ; and such may be said to constitute a large
proportion of the rock and marble of which it is
composed. The common grey marble of this district,
is evidently altogether composed of dense masses of
shells ; and a dark-coloured marble, known as the bird’s
eye marble, is in a great degree composed of shells.
It needs no taste for geological pursuits and but little
acquaintance with the wonders, as to the formation
and early history of our globe, which g'eology teaches,
to make this a matter of curious interest to every one.

The limestone rocks, in all directions in the neigh-
bourhood, show, on their abrupt and craggy surfaces,
dense masses of these primeval shells ; indicating a time
when this high range of country was submerged in
ocean ; and when, as it should seem, by the agency of

52

LIMESTONE FOSSILS.

myriads of these marine creatures, such masses of rock
were altogether or in large degree produced. These
ossil shells differ essentially from those of the existing
species ; and differ from one another. As to size, some
of the fossil shells are several inches in diameter, and
others so small as to he altogether invisible to the
naked eye. Lamarck well says “ in producing living
bodies, what nature seems to lose in size she fully
regains in the number of individuals, which she multi-
plies to infinity, and with a readiness almost miraculous.
The bodies of these minute animals exert more influence
on the condition of the masses composing the earth’s
surface, than those of the largest animals, such as
elephants, hippopotami, whales, &c., which, although
constituting much larger individual masses, are infinitely
less multiplied in nature.” As the coral reef, rising in
the midst of the ocean, in our times, comes at length to
emerge above the level of the waters, and to form a
new land, on which birds may alight, and alluvial soil
be formed, and to which seeds may be wafted, and
plants may grow and flourish ; and all this marvel-
lous sequence, involving the formation and completion
of a new and habitable country, be referable to the
labours of myriads of coral insects ; so, by means of
myriads of marine creatures, requiring and producing
these coverings of shells, was this formation of secondary
limestone in great degree produced, — to be at length
upheaved, probably by volcanic influence, from the bed
of the ocean, — to be partially vitrified by the heat, its
organic structure being so far destroyed, and a crystal-
line or an amorphous character substituted for it, — to
become partially mixed with products of volcanic action,

— in part to form rugged and broken masses of precipi-
tous rock, to be worn by the storms of ages, — in part to
show marks of disrupted stratifi cations, the shakes and 1 i

MILESTONE-GRIT FORMATION.

53

displacements which tell, even now, in the strongest
language, of the convulsions by which such masses were
upheaved, — in part to become extensive surfaces of
undulating country, — in part to form the rocky sides
of valleys, between which the streams from the moun-
tains may find their way to the sea. Such are the rocks,
the uplands, and the valleys of the Derbyshire limestone.

Upwards of one hundred classified and named species
of fossil shells are obtained from the limestone formation.
It forms a very interesting series. The fossils are
principally found in the upper beds of the limestone,
as might perhaps have been expected : time, or pressure,
or possibly elevated temperature, having more completely
obliterated all traces of organisation in the lower beds.
Different species of crinoidea are abundant in most
parts of the formation ; the brachiopoda offer the largest
number of species, and abound in the rocks around
Buxton; and cephalopoda and gasteropoda, although
more rare, are by no means uncommon. To complete
the series of the fossils of the district, those in the coal
measures and in the millstone grit should of course be
obtained; the whole forming what might be called a
carboniferous series. There ought to be a public
collection of the entire series in every town of the
district, where residents and tourists might study these
remains of primeval creation. The rockery in the
grounds of the Buxton Public Gardens shows a large
number of these fossils in situ.

MILLSTONE-GBIT FORMATION.

The sojourner who cau gather such food for thought
in his walks about the neighbourhood of Buxton, has
before him iu this locality abundant additional materials

54

MILLSTONE-GRIT FORMATION.

for Lis inquiries. Leaving the mountain-limestone
formation, on the very edge of which he finds himself
when he passes to the north and north-west of the
town, — and crossing the narrow bed of shale which he
does on commencing the ascent of the Manchester
road, — he immediately steps to the adjoining formation
of millstone -grit, which tells of a less remote period
in the world’s history. In a quarry of valuable stone
for building purposes, about half a mile from the town,
on the right-hand side of the road, are occasionally
found the fossil remains of fruits and monocotyledonous
stems, which show that, at some remote period, the
climate of these now colder ragions of the world, must
have been at least as warm as that of the intertropical
countries of modern times. These fruits and stems show,
that plants which only grow and flourish within the
torrid zone, must at one time have attained a large size
in this locality. How strange, and yet with what a
strong probability of truth, to think that possibly this
gritstone formation was, at some remote period, part
of a land of much lower level than that which it now
occupies, the temperature of which was that at which
palms and the like can grow and flourish; while the
adjoining formation of secondary limestone was at the
bottom of the sea, or perhaps in process of being pro-
duced by myriads of shell -fish !

The contiguity of the limestone and gritstone forma-
tions affords much matter of curious observation, as to the
difference of vegetative power and character of these
different soils.

The moorland character of the uncultured higher
grounds of the gritstone formation, — the peat soil, —
the existence in a few places of such considerable
thickness of bog-earth over-laying the gritstone, as to
have contained large trunks of trees completely buried,

VALE OP GOYT.

55

and preserved for periods probably beyond recorded
time, — illustrate remarkably the very different early
history of the limestone and gritstone formation. At
those remote periods, these parts of the gritstone
formation must have been covered with a dense vegeta-
tion ; layer upon layer of which, buried by new growths,
to be in turn buried by successive growths, at length
formed the depths of impervious bog- earth, which
retain the rains in a chill and unproductive excess of
moisture, and form a surface only capable of supporting
heaths and kindred plants, until subjected to such
dressing and drainage as alter its character and
condition. At those remote periods of time, the lime-
stone may have been at the bottom of the sea, or in
the last stages of its formation ; and at all events must
have been so far differently circumstanced, that it had
no vegetative growth of similar character to that of the
gritstone formation.

YALE OF GOYT.

The vegetation of the pasture lands differs much on
I these formations ; there are marked differences in the
broader features of the landscape ; and some trees, and
plants, and wild flowers, which thrive on the one, do not
thrive on the other. These differences in the characters
and productions of the two formations, are especially
remarkable in their respective valleys. There is a valley
on the gritstone formation, which begins at a short
distance from Axe Edge, and extends several miles.
This valley called the vale of Goyt, from the mountain
stream— -the Goyt — which runs through it, exhibits

56

VALE OF GOYT.

throughout its course a remarkable richness and variety
in its vegetable growths. This is in part due to the
gritstone detritus, which constitutes necessarily much
of its soil, and in part to coverings, or admixtures, or
detritus, of peat or bog earth, of varying thickness
and proportion. Trees grow with great rapidity on the
sides of this valley. There is scarcely a wild fruit
which grows in any part of these kingdoms that is
not to be found growing in this valley, or on the
adjoining1 uplands and moors, — from the cloudberry,
clusterberry, cranberry, and bilberry of the moorland,
to the blackberry, strawberry, and raspberry of the
valley and its sides. Errwood valley, leading from the
vale of Goyt to Errwood Hall, with the hill sides,
almost from their summits to the banks of a mountain
streamlet, clothed with a close undergrowth of rhododen-
drons, forms a feature in this district of much too great
beauty, and of too unique a character, to justify omission
from this catalogue of the main features of the scenery
of these hills and dales. In the month of June, when
the sides of the valley of Errwood are covered with the
many shades of colour that so many varieties and
thousands of rhododendrons produce, the beauty of
the scene surpasses description. But, to return : there
is a great and readily observable difference in the
character and general appearance and form of the
surface, in the shape of the hills, in the appearance
of their sides, curves, and eminences, and in the
whole character of the vegetation of the gritstone and
limestone formations.

There is a magnificent and much broader valley,
within the same distance from Buxton, on the north;
being divided from the valley of Buxton by Comb’s
Moss. The town of Chapel-en-le-Frith, which is six
miles from Buxton, is situated in a part of this wide

comb’s MOSS. — BATHAM GATE. — MARVEL-STONES. 57

and undulating valley, or extensive basin, which consists
almost entirely of the gritstone formation. There are
few finer scenes than the view of this valley from the
north-western edge of Comb’s Moss, at the distance of
somewhat less than three miles from Buxton. The
explorer may turn off the Manchester road to the right,
at the first milestone from the town, follow the bridle-
road for about half a mile, and then ascend the higher
grounds on the right. A vigorous pedestrian, however,
should explore the whole of this valley, as well as that
of the Goyt.

At a distance of about half a mile from Buxton, on
the north-east, is the hamlet of Fairfield, with its fine
commanding upland position, its church, and its exten-
sive common — the old Buxton racecourse. The road
from Buxton to Fairfield is a steep ascent, presenting
on the left, a view of the valley of Buxton, backed
and begirt by Axe Edge, Grin Edge, and Comb’s
Edge ; with Lower Buxton, and its Crescent, and
church, and hospital, and the adjacent park, occupying
the centre of the scene. The village of Fairfield is
prettily situated on this upland ; and beyond it lies the
common, which affords admirable ground for horse-
exercise. The road which leads to Chapel-en-le-Frith
passes at right angles, less than a mile beyond the
common, part of the old Roman road called Batham gate.
The undoubted antiquity of this road, together with the
name it has immemorially borne, help to prove the
ancient use and importance of the Buxton baths.

If this old road, with its less evidently ancient contin-
uations, be followed for about two miles, the so-called
Marvel-stones will be seen on the right. This is a
curious and somewhat extensive cropping out of lime-
stone rocks, which are raised two or three feet from the
surface. The less zealous explorer will however hardly1

F

58 PEAK FOREST. — EILDON HOLE. — WATER SWALLOWS.

think himself repaid by their appearance, for the trouble
of his journey to the spot.

Immediately beyond the Marvel-stones, lies the
mountain village of Peak-Forest, with its chapel, which
enjoyed, so recently as in the course of the last century,
the celebrity and supposed privileges of an English
Gretna-Green. Very near to Peak-Forest village, there
is an extraordinary natural opening or fissure in the
limestone called Eildon-Hole. The depth of this fissure,
and its irregularity, must be great; inasmuch as, on
throwing stones into it, they often fall and rebound
from side to side, until the reverberation comes to be
heard more and more faintly, the sound seeming to be
at length lost in the greater and greater distance. There
may be some degree of deception in this matter, owing
to the echoing effect of the reverberation in the con-
tracted and rocky channel; but it is probable that the
depth of the chasm is really very considerable.

WATER SWALLOWS.

About a mile beyond the junction of Batham Gate
with the Chapel- en-le- Frith road, at Dove Holes, is one
of the remarkable water- swallows, of which several are
met with in this district. A larger or smaller stream of
water descends by a fissure into an underground natural
channel, and emerges from the surface at a greater or
less distance, — in some cases amounting to several miles.
The most important of the Derbyshire water- swallows
are those which occur in the course of the rivers Hamps
and Manifold, at the Water-houses, and Wetton Mill,
respectively. Large volumes of the waters of these

WATER SWALLOWS.

59

streams are engulfed ; the Hamps pursuing an under-
ground course of some six miles, and the Manifold more
than four miles; the two streams emerging in the
grounds of Ilam Hall, within a few yards of one another,
and presently uniting to form a tributary to the river
Dove. There is also an important illustration of these
water- swallows at Sparrow Pit, in the Peak-Forest
district, where the surface-stream dashes into fissures
and caverns, and thence traverses an underground
channel, until it re-appears in the Speedwell Mine, at
Castleton, whence it again reaches the open air. There
is a minor illustration of this curiosity of nature at
Sher brook, near Buxton, and also at Water Swallows,
near Fairfield. In many instances, when the streams
are full, the swallow is unable to receive the whole of
the water, and the diminished flow continues its course
along the surface : whereas, in dry weather, the swallow
receives the whole of the water, and the farther water-
course is left dry.

One mile beyond Dove-Holes, the road joins the main
road, which leads from Chapel-en-le-Frith to Castleton.
The main road descends rapidly towards Chapel-en-le-
Frith, which is about a mile and a half from the junction
of these roads, and six miles from Buxton. The
town of Chapel-en-le-Frith is prettily situated and
sheltered. Immediately beyond the town, the valley in
which it is situated opens out to a considerable width,
presenting bold and fine elevations towards the north
and south, and enclosing beautiful and productive lands
on both sides of the road. This road joins the high road
from Buxton to Manchester, about three miles from
Chapel-en-le-Frith, and six miles from Buxton, at
Horridge End, and close to the Hamlet of Whaley.

To the north of Chapel-en-le-Frith are the districts
and towns of Hayfield and Glossop ; and to the east of

60 THE PEAK. — KINDER-SCOUT. — MAM TOR.

Hayfield is the great range of elevated country, which is
dignified more especially by the name of the Pealc ; having
Kinder- Scout on its western, and Ashop Moor and Edale
on its eastern extremity, — the higher grounds having an
elevation of nearly 2000 feet about the level of the sea.
These mountain slopes and summits, with their covering
of heath, and hold irregularities of surface, with rocky
eminences of time-worn g’ritstone, and a more or less
considerable waterfall after recent rains, and with
extensive views on the north and south over a beautifully
undulating upland country, constitute a very remarkable
feature in this picturesque district. The massive de-
nuded and storm -roughened boulder stones on the ridges
of the highest elevations give to the scene a look of
antiquity that is very impressive. These uplands, and
the beautiful valleys which surround them, are approached
by the interesting line of railway from New Mills to
Hayfield. A free access to these moorlands by the tourist
is said to have been forbidden of late by the owner of
the property. Such exclusive action must be widely
regretted, and deserves re-consideration. The beautiful
valley of Edale, than which even this district has few
finer scenes to offer, separates this extensive range of
high lands from Mam Tor, which, although only 1709
feet above the sea-level, from overlooking Edale on the
north, and the more extensive valley of Hope on the
south-east, is often considered to be, as would be implied
from its name, the greatest of these eminences. Im-
mediately at the foot of Mam Tor lies the old village of
Castleton, crowned on the southern side by the smaller,
but steep and commanding eminence, on which are the
ruins of the castle of the lords of the Peak in the olden
times. The view from these ruins is extensive, and very
fine and varied ; and indeed the whole district supplies
suoh a number and variety of scenes, that every half mile
of a journey furnishes a new and extensive picture.

CAVERNS AT CASTLETON.

61

CASTLETON CAVERNS.

Close to tlie village of Castleton is the Great Peak
Cavern, — the most remarkable of all the Derbyshire
caverns, — which is entered by a natural arch, forty-two
feet high, and one hundred and twenty feet wide ; this
imposing hall of entrance being three hundred feet in
depth. Beyond this hall, a narrow low passage, almost
separated from the farther interior by water, which is
either crossed by an artificial footpath, or by means of a
boat, conducts the explorer into a spacious cavernous
chamber, some parts of which are estimated to be two
hundred and ten feet in width, and one hundred and
twenty feet in height ; the whole being enarched, with
a magnificence of general effect, and a beauty and variety
of detail, which baffle all description.

A lead mine, no longer worked, called the Speedwell
Mine, is another of the wonders usually explored by the
visitor to Castleton.

The Blue- John Mine, whence the curiously beautiful
spar called Blue- John is obtained, is well worthy of a
visit. Vast spaces of the sides of this cavern are covered
with sparry incrustations of great variety, reflecting most
beautifully the lights of the candles and crimson and blue
fires, by which the cavern is illuminated by the guides.

Th^f olio wing is taken from an interesting paper on
the geology of Castleton, by Mr. John Taylor, F.G.S.
in the Geologist, Vol. V., No. 5 : —

The flora of the locality is particularly interesting, especially
that of the lower class. Maidenhair, spleenwort, and rue-leaved
spleenwort, grow upon almost every wall ; and the cystopteris in
several species is also common, whilst the adder’s-tongue and the
little moonwort are exceedingly plentiful in the richer pastures.

62

GEOLOGY OF CASTLETON.

The number of mosses is exceedingly great. The beautiful Eryum
dendroides and others abound in the moister spots of the Cave Dale.
In fact, the botanical character of the vegetation hereabouts is so
peculiar to the three formations which are found, as to form a
geological map to the underlying rocks, coloured by nature herself !
The limestone clothed with its short and beautiful carpet of green ;
the black shales of the Yoredale rocks covered by their stunted and
brown vegetation ; and the millstone-grit, in the glowing summer
time, quite purple with the flowers of the heather, present well-
defined surface outlines. And for land shells no other locality can
compete with it. From the robust Helix aspersa to the diminutive
Pupa, numerous species intervene ; some of them, such as Clausilia
and Pupa, being more numerous in individuals than any other place
that I have visited.

“ But to the geologist, the rocks present treasures of fossils most
beautifully preserved. I have found the Terebratula hastata retain-
ing its purple-coloured bands as beautifully, as when alive in the
carboniferous seas ; and in some places every slab that is turned up
is matted with Retepora and Fenestrella. Coming here from
Manchester, along the new road from Chapel-en-le-Frith, the first
place where we meet with the limestone is about a mile and a half
distant from the town. This hill, Trecliff, is about six hundred feet
in height, and the dip of the beds is about 25 degrees in a direction
N.N.E. It is in this hill that the ‘ Blue-John ' mines are situated ;
and this is the only locality in the country where this peculiar
mineral is met with. It lies in ‘ pipe-veins,’ having the same
inclination as the rocks which the veins traverse. One of these
veins lies in a sort of clayey stratum, and another seems to be
embedded in the nodule state in a mass of indurated debris. Besides
these, the whole of the limestone masses are fractured and cracked,
and, in addition to the pipes, the sides of the cavities are lined with
the most perfect and beautiful sky-blue cubes of fluor,(fend the
rhombic crystals of calcite. I remember scarcely anything with
greater pleasure than an adventure in search of minerals a year or
two ago, in one of these caverns, which was richly rewarded.
Witherite, fluor-spar, varying in colour from transparency to rose,
blue, violet, and other colours, selenite, and occasionally phosphate
of lead, are all found in the lead mines of the neighbourhood.
Some varieties of calc-spar have the property of double refraction,
like Iceland spar.

GEOLOGY OF CASTLETON.

63

“ Nearly all the characteristic fossils of the carboniferous limestone
abound, as may be seen by glancing at the names of the localities
given in Professor Phillip’s ‘ Geology of Yorkshire.’ The richest
localities for obtaining them is just below the ‘ Blue- John Cavern,’
and in the gorge at the back of the town, which goes by the name
of Cave Dale. In geologizing* along the side of Trecliff Hill, one
cannot but be struck with the various groups of fossils which the
different beds present. The lower beds contain great quantities of
Phillipsia — heads, carapaces, &c., being very frequently met with,
and occasionally found whole. Just as we should have expected
from knowing that the family of Trilobite died out with the mountain
limestone, as we continue our researches higher up in the beds we
find their remains becoming more scanty, until at the top they are
exceedingly rare. One bed is rich in zoophytes, another in goniatites,
whilst another is composed of the broken fragments of Sanguinolaria,
and the whole of the beds contain numbers of 8j>irifer imbricatus,
which connects them like a huge bracket from top to bottom. Some
rare geologizing may be had along the lower beds ; almost every
stroke of the hammer lays open something novel.

“ The remarkable fissures which occur in the limestone of
Derbyshire have afforded matter of speculation to the curious for
centuries ; the most remarkable one is called the Winnats, and is
about a mile distant from Castleton. It gives rise to the most
sublime scenery, for the fissure is caused by the splitting of a hill in
twain, and the deep precipices on either hand for the distance of a
mile and a half, resemble the ruins of old towers and buttresses, in
some places clad with ivy, and tenanted by bats and owls. Another
such fissure is at the back of the town, and has been already referred
to. In some places the passage at the bottom of this is not above
three yards in width, and is much of a character, in other respects,
with the Winnats. Much speculation has arisen as to the origin of
these rents ; they occur at nearly right angles to the line of strike,
and have doubtless been formed in the first instance by the upheaval
and desiccation of the rocks. Subsequent to this they have been
worn and channelled by atmospheric and aqueous action. They
have been attributed to plutonic agency, but it needs little geological
knowledge to see that the above theory is the true one. Along the
lower beds in the Cave Dale there is another good spot or two for
the geologist. Here are found numbers of trilobites, some quite
entire ; groups of Entomostracan Oythercea, and that rare fossil the

64

HATHEESAGE.

Cyclas radialis. One bed seems quite a nest of Pleurorhyncics
armatus, although they are very fragile and require great care to
extract them with the cone entire. Plutonic action has not been
absent in the neighbourhood, for at the top of this fissure are beds
of greenstone, and an imperfectly columnar basalt, whilst the
limestone around seems to be somewhat crystallized by the heat to
which it has been subjected by the intrusion.

“ Old Mam Tor, the ‘ Shivering Mountain,’ in geological position
lies just above the limestone. The shales which compose it are
speedily decomposed by atmospheric agency, and hence have given
rise to the popular name which the mountain bears. The inclination
of its beds is E.N.E., and the intensity of their dip about 40 degrees.
These beds can be traced through Hope on to Hathersage; and
along the brook side, below Mam Tor, a good section is displayed,
where they are seen abutting against the lower limestones.”

Such are some of the readings of the district of the
High Peak obtainable by the geologist ; it is no less
interesting to the botanist, as may be inferred from Mr.
Taylor’s observations ; while the influence of elevation,
and of soil and subsoil, on vegetation, rainfall, temperature,
&c., would justify and reward even more general and
special inquiry.

The whole of the valley to Hope and Hathersage, and
the great extent of hills and moorlands to the north,
east, and south, are well worthy of being explored.

Hathersage is said to have been the birth-place of
Robin Hood’s celebrated henchman, Little John.

“ In the churchyard is a grave said to be that of Little John ; and
the cottage in which that worthy is said to have been born is not far
away.” “The grave of Little John is on the south side of the
church. It is marked by two small stones, one at the head and the
other at the foot. In 1728 it was opened, and bones of an enormous
size found in it. Some years ago it was again opened, and a thigh
bone measuring 32 inches taken out.” — “Black’s Guide to Derby-
shire,” edited by Llewellynn Jewitt, F.S.A., &c.

Sir Gardner Wilkinson writes, in tbe “ Reliquary,” a
most interesting quarterly periodical, specially devoted to

HATHERSAGE.

65

local antiquities, and to which this work is much indebted,

that — .

“ Of antiquities, Hathersage possesses its full share in the camp
called ‘ The Carl’s Work,’ and the less important one near the
church ; in the rocking stones, and numerous rock-basins ; in the
circles near Longshaw and Eyam ; and in the rocks above Derwent,
known as 1 The Cakes of Bread,’ and ‘ The Salt Cellar,’ with others
named from their peculiar forms. The drive from Hathersage to
Derwent is highly picturesque, and derives an additional charm from
the contrast of its wood and water with the moorland heights above
the valley ; aptly illustrating the name Derwent (Der Gwent), ‘ fair
water,’ and fulfilling the expectations raised by an appellation of
such high promise. The hope, however, of finding Druidical
remains, which some might entertain from the name of the so-called
‘ Cakes of Bread,’ and other objects indicated in the ordnance
survey of the hill above Derwent, is not so well repaid ; these being
simply natural rocks of fantastic shape, the first of which, consisting
of layers of gritstone, lying one upon the other, have the same
character as the masses of granite that compose the cheesewring in
Cornwall, and similar irregular pillars of rock on Mistor, and other
heights of Dartmoor. Neither these 1 Cakes of Bread,’ nor the
other works of whimsical shape upon the Derwent hills, in Cornwall,
or on Dartmoor, are attributable to the Druids ; and it must be
admitted, that, if from being in the neighbourhood of old British
remains, any superstitious feeling was attached to them, this could
only have arisen from the strangeness of their shape, as they are
evidently not formed by human agency. The small earthwork called
‘ Cam Green,’ near the church of Hathersage, once surrounded by a
ditch, is said to be Danish ; but its position and entourage argue in
favour of its being British, connected as it is, in strategical point of
view, with 1 Carl’s Work,’ and the command of the approaches from
the eastward. For the one would be ineffectual without the other;
and the earthwork was necessary to watch the southern approach on
that side, at the same time that it guarded the western valley, and
communicated with the heights of Eyam Moor, all of which were
masked from ‘ The Carl’s Work.’ The church, with the vallum of
earth enclosing the camp, the churchyard, famed as the burial place
of Little John, the companion of Robin Hood, and the surrounding
scenery, present many pleasing views ; but as little remains of the
camp itself, I proceed to notice the more striking peculiarities of
* The Carl’s Work.’ This bears the marked characteristics of an

66 WINNATS. — EBBING AND FLOWING WELL.

ancient British fort. It occupies one end of an isolated hill, rising
above the plain below, and is a site admirably chosen, from its
position and the nature of the ground. The vallum is here about
17 or 18 feet in thickness ; its outer face, or scarp, fronted with a
well-built wall of masonry, of which some of the stones are 50 inches
in length ; and it extends nearly in a straight line across the gorge
of the hill, which is here about 150 feet in breadth. One of the
most remarkable features in this part is the gateway on the south
side. It is 7 feet 2 inches in breadth ; and as the road ascending
from the valley below passed between the two curvilinear faces of
the wall, which formed the entrance passage, an enemy advancing to
force the gate was exposed to the missiles of the besieged on both
sides ; while the portion of it to the west, projecting like a round
tower, raked the face of the wall to the right and left, and formed
an advance work over tbe ascent.”

The whole of the district from Hathersage, on the
east, to Ludchurch and the Roches, on the west, including
of course Peak Forest, Buxton, and Flash, and extending
thence southward, across what is now called the Sheffield
and East Moors, to Worksop, Retford, Mansfield, and
Nottingham, was wild forest land in the mediaeval periods
of history, the haunt of Robin Hood and all the outlaws
and plunderers of whom Robin Hood is the quasi-
historical representative.

The traveller, in going from Buxton to Castleton and
back, will act wisely to go on the one occasion by the
road which passes the foot of Mam Tor, and on the other
to pass through the Winnats or Wind-gates. The view
through these great rocky portals presents a dioramio
scene of magnificent extent and beauty.

About five miles from Buxton, by the side of the road
to Castleton, at the upper part of the valley of Bar- Moor
Clough, through which the road passes, is the most
remarkable of the intermitting springs of this district.
It is called the Ebbing and Flowing Well. The fre-
quency with which the intermittent flow occurs, depends
upon the amount of rain which may have fallen recently.

TIDESWELL. — EYAM.

67’

After much rain, the flow may be as frequent as every
ten or fifteen minutes. The quantity of water poured
out at a time must be considerable. The ebb and flow
may be due to a curved conduit, through which the
supply of water has to pass. One limb of such conduit
might become gradually filled with water as it drains
from the surface ; at the same time the water would rise
to the same level in the other limb of this natural syphon ;
and when the second limb had become filled to its farther
extremity, the flow would take place, and continue until
both limbs of the conduit were emptied, when the flow
would cease, and the curved conduit have to be again
filled.

Seven miles to the north-east of Buxton is the town
of Tideswell, — at one time a place of considerable
importance, — the market town of the lead-mining district
of Derbyshire. These lead mines have been comparatively
little productive for many years. The church of Tides-
well is a large and interesting building, — erected in the
14th century, — of somewhat mixed style, — but on the
whole, of handsome and imposing ecclesiastical character,
with a lofty tower, and containing the monument o£
Robert Pursglove, Prior of Gisburne Abbey, in the reign
of Queen Mary, and that of John Foljame, also a
benefactor to the church, of the date 1358. The
“ Brasses” are excellent specimens of medkeval work.

The present energetic vicar has done much to restore
this interesting and valuable structure. It deserves a
visit of inspection from all lovers of ancient ecclesiastical
architecture ; and the results of a worthy restoration
must commend themselves to every one.

Four miles to the north-east of Tideswell is the village
of Eyam, — famous on account of its desolation by plague,
in the year 1666, and from the devoted heroism and
affecting history of the pastor and his wife.

-68

EYAM.

“ Among the verdant mountains of the Peak
There lies a quiet hamlet, where the slope
Of pleasant uplands wards the north winds bleak ;

Below, wild dells romantic pathways ope ;

Around, above it, spreads a shadowy cope
Of forest trees : flower, foliage, and clear rill
Wave from the cliffs, and down ravines elope ;

It seems a place charmed from the power of ill ;

And many are the pilgrim feet which tread
Its rocky steps, which thither yearly go ;

Yet, less by love of Nature’s wonders led,

Than by the memory of a mighty woe,

Which smote, like blasting thunder, long ago,

The peopled hills. There stands a sacred tomb
Where tears have rained, nor yet shall cease to flow ;
Recording days of death’s sublimest gloom ;

Mompesson’s power and fame,— his beauteous Catherine’s
doom.”— Tie Desolation of Eyam, by W. & M. Eowitt.

At the time of the plague-visitation, the Rector of
Eyam was but a young man, — his wife, Catherine, a
young and lovely woman ; and they had two children, a
boy and a girl, respectively three and four years of age.
Until the spring of 1666, Eyam had escaped the plague-
visitation ; which had, during the preceding year, attacked
the inhabitants of London and other places so severely ;
and, indeed, at this time, had in a great degree declined
in those places. It had been in the month of May, 1665,
that the plague had begun to occasion serious appre-
hension in the city of London ; but London does not
seem to have been free from it during many previous
years. Even in 1647, or eighteen years previously, 3597
persons are recorded to have died from it ; the plague
mortality having fallen to 611, in 1648, — to 67, in 1649, —
to 15, in 1650, and having fallen to 6, in 1664. But in
May, 1665, a single occasional death from plague rose to
14 and 17 deaths weekly; in June, to 267; in July, to
1843 ; in August, to 6102 ; in September, to 7165 ; gradually
declining to 281, in the last week of the year. In the
.spring of the year 1666, according to Dr. Mead, a box

EYAM.

69'

of clothes was sent to a tailor in Eyam, who resided near
to the church. Within this box the pestilence seems to
have been imprisoned. The person who opened this box
is reported to have been its first victim. In the course
of a few months, five-sixths of the inhabitants of the
village had died from the disease. The church and
church-yard were closed. The dead were buried hastily
in the fields and gardens, and in a grassy upland near to
the village. The public services of the church were
performed by the devoted pastor from a perforated mass
of rock, since called Cucklet Church. At the commence-
ment of the epidemic, Mrs. Mompesson besought her
husband to leave the place with her and their children ;
but he could not be induced to desert his flock, and she
could not be induced to leave her husband. They
resolved to abide together the consequences of the
pestilence ; and they sent away their children. Believ-
ing that to assemble the people together in the church,
would but help to spread the disease, he caused them to
meet on the grass before the rock pulpit; and there,
twice during the week, and twice every Sunday, the
rector performed his public duties. When the plague
first broke out, Mr. Mompesson wrote to the then Earl
of Devonshire, residing at Chatsworth, some five miles
from Eyam, stating that he thought he could prevail
upon his parishioners to confine themselves within the
limits of the village, if the surrounding neighbours
would supply them with necessaries, leaving such pro-
visions as should be required, at appointed times, on
specified parts of the hills around. The proposal was
punctually complied with ; the self-imposed condition
was never broken ; not a single inhabitant passed the
boundary line ; although, in that rocky and open countxy,
it is said that a regiment of soldiers could not have kept
them within it against their wills. The plague was-

70

EYAM.

stayed within the limits of the self -devoted place; not
one of the neighbouring hamlets, no single house beyond
the limits of Eyam village, became infected, although
the frightful disease raged within it nearly seven months,
destroying as has been said five-sixths of the entire popu-
lation. Three of Mr. Mompesson’s letters are extant.
In one of them he writes : — “ My ears never heard such
doleful lamentations, and my eyes never beheld such
ghastly spectacles. There have been 76 families visited
in my parish, out of which 259 persons died.” It was in
August, he had to write to his poor children, that his
dear wife had been one of the victims of the pestilence.
The harrowing date, 1666, is said to have been often met
with, some few years ago, on many detached stones that
had been used in and about Eyam for ordinary building
purposes ; but the tomb of Mrs. Mompesson, with its
inscription — Gave Nescitis Horam — exists in Eyam
churchyard, near to an ancient cross; and an elevated
piece of ground, near the village, is still marked by the
gentle swellings of the turf which covers the graves of
many of the victims of the epidemic ; and some stones,
on the upland, still tell the tale, that a whole family of
seven persons, bearing the name of Hancock, died within
one week, from the 3rd to the 10th of August, 1666.
The graves above referred to are on the hill side, near to
the north-eastern end of the village, surrounded by a
wall ; and they should be visited not only on account of
the memorial they present of this most affecting history,
but on account of the commanding view of Chatsworth,
with its surrounding hills and valleys, which is obtained
from the site. Near to the opposite or south-western
side of the village is the valley or ravine, containing and
commanding the very curious and interesting enarched
and covered rocks, called Cucklet Church. The valley
and the rocks and the high grounds on the south should

STONE? MIDDLETON. — !

SHERBROOK DELL. 71

1)6 visited. The key of tlio entrance to tliese grounds
is kindly lent to applicants at the Hall, which is in the
centre of the village. It would he difficult to exaggerate
the interest which attaches to Eyam with its histoi*y,
and position, and the scenery which surrounds it.

Beyond Tideswell, at a distance of some five miles, on
the east, and near to the village of Eyam, is the small
town, Stoney Middleton ; chiefly remarkable from having
a spring of tepid water, with a temperature of some 65
degrees of Farenheit, for the use of which baths were
erected by the late Lord Denman. As their temperature
is so much cooler than that of the warm springs of
Buxton, the waters are believed to have by so much less
medicinal influence. Their use should be beneficial, in
some degree, to the same classes of ailments as the waters
of Buxton. It should be said, however, that there is no
evidence as to any impregnation of the water with nitro-
gen gas; and therefore there is no inference as to
medicinal influence, beyond the degree of the tempera-
ture, and the probably calcareous saline constituents.

The whole course of the Derbyshire river Wye, from
Buxton to its junction with the Derwent, at the village
of Rowsley, beyond the town of Bakewell, presents a
great variety of valley scenery of remarkable beauty.
The road from Buxton to Bakewell passes through Ash-
wood Dale, — the nearest of these valleys to Buxton.
This valley is rather more than four miles in length ;
and the road passes close to the right bank of the river
about three-fourths of this distance. Near to Buxton,
the valley is bounded by abrupt limestone rocks of
considerable height, and much bold and rugged character.
Several smaller valleys open from Ashwood Dale ; and
one of these, from its remarkable and picturesque beauty,
deserves to be particularly mentioned. This is Sherbrook
Dell, opposite to the first milestone from Buxton. The

72

ASHWOOD DALE.

sides of this dell are extremely abrupt and lofty rocks,
which hem in the narrow gorge completely ; and as the
ravine bends suddenly within a few yards from the road,
the explorer finds himself at once surrounded by much
untouched and majestic natural beauty; the rapid and
bubbling streamlet, by which its bottom is chanelled in
the winter time, and after heavy rains, — the little cascade
which tumbles into the dell at its upper end, — and the
wild plants and shrubs, by which every cranny and
crevice are taken possession of, — all serve to embellish
this dell very much.

The greater part of Ashwood Dale is planted on both
sides, almost to the summits of the rocks. This has
been so far interrupted, and in some large degree defaced,
as to afford room for the embankment of the Manchester,
Buxton, and Midland Railway. With its straight line,
its bulky embankment, its great width in proportion to
that of the once natural and rock-walled and river-
bottomed valley, the railway is for the most part a cruel
despoiling of some of the finest scenery of this picturesque
district. Here and there, indeed, the rocky bases have
been lowered, perpendicular chasms and rock faces have
been rendered more bold and more deep, and bridges or
rather viaducts of great span and height have helped to
justify the tampering with such grand scenery as this.
But the relief to the eye, when, here and there, at
intervals and for periods only too few and far between,
the railway line is lost in a cutting, or in a short tunnel,
will still convey to those who were not happy enough to
have traversed these valleys in earlier times, how great
has been the malignant influence of the railway, to which
the inhabitants of these districts must otherwise owe so
much. The embankment is commonly in a great degree
or exclusively composed of broken limestone rock, and
uncovered by any vegetation. It would be an act of

DROPPING LOACH. — CHEE DALE.

73

kindly consideration on the part of the railway author-
ities, and indeed only a conscientious attempt to amend
the injury done to the scenery of these valleys, if
judicious efforts were made to cover the stony embank-
ment with grass, or ferns, or ivy, or gorse, or whatever
else would thrive and flourish on an exposed and soilless
surface.

A little beyond the third milestone from Buxton, the
highroad ascends rapidly the steep hill side, leaving the
valley and its river and scenery, and gaining after a climb
of two miles in length, the elevated grounds near Tad-
dington and Chelmerton. Maintaining the route by the
river side along a rough cart road, at Blackwell mill,
four miles from Buxton, we come to the junction of the
railway with the main line of the Midland route to
Manchester ; from this the scenery becomes more rugged,
the rocky masses in some parts overhanging the pathway,
and oozing and dripping from the uplands, form the mass
or masses locally known as the Dropping Loach. Beyond
this the walls of the valley rapidly rise into a g-rander
beauty ; the wooded sides, broken with rocky masses, the
gradually enlarging river,— and even the frequent rail-
way bridges, as the railway crosses and recrosses the
valley, now lost in tunnels, now following its rock-
channelled path, — these bridges often presenting much
boldness and beauty, or lightness, and adding to the
; general effect, from the loftiness, or the form, or the
simplicity of their construction in stone and in iron, —
combine to give the charm of variety, and add to the
general effect, of the successive valley scenes. At a
distance of a little more than a mile from Blackwell mill,
the scenery of Chee Dale is approached. The pathway
crosses the river, ascends the hill side, follows the curve
of the valley, and divides into a path which leads to the
•summit of these uplands, from which the general effect

G

74

CHEE TOR.

of upland, valley, railway route, and river may be seen;
and over which the track leads to a point of the valley
about a mile lower down, and so much nearer to the
Miller’s Dale station ; or a downward path conducts to
the river, and to the farther valley scenery of Chee Dale,
with its magnificent mass of almost circular and abrupt
and lofty cragg, called Chee Tor, abutting upon it, on
the right bank of the river. This vast mass of rock is of
considerable lieig-ht, but necessarily seems to be of
greater height than it is, from its perpendicular sides,
which are as straight as if cleft with care by the hand of
man. The curious horizontal fissure near the summit of
this rock has been already noticed. The perpendicular
cliff towers above the dale on one side ; the bright stream
occupies the bottom of the valley ; on the left, the hill
side is embellished with scattered and over-hanging trees
and bushes ; and an appearance of isolation is given to
the scene, by a bending of the valley to the left and then
to the right, in order to skirt the rounded projection of
the Tor, — the valley being thus shut in on all its sides.

The path that leads to the summit of the hig-her ground,
and over the uplands!, descends thence on the opposite
side of the hill to the farther valley, where the river is
crossed by a foot-bridge, and the river is followed at the
bottom of the valley, to Miller’s Dale. There is the
option of a railway ticket to Miller’s Dale station, and
returning to Buxton by the river’s side, a distance of
some seven miles ; or going to Blackwell mill, a distance
of four miles, in a carriage, and walking thence through
the valleys to Miller’s Dale, and returning to Buxton by
railway ; or, of going and returning from Miller’s Dale
station by railway, walking from the station through
Chee Dale by the river side, and returning to the station
over the summit of the hill.

Passing from Chee Dale and its great Tor, there is a

miller’s dale.— cressbrook. 75

steep but practicable footpath up to the village of
Wormhill ; and from the upper part of this path, a fine
view across the valley is obtained. The river now passes
below Priest-cliff, a gently sloping rounded hill, which
is for the most part planted, as are the sides of the
farther valley, which here takes the name of Miln-house
or Miller’s Dale. At this point is one of the greatest of
the railway viaducts ; and it is probable, that many
might judge the effect of the bold engineering work to
have been an improvement on the tamer character of the
scenery, at this reach of the river and the valley. But,
even if it were so, which is by no means granted, the
long and straight railway, on the right side of the
river’s course, through what was once the open and quiet
and lovely valley of Miller’s Dale, could hardly gain for-
giveness from one who knew and loved the scenes in
other days ; even if the greatest engineering triumphs
had been produced, and the finest viaduct that .the art
and power of man could raise. There is also, more
recently, the much greater grievance of extensive lime
works which have seriously impaired the beauty of
one side of the valley. Miller’s Dale is an open
valley, with sloping sides; patches of plantation and
juttings of limestone rocks varying the surface. The
river is here of a considerably wider and more imposing
character; and the scenery is less like that which
commonly characterises the limestone valleys, and is
more like the valley scenery of other parts of England.

At the end of about two miles, however, the valley
again contracts ; the river becomes again confined within
narrower bounds ; the sides of the dale, although
clothed with trees, are again more precipitous, and the
characteristics of the limestone formation are again
strongly exemplified. This part of the valley is called
Cressbrook. If the growth of water- cresses might

76

MONSAL DALE.

justify the name, it is deserved at least equally by the
reach of the river below Chee Tor. The bold, abrupt,
and rocky banks are crowned at Cressbrook with the most
picturesque and varied uplands, on which are the house
and grounds of the late Mrs. Mc.Connell, and the mills
and cottages of an extensive factory, presenting perhaps
the prettiest known location of an industrial community,
and giving attractive views from road and from railway.
It may not be without interest to mention that Mrs.
Me. Connell’s house contains a very large number of
pictures by the most eminent British artists. Emerging
from the narrowed valley of Cressbrook, the river enters
the broader and more slopingly-sided valley of Monsal
Dale, with natural plantings of hazel, &c., and a great
degree of richness and beauty. The Monsal Dale
Railway Station will be found to give very convenient
access to the valleys of Cressbrook and Monsal Dale.
After a course through Monsal Dale of two or three
miles, the river again meets the high road opposite to the
eighth milestone from Buxton to Bakewell. On the side
of this valley are two natural sections of toadstone,
one above the other. Whenever met with, much
interest always attaches to these ancient lava-forma-
tions ; and the two layers, with the great shell depo-
sitions of mountain limestone above and below them
both, cannot but offer interesting suggestions as to
successive submarine volcanic outbreaks. It may also be
noticed, that, in some places, the toadstone, instead of
presenting the appearance of shapeless, unstratified rock,
that had at one time been subjected to intense heat, and
probably liquefied, is found in the form of rounded masses
of larger or smaller size. The size of these irregular
spheroids varies from that of bomb-shells and cannon-
balls, as found on the side of Miller’s Dale, to that of
the larger, rounded, and somewhat twisted forms seen in

LONGSTONE EDGE.

77

a railway cutting in Ashwood Dale close to Buxton.
This is not only interesting from the resemblance to some
of the masses thrown out by modern volcanoes, serving
to confirm the opinion that they also are lavas ; but as
illustrating, in common with them, the violence with
which the melted rock was ejected through the spaces
left by the disruption of the strata nearer to the surface,
as shot becomes twisted and of irregular shape from the
friction and force with which it is driven from the barrel
of the gun.

Mention has been made of the facilities afforded by the
Miller’s Dale and Monsal Dale Railway Stations, as
points of departure to the explorers of these valleys.
The facilities afforded by the station at Longstone are
even more considerable. Within an easy walk from
Monsal Dale, and with an upper and lower footpath on
the eastern side of the valley, to the lofty eminence Fin
Cop at its southern extremity, and with a pathway or
pathways on the western side of the valley, either of
which may be used on going or returning, additional
means are offered of exploring thoroughly the
valleys of Monsal Dale and Cressbrook. The railway
viaduct and embankment are also worthy of notice, not
only on account of their magnitude and proportion, but
as being mainly composed of broken masses of the black
marble of the district. Again, from the Longstone
Station, an easy walk leads to the pretty villages of Great
and Little Longstone ; and a rapid ascent from the
former village leads to the commanding range of high
land, Longstone Edge, with several existing or exhausted
lead workings, and offering a surrounding panorama of
hills and valleys which contains the towns of Taddington,
Ashford, Bakewell, Rowsley, Edensor, Baslow, Stoney-
Middleton, Eyam, Tideswell, &c., and embracing al-
together most extensive and various scenery. From the

78

HASSOP HALL. — YOULGREAVE.

distant or eastern extremity of Longstone Edge, the
descent to Hassop is easy, giving the opportunity of
seeing the park and grounds of Hassop Hall, with their
stately trees, hold undulations, and sheltered beauty.
The return journey is readily made from the Hassop
Railway Station ; and the distance from the Longstone
Station, through the village of Great Longstone, over
Longstone Edge, through the grounds of Hassop, and to
the Hassop Station, may be probably estimated at six or
seven miles.

The Hassop Railway Station is commonly the point
of departure for Edensor and Chatsworth, by travellers
from Buxton. It is 2| miles from Edensor, and 3 miles
from Chatsworth.

The Bakewell and Rowsley Railway Stations are not
only used as being conveniently near to Edensor and
Chatsworth, but as affording easy access to Youlgreave,
Upper-Haddon, and Winster, with all the varied scenery
of the valley of the Lathkil, Rooter Rocks, Bradford
Yalley, &c., with the Church of Youlgreave, as
the ultimate objects. A walk of seven or eight miles
would embrace the most of these points of great and
varied interest, over and along roads and footpaths
traversing some of the most beautiful scenery in North
Derbyshire ; — from Bakewell over Upper - Haddon,
through the Lathkil Yalley to Youlgreave, and thence
along the high road commanding the valley of the
river Bradford to the pretty village of Middleton,
and the adjoining gorge or chine with its rocks
and water; returning thence to Youlgreave, with
its ancient church, its imposing tower, ancient font,
Norman arches, and curious monuments ; ranking as a
whole second only to the church of Tideswell; and
thence proceeding to the Rowsley Station by the road
skirting Pickering Wood, or by a wider circuit over

TADDINGTON VALLEY. — BAKEWELL. 79

Stanton, and by Stanton House, -with its fine command-
ing uplands. The circuit by tbe carriage roads would be
considerably longer.

At the third milestone from Buxton the road to
Bakewell, unfortunately made to quit the level of the
river Wye, ascends rapidly to the high grounds of these
elevated lines of country. Some little compensation,
however, is given for the scenery left behind, and for all
that is commonly thus left unseen, by a wide and varied
range of scenery on the left ; the districts of Blackwell,
Wormhill, and Tides well, being overlooked from the
road ; and, on nearing Taddington, which is six miles
from Buxton, the higher grounds of Chelmerton Low are
on the immediate right ; and the road to Monyash is so
much higher than the village of Taddington, that a view
may be commanded from it of the high grounds of the
East Moor, &c., at a distance of ten or twelve miles.
From the village, the road rapidly descends, and enters
the valley of Taddington, which is bounded on both sides
by lofty elevations of much beauty, and some occasional
grandeur. The sides of the dale are clothed by natural
plantations, of hazel, hawthorn, &c. After a descent of
two miles, the I’oad again joins the course of the river;
and passing the end of Monsal Dale, and crossing and
re- crossing the stream, it leads through the pretty village
of Ashford, to the neat and pleasant town of Bakewell.

Bakewell is an important market town, at the distance
of twelve miles east from Buxton. It is situated at the
foot of a hill, on the western bank of the river Wye.
The town is undoubtedly of much antiquity ; and the
ramparts of earthwork of an ancient fort, said to have
belonged to Edward, surnamed the Elder, king of the
West Saxons, and eldest son of King Alfred the Great
(a.d. 901 912), are still traceable on the hill close to the
town. Its tepid waters, having a temperature of 60

80

BAKEWELL.

degrees, Farenheit, seem, to have had a very ancient
reputation ; and from bath and well or spring, its name
was obviously obtained. In the Domesday Book a.d.
1086, it was called Badaquelle, or Bauquelle. A bathing
house was erected over the spring in the year 1697. The
waters are probably of similar character and efficacy to
those of Stoney Middleton. The church, much of which
has unhappily had to be re-built since the year 1840, has
been well and fully described by the late Rev. Dr.
Plumptre, the master of University College, Oxford.
As given in “ Black’s Guide to Derbyshire,” — “ In the
angle between the south transept and the chancel stands
what has been termed a Runic cross, somewhat resembling
that at Eyam. On the west side are sculptures in relief ;
and, on the three others, are the ornamental scrolls, so
prevalent on Saxon crosses. The sculptures, though now
almost obliterated, have been ascertained to illustrate the
life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.
On the bend of the Cross is a representation of the entry
into Jerusalem. The existence of this cross, and the
remains of several others of like make, seem to prove
that a burial-place existed here long before the Conquest;
and if a burial-place, it is most certain that a church
existed also. In the Domesday Book it is stated that
two priests officiated in the church at Bakewell. It is
very difficult, notwithstanding these facts, to trace the
history of the church. Of its original foundation we
know absolutely nothing ; though, by local tradition, the
building of the nave, which, with the exception of the
west end and tower, is the oldest part remaining, is
ascribed to King John, while Earl of Morton. In 1192,
he gave it, with its prebends, to the cathedral of Lichfield ;
the dean and chapter of which have still the patronage
of the living. It is recorded that in 1365, a charity was
endowed by Sir Godfrey Foljame and Avena his wife.

BAKEWELL.

81

In the south side of the nave is their monument, with
two half-length upright figures. The present nave was
probably erected about the year 1110. To the east of the
transept is the Vernon chapel, in the later decorated
style, founded, in 1360, ‘ upon the walls of the former
chapel.’ In this chapel were buried the families of
Vernon and Manners, the occupiers of Haddon Hall.
The most interesting monument is a representation, in
alabaster, of Sir Thomas Wendesley, in plate armour,
who was mortally wounded at the battle of Shrewsbury,
in 1403. In 1841, the restoration of this fine old church
was found to be necessary ; and on excavating the
foundations of the ancient buildings, a considerable
number of Saxon remains were discovered, including a
coped tomb, and several rudely sculptured coffin lids.
They consist, in part, of several fragments of stone,
carved with interlacing bands, and other devices, so
closely resembling those on the cross in the churchyard,
and more especially those on the cross at Eyam, that
there can be no doubt they may all be referred to the
same period, whatever that period may be determined to
be.” In Glover’s interesting History and Gazetteer of
Derbyshire, it is collated that— “ in the reign, of King
John, the church was granted to the canons of Lichfield;
and in return for this grant, one of the prebendaries of
that cathedral was to say mass for the soul of the King
and his ancestors. In a decree of the Archbishop of
Canterbury, for repairing and ornamenting chapels
belonging to parish churches, which was dated in the
year 1280, complaint was made that the deacon and
subdeacon of Bakewell were obliged to beg for their
bread. The archbishop therefore ordered that they
should eat at the table of the vicar. To provide for such
an increase of expense, the vicar, who before had twenty
marks, was ordered an additional allowance of ten marks

82 YALE OF HADDON. — HADDON HALL.

for the support of tvYo priests, with a deacon, subdeacon,
and clerk, at his table ; and, besides, one mark annually
for the deacon, and ten shillings for the subdeacon, were
allowed for the purchase of clothes. The archbishop also
ordered, that ten scholastic clerks, whose occupation
consisted chiefly in carrying about the holy water on the
Sundays and festivals, in the church and chapels of the
parish, should be chosen and maintained out of the
donations of the parishioners. He also insisted that the
chapels of Taddington, Longstone, and Baslow, should
be supplied, by the chapter, with fit priests, and that the
chapter and the parishioners should contribute in equal
proportions for their maintenance, each paying at least
ten marks and a half.”

Bakewell has been much frequented on account of the
trout-fishing in the river Wye. It has the advantage of
being in the immediate neighbourhood of Haddon Hall
and Chatsworth House, the Yale of Haddon, Darley Dale,
Matlock Bath, and Monsal Dale, and of having a first-
class station on the Manchester, Buxton, and Midland
Railway.

Beyond Bakewell, the road still maintains its position
by the banks of the Wye, through the Yale of Haddon;
passing the fine old mansion of Haddon Hall, on the left,
about two miles from Bakewell. In this broader valley,
the railway stretches its direct way through a short
tunnel behind Haddon Hall, and the scenery seems to
be little if at all spoiled by the embankment; and the
growth of grass and shrubs may hereafter cause it to be
well nigh lost sight of altogether.

Haddon Hall has been again and again described, and
has been delineated by ablest artists. It deserves a
volume of description. It is almost unique, as an un-
touched specimen of the houses that were occupied by
the aristocracy of England in the olden times. Situated

BOWSLEY. — EDENSOB.

83

finely on the side of the broad valley — with its bridge of
three arches, — its time-worn gateway and court-yard, —
its massive construction and irregular walls, — its ancient
chapel, — its kitchens, buttery, and hall, its recessed
withdrawing room, its long and well lighted gallery, its
varied yet congruous mediaeval elevations, — its garden-
terraces and yew trees’ shade, Haddon Hall richly
deserves all the notice which it receives. Erected at
various remote periods, the greater part of the structure
may probably be referred to the eleventh century.

Beyond Haddon Hall, road and railway soon lead to the
cheerful village of Rowsley ; during some years the
terminus of the railway, and having still a first-class
station. The village has been long and much resorted to
by anglers. At this place the river Wye loses its
identity, and becomes involved in the larger stream of
the Derwent. There is here an interesting small Norman
church and mortuary chapel, of recent erection ; the
latter containing an altar tomb to the memory of the
late Lady John Manners and her infant child. There is
on the tomb a very beautiful recumbent figure of Lady
John Manners, exquisitely graceful, and expressive of
extreme sweetness and repose. On one side lies the
figure of an infant ; on the other is sculptured a broken
lily, in bold relief. This great work of art is by Mr.
Calder Marshall, R.A. The tomb is of the hard and fine
gritstone of Dai’ley Dale, and is enriched with well
executed carvings. The flooring of the chapel is inlaid
with Derbyshire marbles, spars, &c., and probably con-
tains the whole of them. This floor is the work of Mr.
Tomlinson, of Ashford. Leaving the railway route,
crossing the river, and proceeding northward, towards
the village of Edensor, Chatsworth Park is soon reached :
the princely domain of the Duke of Devonshire.

Edensor is situated within Chatsworth Park. In the

84 TOMB OF THE LATE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE.

chancel of Edensor church there was a monument to the
first Earl of Devonshire ; also, a curious monument, with
two recumbent figures, one representing a person in the
costume of the period, the other representing a skeleton :
a strange way of pointing the great moral lesson ! — and
also a monument of the celebrated Elizabeth of Hardwick,
daughter and co-heiress of John Hardwick, one of the
richest women of the time of Queen Elizabeth. She was
married four times ; obtaining a large accession of wealth
by every marriage ; leaving children only by her second
husband, Sir William Cavendish ; their second son being
eventually created first Earl of Devonshire. The monu-
ments were necessarily disturbed for the time by the
restoration, or rather rebuilding, of the church, at the
expense of the Duke of Devonshire, under the able
direction of Sir Gilbert Scott. It is a worthy restora-
tion, painstakingly canted out, full of elaborate, beautiful,
judicious, and faithful details, worthy alike of architect
and of patron. In the churchyard, on its southern and
sloping grassy side, is a plain altar-tomb, surrounded by
a plain iron railing, surmounted by a massive cross, in
full relief, of the length of the tomb, the ends bearing
also crosses in relief. It covers the mortal remains of
William Spencer Cavendish, the late and sixth Duke of
Devonshire, to whose liberality and enlarged charity
Buxton and its Hospital are so much indebted. There is,
near to this tomb, the grave and monument of the
lamented Lord Frederick Cavendish, wantonly if mis-
takenly assassinated in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, to the
great grief of his widow and all the members of his
family, and with the sympathising regret of the Queen
and all classes of the people.

‘ ‘ The history of Chatsworth does not date farther back
than the conquest, when William Peveril held it for the
■crown. In the Domesday Book it is written Chetesuorde,

THE LATE SIR JOSEPH PAXTON. 85

and ‘ no doubt took its name from Chetel, one of its Saxon
owners mentioned in that survey.’ The property was-
purchased, in the 16th century, by Sir William Caven-
dish, husband of the celebrated Countess of Shrewsbury.
By Sir William a mansion was begun, which, after his
death, was completed by his widow. This was one of the
prisons of the unhappy Mary of Scotland, who, out of
seventeen years she lived a captive in England, spent
portions of the years 1570, ’73, ’77, ’78, and ’81 at
Chatsworth. The mansion in which she was confined,
which has entirely disappeared, was a quadrangular
building, defended by towers. ‘ Her second letter to
Pope Pius is dated from Chatsworth House, Oct. 31,
1570, nearly seventeen years before the sanguinary
mandate of Elizabeth sent her to the block. Near the
river, and not far from the house, is ‘ Queen Mary’s
Bower,’ which is an object of attraction to visitors. It
is a raised ‘ bower ’ or garden, strongly built of stone,
and surrounded by a moat, and here, it is said, the Queen
passed most of her time.” — Black’s Guide to Derbyshire.
The north wing has been added to Chatsworth House
since 1826.

It is impossible to mention, however cursorily, the
Peak Palace and its wonders, without alluding to the
man who, acting under a magnificent prince, full of
artistic tastes, contributed so much to the high char-
acter of the whole, serving eventually what may be well
called national interests. Sir Joseph Paxton spent the
greater part of his active life in the employment of the
late Duke of Devonshire, designed and planned the
magnificent arboretum, the vast rock-works, some of the
greatest of the waterworks, and, last not least, the
orchid houses and great conservatory, which originated
the Crystal Palace, and the Royal Conservatory at Kew,
with all the attendant and consequent changes, as to the

86 CHATSWORTH. — MR. HENRY CAVENDISH.

successful cultivation of tropical plants in this country,
and as to architectural innovations, which may end in a
new style of art-construction, if it have not already done
so. There is scarcely a railway structure, however large
or costly, scarcely a horticultural construction however
unpretending, in which the genius and Chatsworth
experiences of Sir Joseph Paxton may not be said to he
more or less traceable, from the ridge-and-furrow roof
to the mixture of glass and iron, which are their special
characteristics, together with the extensive clear span of
the roofs, and the general breadth and boldness of the
designs.

Chatsworth House is remarkable from its great size, —
its adaptation to the scenery which surrounds it, — its
upland background of dark woods, which shelter an
arboretum of much botanical value, — its gigantic foun-
tains and waterworks, — its great rock-works, — its
conservatories, orchid-houses, gardens, and pleasure-
grounds, its Italian facades, — its princely suites of
rooms, — its choicely filled sculpture gallery, — its paint-
ings and drawings of great masters, ancient and modern,
— and its extensive and valuable library, collected by
successive generations of patrons and lovers of letters,
and in part by the eminent philosopher, Henry Cavendish,
to whom science owes so much.

Mr. Henry Cavendish was born on October 10th, 1731.
He was the grandson of the second Duke of Devonshire.
He lived retired, and never married, and devoted himself
to scientific pursuits, and more especially to mathematics,
and their application to chemistry. He discovered that
water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen ; he discovered
that nitrogen is an essential constituent of both atmos-
pheric air and nitric acid ; he investigated, with
mathematical precision, the properties and combinations
of these important gases; demonstrating his results both

ME. HENEY CAVENDISH. — CHATSWOETH.

87

analytically and synthetically. “ A French writer admits
(we should say affirms) that he furnished Lavoisier with
the materials of his system ; and Sir Humphry Davy, in
a lecture delivered shortly after the death of Cavendish,
speaks as follows : — ‘ His processes were all of a finished
nature, perfected by the hand of a master ; they required
no correction ; and though many of them were performed
in the very infancy of chemical science, yet their
accuracy and their beauty* have remained unimpaired
amidst the progress of discovery.’ The discoveries of
Cavendish were finished ; he proved his conclusions both
by analysis and synthesis ; he ascertained that the weig-ht
of the product was the sum of that of its components,
and determined its specific gravity. He was the first
who carried the mind and methods of a mathematician
into the field from which the alchemist had not long*
retired, and in which the speculator still remained. And
when we say the mind and method of a mathematician,
we do not deny that the inductive philosopher had been
already there ; but it was to remark phenomena, and not
to measure quantities.” — Penny Cyclopceclia. He has
been well called the Newton of Chemistry : advancing
the practical chemistry of the age in which he lived, as
much as Newton advanced the science of light and of
optics, and the knowledge obtainable from the study of
the stars.

A mere catalogue of the contents of Chatsworth House
would form a bulky volume, and would be by no means
without interest to any educated person. In addition to
the extensive and unrivalled library, containing the most
valuable and rare works and editions of works, there is a
sculpture gallery, which, as to size, and proportions, and
contents, can have few equals. It contains many of the
greatest of the works of Canova, as well as some of the

most celebrated works of Thorwalsden, Wyatt, Westm'acott,

88

CHATSWOKTH.

Gibson, and others of no less eminence ; and it contains
moreover, some gigantic art- creations in foreign and
Derbyshire marbles, granites, spars, and alabasters.
Leading from an orangery more than a hundred feet in
length, and of adequate other proportions, and to suites
of rooms of palatial size, and eminently artistic decora-
tions, containing many of those wonderful carvings in
wood, ascribed to Grinling Gibbons, and, whether
executed by him or not, exceeding all imaginable wonders
of the carver’s art ; holding, moreover, some of the
greatest pictures that have ever been painted, more
particularly Sir Edwin Landseer’s well-known and price-
less picture of Bolton Abbey in the Olden Time ; and
furthermore containing probably two-thirds of the draw-
ings made by the great Claude de Loraine for or from
his pictures, and called by him his * Liber Veritatis ’ ;
surrounded by grounds and gardens on a scale of princely
size, and for which even the genius of Paxton could do
no more as to taste and design, with waterworks on so
grand a scale as to have anticipated not unworthily those
at the Crystal Palace, the Palace of the Peak defies
description, and must be seen to be done justice to. The
rock-works are so large as to justify wonder that even
wealth and perseverance could accomplish such results.
The great conservatory is still admitted to be a stupendous
creation of glass, iron, and wood; and, thanks to the
lightness of the material, and the ridge-and-furrow
surface, by no means without a character of beauty;
covering nearly an acre of ground ; heated by six miles
of hot- water pipes ; roofed by upwards of 70,000 square
feet of glass ; and containing the gigantic vegetations of
the tropics in most luxuriant health and beauty. The
fountains in the grounds are supplied by tubes 6,200 feet
in length, and fed by a reservoir on the high ground of
the East Moor, at an elevation above them of 380 feet ;

DARLEY DALE. — MATLOCIC.

89

the jet of water from the principal fountain rising- to the
height of 260 feet. A special order should, if possible,
he obtained to see the kitchen gardens, containing the
house in which the Victoria Regia was first made to
flower in this country, containing one of the largest and
finest collections of orchidaceous plants, and in every
way interesting to lovers of horticulture. The kitchen
gardens are at a distance of three-quarters of a mile
from the house.

Chatsworth is two miles from Rowsley, ten miles from
Matlock, and fifteen miles from Buxton. Immediately
beyond the north-eastern boundary of Chatsworth Park,
is the prettily- situated village of Baslow, with itsturreted
church, and ancient bridge over the river Derwent.
Baslow is four miles from Bakewell, twelve miles from
Sheffield, and eight miles from Chesterfield.

From Rowsley to Matlock the road and the railway
follow the farther course of the river Derwent, through
the beautiful gritstone valley of Darley Dale. The
breadth of the dale is sufficient to prevent the railway
from marring the beauty of the scenery. About midway
between Rowsley and Matlock, on the right of the road,
is Darley Dale church, by the side of which stands one
of the oldest yew trees in England, said to be the growth
of many centuries, and to measure 33 feet round its
stem. In the church is a fine altar-tomb, and there are
also some interesting monuments. Not far from the
church is the Stancliffe Hall estate, now the property of
Sir Joseph Whitworth, the celebx-ated inventor of the
Whitworth rifle, and long distinguished as a mechanician.
On this estate is one of the most remarkable freestone
quarries in the kingdom, which is now, however, reduced
to a decorative position in Sir Joseph Whitworth’s ex-
tensive and tasteful walks and pleasure-grounds ; forming
stupendous rock features and foregrounds to the valley

H

90

MATLOCK BATH.

scenery, of most picturesque and romantic character.

Matlock village is eight miles from Bakewell, and
nearly five miles from Rowsley ; and between the village
and Matlock Bath, which has usurped the name of
Matlock, there is a distance of nearly two miles by the
road. The road passes near to the river, with a now
broader and deeper stream ; and the valley rapidly
becomes walled in by loftier and more precipitous lime-
stone rocks, until Matlock Bath is reached ; the rocks
surrounding the town, and extending a short distance
beyond its principal buildings ; separating Matlock Bath
from the adjacent village of Cromford.

Matlock Bath is the fourth of the localities in Derby -
shii’e in which there are springs of tepid water. The
temperature of these warm springs is 6§ degrees of
Farenheit. They are similar in their medicinal influence
to those of Bakewell and Stoney Middleton ; being
probably by so much more efficacious as they are eight
degrees warmer ; and being inferior to the tepid springs
of Buxton in temperature, and as to gaseous impregnation.
The Matlock Bath waters are known to have been in use
and repute for medicinal purposes, since the year 1698.
There are three important springs, which have the same
temperature and character.

Matlock Bath is, however, more remarkable from its
picturesque and sheltered position, than on account of its
tepid waters. Three great natural caverns are found
here, which deserve to be seen. The Cumberland Cavern
contains a gallery 3U0 feet long, and 18 feet high; the
Royal Rutland Cavern contains great chambers, arches,
and lofty dome-like roof ; and the Devonshire Cavern has
an extensive chambei', with a x-emax‘kable flat x-oof. The
High Tor is a mass of limestone rock, which rises
perpendicularly from the side of the x'ivex’ to the height
of 400 feet. The Heights of Abraham, another of the

MATLOCK BATH.

91

mountain masses which surmount the sides of the valley,
crown the summit of Masson Hill, and are said to be
1000 feet in height. The abrupt and gigantic rockiness
of Matlock Bath gives to it a picturesque character that
is quite unequalled by any other town in the district.
These rocks and eminences on both sides of the valley
are easily reached by well kept paths, every step offering
an infinite variety of view, and adding to the general
attractiveness of the place. The river Derwent, near to
the town, is sufficient for the use of boats ; and pursuing
its devious way through the bottom of the valley, through
a broader or a more contracted channel, — and placidly
and turbulently as may be, — the river, the plantations,
the limestone rocks, the position of the houses at various
heights on the sides of the valley, combine to render
Matlock Bath one of the prettiest places in the kingdom.
The railway, fortunately, owing to its high elevation, the
frequent tunnelling, and the breadth of the valley,
interferes very little with the natural beauties of the
place.

In the year 1884, 15 acres of ground, of which a large
part covers a portion of the west side of the valley of
Matlock Bath, extending beyond its summit, were pur-
chased by a public Company, enclosed, and laid out as
ornamental walks and terraces; handsome pavilion
buildings were erected, including central or concert hall
and other public rooms ; and the site commands much of
the beautiful scenery, with the magnificent rocks and
varied grandeur. Near to the summit of the grounds is
a grand natural rockery, with a range of precipitous
rocks, which have the old name of “ Romantic Rocks,”
and deserve to be so designated. A good band of
] musicians performs in the Pavilion ; and the undertaking
is a very valuable addition to the local attractions.

Near to Matlock Bath, on the road to Hopton,

92 VIA GELLIA. — WILLER&LEY. — DERBY.

traversing a valley with well wooded and steeply sloping
sides, called the Via Gellia from the name of the owner
of the estate, is probably the best known and most
extensive natural habitat of the most beautiful of our
spring flowers — the Lily of the Valley. It grows on the
sides of this valley in the wildest profusion. It is met
with in some other parts of the kingdom, and even
sometimes in the upper parts of the valley of the Goyt,
near Buxton, when fenced from sheep pasturage ; and it
grows in the valley of the Lathkil and in Monsal Dale ;
but the Via Gellia, towards the end of the month of May,
claims- an easy pre-eminence, as to profuse production of
this interesting plant.

Having passed Matlock Bath, the road emerges from
this extraordinary portion of its course, through two
great rocky sides, to the village of Cromford ; and thence
still occupying one or other bank of the river, passes on
to the town of Belper, an important seat of the cotton
manufacture, — goes through the pleasant village of
Duflield, — and reaches Derby, with its fertile surround-
ings, at the distance of 38 miles from Buxton. The
railway, having passed Matlock Bath, and presenting an
interesting peep of the grounds of Mr. Arkwright, at
Willersley, traverses the woods and valley of Alderwasley,
and, after a course of six miles from Matlock Bath, joins
the main trunk of the Midland Railway at Ambergate.

Derby is a very ancient town ; although but few signs
of its great antiquity are left for observation. It was
probably in existence before the invasion of the Romans ;
the Roman station, Derventio, was in its immediate
neighbourhood ; it was inhabited by the Danes, and the
theatre of contests between the Danes and the Saxons ;
a.d. 917, 942. It is called “Villa Regalis ” in the
writings of the Venerable Bede, in the early part of the

DEEBY.

93

eighth century. Derby was a royal borough in the time
of Edward, the Confessor, in the tenth century. The
Roman station, Derventio, was on the site of Little
Chester, a hamlet immediately beyond the boundary of
the borough, on the other side of the river; and Dr.
Stukeley, in the early part of the last century, was able
to trace its wall quite round, and to ascertain that the
inclosure had been oblong, and contained five or six acres.
Coins of brass, silver, and gold, have been found from
time to time ; other ancient remains are occasionally met
with ; foundations of buildings are occasionally laid bare ;
and there are the foundations of a Roman bridge over
the Derwent at this point, which may be seen when the
water is clear.

In the time of the Saxons, Derby was called
Northwige ; and the name of Deoraby was given to it by
the Danes. It is probable that the names of the town,
of the neighbouring village Darley, of the Roman
station Derventio, and of the river Derwent, are all
derived from the same ancient word, clwr, water ; — with
the addition of the adjective, given, bright, when applied
to the river ; and of bye, habitation, when applied to the
town.

Before the time of the Norman Conquest, there was a
castle of some considerable size and importance at
Derby ; at this time, or soon after, it seems to have
fallen into decay ; the town itself becoming' less impor-
tant ; and its annals offering few matters of historical
interest. It was held by the Parliamentary troops during
the Protectorate ; the garrison having been removed in
1645, probably in consequence of the town becoming
infected with the plague. In 1665, Derby was again
visited with the plague, while London was being scourged
by this fearful epidemic. According to the account

94

DERBY.

given by Hutton, tbe town was forsaken, the farmers
ceased to frequent tbe market, and tbe market-place
became grass-grown. “ To prevent famine, tbe inhabi-
tants erected, at tbe top of Nun’s Green, one or two
hundred yards from what is now tbe Friargate, four
quadrangular steps, covered in tbe centre with one large
stone; tbe whole being nearly five feet high. It was
called Headless Cross. I knew it in perfection. Hither
tbe market people, having their mouths primed with
tobacco, as a preservative, brought their provisions, stood
at a distance from their property, and at a greater
distance from the townspeople, with whom they were to
traffic. The buyer was not suffered to touch any of the
articles before purchase ; but when the agreement was
finished, he took the goods, and deposited the money in a
vessel filled with vinegar, set for that purpose.” On
December 4th, 1745, the town was entered by the Young
Pretender, with his army, and occupied until the following
day ; and thence began the disastrous retreat, on the
approach of the royal forces under the Duke of Cumber-
land.

The manufactures of Derby have been chiefly of silk
and cotton, marble, porcelain, and iron. The silk and
china manufactures were at one time of pre-eminent
excellence and importance ; and the iron manufacture is
now of high character and value. A promising effort is
now made to recover the prestige and character of the
china manufacture.

The tower of All Saints’ Church, built in the reign of
Queen Mary, is a very beautiful architectural feature of
Derby. It is 180 feet in height, and admirably propor-
tioned. All Saints’ Church contains monuments to
William, Earl of Devonshire, and to the celebrated
Countess of Shrewsbury.

The Arboretum, a magnificent gift to the town, from

CHELMEBTON.

95

the late Mr. Joseph Strutt, containing- several acres of
ground, laid out in walks, and planted, with a view to the
recreation and instruction of the people, is deservedly
one of the principal features of Derby.

The Derby railway station is a great central point of
the Midland Railway system.

Beyond Upper Buxton, on the south side of the town,
is the old road to London, via Ashbourne and Derby.
This is the most exposed and least interesting of the
roads near Buxton. Passing the beautiful rising grounds
of Staden Low, near to the town, — and the upper end of
Deep Dale, at the distance of nearly three miles, — a
road to the left, immediately beyond Brier Low, leads
to the village of Chelmerton. Chelmerton is five
miles from Buxton. The village is situated at the foot
of Chelmerton Low, in an open valley. Chelmerton
church possesses some degree of ecclesiological interest.
There appears to have been a chapel here as early as the
year 1111. This date at all events is said to have been
on a beam in the chancel, now removed. The church is
probably of considerably antiquity. The different levels
of the floor are particularly note-worthy, as also the east
window. There is an ancient carved stone font ; and
there are three carved tomb-stones in the churchyard, of
interesting character, bearing the date 1541. According
to the survey of the Board of Ordnance, this church
seems to stand at an higher elevation than any other in
the country.

The chancel of this interesting church was restored
recently, with much care, at the cost of the Duke of
Devonshire, and many interesting features of the structure
were discovered and renewed. Portions of the remaining
structure have also been carefully restored, but the whole
structure deserves the consideration and help of wealthy
ecclesiologists.

96

TISSINGTON.

From Brier Low, the road to Ashbourne passes
over uplands of bare and tame character to
Newhaven, the scenery of the adjoining county of
Stafford being shut out from the view by the rising
grounds on the right ; and beyond Newhaven there is
little improvement in the scenery until some fourteen
miles from Buxton, when the village of Tissington lies
on the left, with its old trees, and wells, and enriched
Old-English character of scenery ; the road to Dove
Dale is on the right ; and the fertile lower grounds of
the Ashbourne distinct are overlooked and travelled
through from this point to Derby.

The wells of Tissington are celebrated as perennial
springs ; resembling so far, although cold, the tepid
springs of Buxton, Bakewell, Matlock, and Stoney
Middleton ; and, like them, issuing from the limestone
close to the edge of the formation.

The perpetual flow of the springs at Tissington is said
to have originated the time-honoured annual festival of
decorating the wells of the village with flowers on
Ascension day. According to the tradition, the flow of
the springs was unaffected at a time when all the springs
of the surrounding district were dried up ; and they are
said to have been dressed with flowers ever since, on
Ascension day, in grateful commemoration of so signal
a blessing. There are several wells situated in different
parts of the very pretty village ; and these are more or
less surrounded or covered with wooden boards, of various
shapes, plastered with a somewhat thick coating of
moistened clay ; buttercups and daisies, with any other
flowers obtainable,— and also pine-cones or any other
material available for colour, or contrast, being stuck
into clay, so as to form a Mosaic work, which is vivid in
its colouring, and often tasteful in its design. Texts
from Holy Scripture, and devices of various pattern, are

LIMESTONE SPRINGS.

97

thus produced ; and when the artist’s ambition does not
lead him to attempt too much, the effect is extremely
good and pleasing. The service for the day in the
quaint country church, and a procession of villagers and
strangers, headed by the clergyman, from well to well,
after the service of the church, the appointed psalms
being read at the several wells, render this a very
interesting country festival. The custom of well-
flowering1 has been borrowed by other places in Derbyshire,
as by Buxton, Youlgreave, &c., but the well-flowering at
Tissington maintains an easy pre-eminence.

The scarcity of springs is one of the characteristic
conditions of the limestone formation. In some parts of
this tract of country, the inhabitants are entirely
dependent on the rainfall for their supply of water,
which they collect in tanks, &c., for their domestic
purposes, and for their cattle and farm purposes, in round
surface ponds, locally called meres, with conduits leading
to them from the rocks and uplands. The springs which
exist are usually found to be near the margin of the
formation, or where there are fissures or dislocations in
the strata, with or without toadstone. On the adjoining
formations of gritstone and new red sandstone, the
springs are much more numerous. Tliis is the more
remarkable in regard to the gritstone formation, as it is
for the most part of a higher level than the limestone.
Moreover, all the Derbyshire rivers, — the Derwent, the
Wye, the Dove, the Dane, the Manifold, and the Goyt,
— take their rise from the gritstone ; and the five last-
mentioned from different parts of Axe Edge, near
Buxton. The Derwent arises at the extreme north-
eastern border of Derbyshire, to the nQrth of Ashopton.
The Goyt and the Dane eventually terminate in the
Mersey ; all the other rivers fall into the Trent.

If, instead of following the high road just noticed, —

98 HIGH WHEELDON, — LONGNOR. — HARTINGTON.

tlie merits of which, for excellence of condition, deserve
a passing word of praise,— the traveller diverges from it
to the right, when between two and three miles from
Buxton, he ascends at once the invidious range of higher
ground, which separates him from the scenery of
Staffordshire. He passes, on his right and left, many
oddly shaped, and bold, and picturesque hills ; especially
Tor Rock, Swallow Tor, and Chrome Hill, on the right.
He may go through the village of Earl Sterndale, ascend
the conical hill called High-Wheeldon, and see all these
hills before and below him, and an extensive and
picturesque reach of the county of Stafford, lying on
the other side of the river Dove, which divides Derbyshire
and Staffordshire. The more distant of the Staffordshire
scenery is divided from that which is nearer, by successive
ridges of hills, over which the eye travels, and upon
which the lights and shades of the clouds produce the
most picturesque and rapid changes. A descent and
ascent through interesting and ever varying valley
scenery, with a crossing and re-crossing of the river
Dove, here a stream of no pretension, leads to the little
market town of Longnor, at a distance of six miles from
Buxton. Passing- thence to the left, through a picturesque
valley, which winds around the base of High-Wheeldon,
the traveller regains a road which leads to the village of
Hartington. Hartington, by the more direct road, is
about nine miles from Buxton. There is little scenery
worthy of remark on the road from Eax-1 Sterndale to
Hartington, until within half a mile fx-om Hartington,
whence a hig-her level of road commands a view of the
river Dove, with a much impx-oved description of scenery
bordex-ing its course. Hax-tington is an unpx-etending
and quiet village ; and, within about half a mile, the
river Dove passes through the first part of the remarkable
scenery which has rendered it so famous. Beresford Dale

BEEESFOED.— DOVE TALE.

99

is a little gem of beautiful scenery. The more matured
beauties of that part of the river’s course which is more
strictly called Dove Dale, if here somewhat less bold in
character, are crowded together into a small space, giving
the sense of finished beauty which an exquisite miniature
conveys, and which may compensate in some degree for
any deficiency in the boldness and chai’acter, which might
distinguish a painting of more pretension, and on a
larger scale. Here, too, is the fishing lodge, which was
erected for the accommodation of the venerable Izaak
Walton ; here is the domain that belonged to his disciple,
and friend, and expounder, Charles Cotton ; here is the
stream from which those lessons in angling were obtained,
and by the banks of which those thoughts and maxims
and gossip were formed, and embodied in simple and
quaint phrase, which still serve to edify and please all the
lovers of nature, as well as those who practice the “gentle
art and every one may well feel that this is indeed a
fitting- place for such thoughts and musings.

Some few miles of bare scenery border the course of
the Dove from thence to Dove Dale. Dove Dale is
separated into several almost distinct portions, every one
of which is distinguished by its own peculiar and
characteristic beauties. The first of these is a somewhat
open valley, with a rippling and shallow stream, and
grassy banks, and bottom, and shelving sides, — with but
little of rocky and limestone character. This is the less
adorned entrance to the more enriched scenes beyond.
Passing over some higher ground, which serves to shut
out this first compartment from that immediately beyond,
the eye is arrested by a mass of rock, which rises
abruptly , standing in relief, and with much grandeur, on
the right side of the valley. On the left, a little beyond
this mass of limestone, is an expanded arch, of fine form
and proportion, leading to a shallow cavern. Beyond

100

DOVE DALE.

this, on the left side of the valley, is a marvellous
specimen of the peculiarities and capabilities of the
mountain limestone. A rock, standing out boldly from
the mountain side, at an estimated elevation of between
two and three hundred feet from the bottom of the
valley, is completely perforated by an arch of some yards
in depth, and said to be about forty feet in height, and
eighteen feet wide. Through this archway is a space,
open to the sky, which might be likened to the small
court-yard of a mountain stronghold, and which leads to
a narrow cavern in the higher hill-side. This curious
archway, which has become detached from the farther
cavern, situated as it is at so considerable a height,
admitting the light of day freely through it, and
presenting the view of the space and cavern beyond it,
is one of the most picturesque of the rocky wonders of
the limestone formation. The view of the valley from
above, as seen through the archway from the upper
cavern, is sufficiently beautiful to repay fully the toilsome
ascent by which it has to be attained.

The dale immediately beyond becomes much narrower ;
the sides become precipitous and rocky ; the river becomes j
narrowed, and less quiet in its character, and enters a
narrower and darker gorge between two great rocky
portals. On one side is a column of insulated rock,
which rises abruptly, and in massive grandeur; on the
other side is a bold mass, projecting from the side of the
valley. What a scene of “ hurly burly,” and what
gigantic action, must have produced and attended the
dislocation and upheaving of these mighty masses ; and
what a tale this scene tells, in the midst of the beauty
which is now so solemn and so still, of the agency by
which the earth’s strata were made to produce the
diversified surfaces, so needful for the wants, and so

AXE EDGE.

101

conducive to the uses, the health, and the happiness of
the human race !

The valley below has again a more open and more
enriched character; with a more quiet and broader
stream, bounded by more sloping hill-sides; broken at
intervals by masses of rock, scattered in vast fragments,
or projecting-, as though they had only just escaped from
being hurled into the valley which they overhang.

The town of Leek, a principal seat of the silk manu-
facture, is at the distance of twelve miles from Buxton,
on the south-west. The road rises rapidly from the valley
of Buxton, passing over the ridge of elevated ground, of
which Axe Edge is the highest point. The th-st part of
the road is wild and bold in its scenery ; the pointed and
oddly-shaped hills, near Longnor, lying- at some distance
from the road, on the left ; the right being bounded by
the higher ground of the ridge of Axe Edge. When the
summit of the high ground is at length attained, an
extensive view is presented ; and from thence to the
town of Leek, the scenery is of commanding and varied
character.

Macclesfield is at the distance of twelve miles from
Buxton, on the west. The highest part of the road,
close to a small road-side inn (the “ Cat and Fiddle,”)
offers a view which is circumscribed in breadth, but
which extends in length to a distance of forty or fifty
miles. The river Mersey, near Liverpool, may be seen
from this point, when the air is free from haziness, as
after rain ; the looking at objects so distant being even
painfully fatiguing to the eye. From this point to
Macclesfield, the road descends ; offering an extensive
view over this part of Cheshire, and leading to an idea
of the town of Macclesfield, which must be admitted to
I be beyond its deservings. Macclesfield is a well-known
I and very important seat of the silk manufacture.

102 CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH. — LYME HALL.

Branching from the Macclesfield road, on the left,
about three miles from Buxton, is the road to Congleton’
—a small town, at the distance of fifteen miles. The
road is wild, and less interesting than the road to Leek,
or than that to Macclesfield.

On the north-west of Buxton is the city of Manchester,
at the distance of twenty-four miles. The road from
Buxton, after ascending for a distance of two miles, has
the valley of Chapel-en-le-Frith on the right hand,
and that of the river Goyt on the left ; no part of the
one, however, and but little of the other, being visible
from the road. The village of Taxal, and, almost
contiguous to it, that of Whaley, are six miles, and that
of Disley is eleven miles from Buxton. Close to the left
of the village of Disley is the extensive park of the
Lyme Hall estate, the property of Mr. Legh’s family
during several centuries. The Hall, to which the public
are kindly permitted to have access, forms one of the
attractions of the district. The house is interesting
from its associations, and contains much that is of
historical, and much that is of intrinsic importance.

Lyme Hall contains many very fine specimens of the
beautiful wood carving attributed to Grinling Gibbons.
The ancient entrance hall is vei’y striking and handsome,
and contains the arms worn by Sir Perkin Legh at the
battle of Crecy, when he was knighted for his valour by
Edward the Third. The great drawing-i’oom is extremely
handsome and interesting ; it is wainscoted, and the roof
is richly ornamented. The whole character and effect of
this room, and the staircase, the long gallery, the Stag
Parlour, and the chapel, are very impressive, and
suggestive as to the architectural conditions and wants
of what are called the mediaeval times. There is some
very interesting ancient furniture in this house ; more
particularly a very handsome old oak bedstead, said to

CKESCENT WALKS.

103

have been slept in by Edward the Black Prince. Much
of the extensive park around the house is left in the
untouched wildness of nature ; and the celebrated breed
of wild cattle has been preserved in the park from time
immemorial, and is said to have been indigenous in the
district.

Six miles beyond Disley, or seventeen miles from
Buxton, is the town of Stockport,— which, only seven
miles from Manchester, strictly so called, is becoming
little less than an extension of the great metropolis of
the manufacturing districts of Lancashire and Cheshire.

The London and North-Western extension line of
railway from Manchester and Stockport to Buxton,
passing through Disley and Whaley Bridge, and by
Horwich End, and near to Chapel-en-le-Frith, Dove
Holes, and Fairfield, does not interfere with, nor bring
into view, much of the more remarkable scenery of the
High Peak district. It shows, however, as has been
said, from commanding elevations, considerable portions
of the fine valley of Chapel-en-le-Frith, the south side
of which it skirts.

As will have been inferred from the account which has
been given of the Buxton district, the walks and drives
in the more immediate neighbourhood of the town are
interesting.

The walks opposite the Crescent, already mentioned as
having been formed on the site of an originally unsightly
cliff, by Sir Jeffery Wyatville, offer a valuable resource
to those who are more especially invalided, from their
proximity to the principal hotels and lodging-houses.
These walks are cut out of the limestone rock, and are
accordingly remarkably dry. Arranged in a succession
of terraces, a series of level walks is obtained, with the
advantage of* giving occasion for climbing at pleasure,
or as lameness may diminish, or strength increase, to a

104

SERPENTINE WALKS.

higher and higher terrace walk ; and thus these successive
teri’aces have long been popularly recognised, as supplying
indications of restored power and capability, in regard to
the crippled limbs and enfeebled state of those resorting
to Buxton for the use of its waters. These terraces are
adorned with very handsome stone vases, originally
brought from Londesborough, when the great ducal
residence was pulled down.

Almost contiguous to these walks, at the west end of
the Crescent, opposite to the Hall and the Square, are
the grounds and gardens already described in the first
chapter of this work, which now belong to the Buxton
Improvements Company; and beyond these are walks
and plantations, which are free to the public. These walks
are carried through a belt of plantation, on both sides of
the river Wye ; the stream being crossed and re-crossed
by rustic bridges, diversified by waterfalls, and in other
ways subjected to the requirements of ornamental
grounds. These walks are sheltered and pleasant, and
are still more or less resorted to. They are sometimes
called the Serpentine Walks, and sometimes the Winding
Walks ; and they furnish a circuit of dry, gravelled
footpaths, of nearly a mile in extent.

A terrace walk, called Cavendish Terrace, of consider-
able breadth, and with the advantage of being almost
level, extends from the bottom of the Hall Bank to what
is called the Tonic Bath, in the direction of Poole’s
Cavern. This walk is one-third of a mile in length, is
dry and well made, offers views of the gardens, planta-
tions, Park, Corbar Wood, and Burbage and Burbage
Edge, and has proved to be a most valuable addition to
the many similar advantages of Buxton.

Only separated from the Serpentine Walks by the
high road to Macclesfield, is the Park, which occupies
more than a hundred and twenty acres of greensward,

CORBAR WOOD. — WALKS NEAR BUXTON.

105

and slopes towards the south, having walks and drives
carried through it. And, again, only separated from the
Park by the high road to Manchester, there is a consider-
able extent of walks, of much beauty and variety, through
a plantation which occupies the site of old gritstone
quarries, and covers the greater part of Corbar Hill side.
Occupying the south side of this commanding eminence,
winding through plantations of adequate growth, and
traversing the picturesque inequalities of old quarries, —
all their rude handiwork covered over long ago with wood,
and undergrowth, and ferns, and foxglove, and more
recently with rhododendrons, and the like, — and presenting
vistas of Buxton, and its valley, and of the hills which
surround it, — these walks are a much valued and most
picturesque addition to the attractive features of the
locality. The more energetic pedestrians should ascend
beyond the highest limits of the Corbar Wood walks,
pass through an upper plantation, and reach the summit
of Corbar Hill, which commands an extensive view of
Buxton and Fairfield.

The Terrace Walks, opposite the Crescent, Cavendish
Terrace or the Broad Walk, the Serpentine Walks and
pleasure grounds, the roads through the Park, and the
walks through Corbar Wood, may be moderately computed
to supply an extent that must amount to several miles.
To this it should be added that, gradually, all the roads,
within reasonable distance from the town, have been
provided with broad, well gravelled, and dry footpaths ;
by which the extent of the walks in the immediate
neighbourhood of the town may be fairly said to have
been doubled within the last few years. And not only
throughout the Terrace Walks, the plantation walks, and
Corbar Wood Walks, but, at longer or shorter distances,
on the footpaths by the sides of the roads, seats are
occasionally placed. This consideration for the comfort

I

106

WALKS NEAR -BUXTON.

of weak or disabled sojourners might be wisely com-
mended to those in authority, as capable of being
increased and maintained with great advantage to the
general interests of the place.

The road to Bakewell, winding, as it does, through
Ashwood Dale, and near to the south side of the river
Wye, and leading to much that is interesting, affords a
very favourite walk. The road is continued near to the
south bank of the stream, for a distance of three miles ;
but beyond this, as has been mentioned, there is the
footpath, or rather bridle-road, beyond Blackwell Mill,
as far as the Dropping Loach, and thence to Chee Dale
and Millers’ Dale.

On the south side of the commencement of the
Bakewell road, close to the eastern extremity of Lower
Buxton, footpaths lead through the plantation which
covers the southern side of Ashwood Dale at this point.
The paths are carried back again to the road, at the
distance of somewhat less than half a mile. The road
may be left at this point by a narrow footpath on the
south ; and this leads, by a continued footpath through
fields, to Upper Buxton. If the Bakewell road is
followed a few yards farther than the footpath now
indicated, a road, that is somewhat narrower than the
high road, leads to Upper Buxton by Sherbrookand Cote
Heath, and gives a circuit of rather more than two miles.
This, which is commonly called the Duke’s Drive, is
found to be a favourite walk, and likewise a favourite
short drive, in much request by those who make use of
pony carriages and bath chairs.

A little distance nearer to Buxton than the first mile-
stone on the Bakewell road, a stile and footpath lead to a
wooden bridge across the river, whence a pathway or
sheep-track, under a railway bridge, leads up the opposite
side of the valley, by the northern end of a plantation.

WALKS NEAR BUXTON.

107

On reaching the north-eastern corner of the belt of
plantation, the sheep-track may be left, and the eastern
edge of the plantation may be followed for about a
quarter of a mile or less, when the top of the lofty and
abrupt rocks which bound the northern side of Ashwood
Dale will be found to have been reached, and a bird’s-eye
view obtained of the road, and the river, and the railway,
and all their very picturesque and beautiful surroundings.
If the sheep-track shall have been followed, or be now
returned to, it will be found to lead to a green and broad
way on the west, called Tongue-lane, which leads
pleasantly over the uplands to Fairfield ; whence Buxton
may be returned to, by the high road or otherwise.

Sher brook Dell, or Lovers’ Leap, opposite the first
milestone on the Bakewell road, has been already
mentioned, and should of course be explored.

By proceeding along the Bakewell road to the bridge
beyond the roadside inn, called the Devonshire Arms,
crossing the bridge, and returning through Fairfield to
Buxton by a valley to the left, called Cunning Dale, a
pleasant walk of about five miles circuit is obtained ; or,
laving crossed the bridge referred to, the pedestrian may
-limb the upland road before him, called Ashe’s Bank,
toss a field at the top, and reach an old bridle road,
long which he may return through Fairfield to Buxton,
ver the high and open country called Bailey Flat.

If the Bakewell road be followed beyond the second
lilestone, and the steeply inclined valley immediately on
he right be followed along its bridle road, a high range
0 country is reached by Cowdale and Rock Head ; and a
lotpath from thence across the fields will be readily
>und, leading over Stadon, and by Sherbrook and Cote
[eath, to Buxton, after a circuit of about five miles.

If the Bakewell road be followed a few yards farther,
id the lodge gate on the right be passed through, and

108

WALKS NEAR BUXTON.

the road followed to the opposite uplands, the old road
to King Sterndale is soon reached, close to a small church
which has been recently erected ; and thence, by turning
to the right, after a walk of about half a mile, where
the road is crossed by the road from Cowdale to the
Ashbourne high road, the return to Buxton may be by
turning to the left and gaining the Ashbourne road, — or
to the right and regaining the Bakewell road, passing by
Rock Head, — or by walking across the fields over Stadon
to Sherbrook, — or the excursion may be extended by
following the foot road across Deep Dale to Chelmorton.

There are an upper and lower road from Upper Buxton
to the first mile on the road to Macclesfield, the one
passing- by Poole’s Hole and Burbage, the other by Wye
Head ; and returning thence to Lower Buxton by the
Macclesfield road, gives a circuit of about two miles.
This distance may be shortened by following a footpath
across the fields, — leading, in the instance of the upper
road, from Poole’s Hole to Cavendish Terrace, and as to
the lower road, from Wye Head to the Plantation Walks
and Gardens.

There is a pleasant ramble by Cavendish Terrace
from Lower Buxton to the Grin Plantations above
Poole’s Hole, and through these plautations, by a cart
road, to the summit of Grin Low, marked by a mass of
loose stones, originally put together to resemble at a .
distance some ancient ruin. There is a good view of !
the valley of Buxton from this point.

At the back of Grin Low are the extensive works of
the Buxton Lime Company. The extent of these works, i
the machinery for crushing unburned limestone, and the
mode of blasting the limestone rock, by which masses of !
2,000 or 3,000 tons in weight are detached, and the J
oontrast in colour of the newly-exposed surfaces of rock

WALKS NEAR BUXTON.

109

to that of the long- exposed crags, are all worthy of
notice.

The second milestone on the Leek road is close to
the base of the somewhat steep eminence of hig'h ground,
called Axe Edge, from its lofty and commanding position.
Erom the summit of Axe Edge a good view is afforded
of the Buxton valley and its surrounding elevations.

The road to Fairfield, with its upland position and
extensive common, its fine and bracing air, and the view
of Buxton and its valley obtained from it, is one of the
pleasant short walks near to the town; and there is a
footpath across the fields on the left by which the return
to Buxton may be diversified, as well as the routes on the
right already spoken of, by which the Bakewell road may
be reached opposite to the first or the second milestone,
as a shorter or longer walk may be wished for.

A satisfactory long walk is gained by skirting Fairfield
Common on the right, pursuing a footpath over the
uplands, which leads to an old road or lane, in the same
north-easterly direction, over the district called Green
Fairfield, — skirts the western side of Great Rocks Dale,
— and leads to the Bakewell road over a bridge, at the
distance of nearly three miles from Buxton. This
comprises a journey of seven or eight miles.

There is a long walk of about seven miles, which offers
a great variety of beauty and scenery, — from Goyt’s
Clough, about two miles from Buxton, on the old
Macclesfield road, by the banks of the river Goyt, along
the moorland bridle-road, into the valley of the Goyt,
and as far as Goyt’s Bridge, — and thence across the
biidge, and up the steep old road called Goyt’s Lane, to
the Manchester road, about two miles from Buxton ; — or
the course of the river may be followed by the road as far
as the Powder Mills, where the road crosses the stream,
and leads to the Manchester road near the fifth milestone

110 WALKS NEAR BUXTON. — POOLE’S CAVERN.

from Buxton ; — or, what is much more noteworthy, the
farther course of the river, beyond the Powder Mills,
may be followed by a footpath, and the woods and valley
of Taxal with very interesting woodland and upland
scenery brought to view, the high road being reached
about six miles from Buxton, whence the return to
Buxton may be from the little distant Whaley Bridge
railway station.

Another long walk of much interest is obtained by
leaving the Manchester road at the first milestone,
traversing the neglected bridle-road as far as White
Hall, descending thence by an old road to the bottom of
the valley on the north ; thence bearing to the right, and
reaching Dove Holes, and thence Fairfield and Buxton,
after a journey of about eight miles.

Poole’s Hole, within about a mile from the town, well
deserves a visit from those who are fond of exploring
natural wonders. Close to the left-hand side of the
entrance to Poole’s Cavern, on the 24th of November,
1854, a number of human and other bones were discovered,
in the course of widening and levelling the sides and
bottom of the opening. They are described by Mr.
Bateman to have comprised the bones of “three indi-
viduals, accompanied by stags’ horns and numerous
pieces of corroded iron, consisting of buckles, staples,
clench bolts (an inch and three-quarters long), nails,
(one with a globular head, three inches long., and a
slender sheath or ferule (four inches long).” Fragments
of stags’ horn, seeming to have belonged to animals of
large size, and some human and other teeth, one of the
latter being of large size, are now shown at the cavern.
In addition to the above, ancient coins and a bronze
brooch, in very perfect preservation, have more recently
been discovered within the cavern, imbedded in a sparry
incrustation, and no doubt thus preserved from the action

poole’s cavern.

Ill

of the air ; and hones similarly imbedded are frequently
discovered, in the course of the operations for rendering
the different parts of the cavern more easily accessible.
This is one of the more considerable of the caverns in
the mountain-limestone formation. The entrance on the
side of Grin Low, below the plantations, is extremely
contracted ; but, after a few yards, it becomes more lofty,
and leads to extensive chambers, through the bottom of
which a narrow streamlet channels its way, and over
which are roofings and arches of imposing extent and
character; stalactites hanging from the roof in some
places, and large crystalline masses having accumulated
on the flooring of the chambers in many places, from the
dropping and welling of the water charged with calcareous
matter. Much has been done to make the entrance to
the cavern more accessible, and to improve the pathways
through its interior. It is, moreover, lighted throughout
with gas. No fewer than 250 gas-lights are now placed
at convenient distances, so as to display its most curious
arches and roofings, and irregulax-ities, and great size,
and incrusted surfaces. As it may be emphatically said
that this remarkable cavern was never seen before, either
as to its extent, or its curious characteristics, it may be
regretted that it is the only one of the great natural
caverns of the Derbyshire limestone formation that is so
lighted.

It is a strange history, that these caverns should have
been used as human habitations, in remote periods of
time, and at distant intervals ; the dwellings apparently,
from the remains that are dug up from time to time, of
considerable numbers of people ; the remains being
buried at successive depths, with intervening deposits of
calcareous crystalline or earthy character ; and consist-
ing of human bones of different ages, from childhood
upward, and the bones of goats, or sheep, or oxen, or

112

DRIVES NEAR BUXTON.

stags, and also coins, ornaments, stone implements, &c.,
illustrating tlie precarious and hunted lives of the outcast
or hostile population, driven to drag out wretched lives in
the darkness of such caverns, in many instances dripping
and welling with water at all times, and rendering the
barest comforts, conveniences, or necessities of life an
evident impossibility. There is a collection of the
remains that have been dug out of Poole’s Cavern
within recent years, which will amply repay intelligent
examination.

The drives in the neighbourhood of Buxton are like-
wise very interesting.

There is a pleasant drive over Fairfield, and by Dove
Holes and Barmoor Clough, to Chapel-en-le-Frith, and
thence to Horwich End, on the Manchester road, and
thence to Buxton. This is a distance of about fourteen
miles. If furnished with a steady horse and strong
carriage, to make a steep and rough road safe, the high
road may be left about half a mile from Chapel-en-le-
Frith, and the road taken to Lydgate, with Bradshaw
Hall on the left ; and thence, gaining the high ground
close to Eccles Pike, leaving the carriage, and climbing
the ridge, a view of two extensive and beautiful valleys
is obtained ; and returning to the carriage, the journey is
pursued by Ollerenshaw to Horwich End.

The village of Wormhill is reached by a road across
the Fairfield Common, somewhat to the right of the road
just mentioned. The carriage may be left on the road
near to Woi-mhill Hall, while the great rock, Chee Tor,
and the valley which it abuts upon, are being explored.
Returning to the carriage, the road may be followed
thence to the end of Millers’ Dale, opposite to Priest
Cliff, whence the return to Buxton may be by the road
which joins the Bakewell road at the fifth milestone.
This presents a very interesting circuit of about fourteen
miles.

DRIVES NEAR BUXTON.

113

An interesting long drive, about twenty-eight miles in
circuit, full of variety as to the objects and scenery, is
obtained by following the Ashbourne road from Buxton,
until near to Brier Low, between two and three miles
from Buxton ; following' the road to the right, leading
by Hind Low, with the higher upland of Brier
Low on the left, the elevation of which is 1,481
feet ; the road passing thence under an archway of
the High Peak Railway, and thence, at a higher
point, presenting views, on the right hand, of the
extraordinary, twisted-looking, pointed, jagged, and
irregularly-shaped hills, Tor Rock, Swallow Tor, and
Chrome Hill ; and, as the road descends rapidly to the
hamlet of Glutton, leaving- Earl Sterndale and High
Wheeldon on the left. Near to Glutton, the road passes
through a bold rocky gorge ; and immediately
beyond Glutton, the river Dove, here a stream of
inconsiderable size, is crossed by a bridge. The river, at
this place, passes near to the edge of the gritstone
formation, and separates Derbyshire from Staffordshire.
The road continues on the gritstone to Longnor, and
thence to Warslow. The road ascends rapidly from
Glutton to Longnor, and affords a fine view, on the left
hand, of the valley of Aldery, Glutton, or Crowdecote,
so called, as to its different parts, with its gritstone
bottoms, and its limestone hills on the north and east,
and gritstone hills on the south and west. Near to
Longnor, the valley of Hollins Clough is seen from the
road, backed by the swelling hill sides, and sharply
defined hill tops, of this part of Staffordshire. Having
passed through Longnor, the road is continued through
interesting and various scenery to Warslow, at which
place the mountain-limestone formation is again met
with. Immediately beyond Warslow is the Ecton mining
district, on the limestone formation ; the hill sides

114 WETTON LOW AND THOR’S CAVE.

showing- indications of the extent and importance of the
mining operations which were at one time carried on
there. The Ecton mines yielded, nearly a century
ago, great quantities of copper ; and they are still worked
on a small scale. Good specimens of the ores of lead,
copper, and zinc, are readily found. Immediately beyond
Ecton, the river Manifold, an important tributary of the
river Dove, which arises near to Longnor, and falls into
the Dove at Ham, becomes a stream of some importance ;
and the course of the river becomes exceedingly
beautiful. From Ecton to Wetton, a distance of about
three miles, the road near to the river side, although
occasionally somewhat rough, is to be followed ; and the
clear and bright stream, and the meadowed banks, and
bold valley sides, offer, along the winding course of the
river, some beautiful scenery. On the right, the entrance
to a remarkable cavern, on the side of Wetton Low, is
seen from a considerable distance. The effect of the
entrance to this cavern, as seen from the road, is marred
by the regularity of its arch, which is often supposed to
have been either formed or modified by art, and might be
mistaken very readily for a much misplaced work of
masonry. From the part of the road which is nearly
opposite to it, the cavex-n is readily reached on foot. The
arch of the entrance is forty feet in width, and it is
probably about sixty feet in height. The entx'ance is
effectively lighted, to a considerable depth, owing to a
second entrance on the right, almost as lofty as the
principal entrance, but much narrower; and almost
opposite to this, there is a column of bold massiveness,
supporting arches which extend farther inward ; and the
effect of the light, and of the size and proportion of the
arches, on returning to the entrance, is very beautiful.
This cave was carefully examined during the years 1864
and 1865, under the judicious supervision of the late Mr.

WETTON LOW AND THOR’S CAVE. 115

Samuel Carrington, in the hope of discovering remains
of extinct animals, or anything of antiquarian interest.
The flooring of the cave was found to consist of successive
layers of dried mud intermixed with ashes, animal bones,
and fragments of pottery. In the wide part was found
a bed of ashes at the depth of two feet, in which were
many animal bones and potsherds. At the pillar, below
one foot of the mud or clay, was a bed of charcoal more
than one foot in thickness, and under this at a farther
depth of one foot was a second bed of charcoal of similar
thickness; and beneath this again, and under another
intervening foot of the dried mud, was a third bed of
charcoal ; these beds containing also bones and potsherds,
some curious instruments of iron of indeterminate use,
besides arrow heads, knife blades, ornamental implements
of horn, bronze ring-pins, &c. Near to the pillar, a
depth of seven feet seems to have been removed; and
near to the end of the cave, no less than twenty-seven
feet were cleared out, without evidence of a true or
natural floor of the cave having been reached. It appears
to have been an interesting exploration, worthily under-
taken, and honestly carried out. On leaving the cavern,
the Low should be climbed for the sake of the completely
panoramic view from the top, which can have few equals.
The borders of Wales are believed to be visible on one
side, the range of country between Ashbourne and Derby
is seen on the other side, and the hills near Longnor on
the other, and the country more immediately around is
various and beautiful. A walk of about a mile leads
thence to the village of Wetton, where the carriage may
be conveniently rejoined ; and a drive of about four
miles, through interesting scenery, leads from Wetton
to Beresford and Hartington ; and Beresford Dale should
be seen, if time permit. The return to Buxton, not-
withstanding somewhat rough roads, should be through

116

HIGH WHEELDON.— FLASH.

Sheen to Longnor, over an upland road, whence there is
an extensive view of the scenery that has been passed
through, and from which Longnor and the whole of the
valley of Crowdecote, with their mountainous surround-
ings, may be seen to advantage.

Another circuit, of about fourteen miles, is obtained
by again following the Ashbourne road nearly as far as
the third milestone, thence turning to the right, passing
through Earl Sterndale, and over the road which skirts
the eastern side of High Wheeldon. The carriage
should be left at this point, and High Wheeldon climbed,
for the sake of seeing the extensive view from the
summit of its great and curious conical elevation ; and
then, having returned to the carriage, the journey is
continued, by Crowdecote, to Longnor, returning to
Buxton by Glutton Bridge, regaining the Ashbourne
road at the same point at which it had been left.

The first six miles of the road to Leek present a hilly
road and wild scenery, and from this point the descent
presents views of great extent and much beauty and
interest. Leaving the Leek road about five miles from
Buxton, the small hamlet of Flash, with its church, is
soon reached; and thence a rapid descent, along a
tolerably good road, passing near to the bank of the
river Dane, here a small stream, although of some beauty
in parts of its still early course, leads to Quarnford, with
a bridge across the river Dane, and thence to the small
hamlet of Gradbacli. The explorer’s intention must now
be determined. The carriage, which may be eight miles
from Buxton, may remain at Gradbacli until the return
from Ludchurch and the Castle Rocks ; or the driver
may be directed to return to Quarnford, and thence drive
to the inn at Bramcott, or the Royal Cottage Inn,* both
on the road from Buxton to Leek. The tourist walks
westward through Gradbacli, passes an old mill, crosses

CASTLE ROCKS. — LUDCHURCH.

117

a couple of fields, and finds liimself in a charming1
gritstone valley. There is a wooden bridge across the
stream, and the footpath ascends the opposite hill side
into Gradbach Plantation, with the Castle Rocks
immediately on the west. The footpath presently leads
to a forest road, which is to be followed about half a mile,
until the Castle rocks are almost reached. These rocks
are a curious and commanding landmark, which will have
been visible all the way from Flash, and form one of the
bold features of this remarkable district of country.
From the vicinity of Castle Rocks, the whole of the
valley with its wooded steeps, jutting masses of rock,
and the view in the direction of Flash, are seen to
advantage. Thence a road branches to the south-west,
and presently leads to the commencement of the rocky
wonders of what has long .been locally known under
the name of Ludchurch. Placed near to the western
extremity of a very extensive district of moorlands,
uplands, and ancient forests, and offering the means of
shelter and concealment to outlaws and disaffected people,
the name may have been given to it as affording a natural
sanctuary to criminals and rebels. Tradition assigns to
Ludchurch the services of Friar Tuck in the presence of
Robin Hood and his merry men ; and there is every
probability that, throughout the historical periods, these
rocks and caverns have been, from time to time, the resort
and shelter of those who had become placed in any way
beyond the pale of the laws. The entrance is almost
enarched by inclining rocks, leading to an almost circular
first compartment, surrounded by bold rocky masses of
considerable height ; the path conducting from this down
some rude time-worn steps to a long- and narrow way with
lofty sides of abrupt and rugged rock, adorned here and
there with lichen and moss and tufts of fern and other
vegetation. This rocky defile extends in the south-

118

LUDCHURCH. — THE ROCHES.

easterly direction, and is left at the farther end by a
flight of rugged steps.* There are fissures of considerable
depth at the bases of the cliffs. The whole shows evidence
of remote volcanic action. The opposite sides of the
defile show in many places that they have been torn from
one another by this gigantic power, fracturing their rigid
substance, and only no longer allowing a linear re-adjust-
ment if the detached surfaces were brought together
again, owing to the wearing effects of ages after ages of
time and weather. From the south-eastern extremity of
these rocky eminences, and from the summit of the still
higher moorland elevation immediately beyond, is obtained
a good view of the plantation and valley of Gradbach ;
and from the west of these uplands there is an extensive
view of Cheshire scenery, with the park and woods of
Swithamly in the foreground, and Congleton and the
hills and valleys of Cheshire in the distance; and, in
extremely clear weather, with the neighbourhood of
Chester and the Welsh hills oh the Western horizon. A
track or pathway conducts over the summit of a long
ridge of rocks in the same south-easterly direction,
commanding views on both sides. At a distance of a
mile or less from Ludchurch, these rocky summits begin
to assume the strange shapes and characters which have
long given to them the distinctive name of the Roches.
Extending along a distance of several miles, the rocky
summits varying in shape, in surface, and in size ; some
of them being channelled with the winds and the rains
of hundreds of years; others evidently corresponding
exactly to masses at a distance of yards apart from them;

* Mr. Sleigh, in his History of Leek, says that Ludchurch is by
measure 208 yards long, and from 40 to 50 feet deep, the sides of which
so overhang that snow often remains therein during the summer,
“ whereof was a signal proof on Leek fair-day, Jnly 17th, at which
time a Warnford man brought a sack of snow there, and pour’d it
down at the mercat cross, saying I could help thee to a hundred loads.”
_i)r. Plott’s History of Staffordshire, 1686,

millers’ dale, etc.

119

while view after view of the less elevated country is
obtained throughout the whole extent ; will be admitted
to render this one of the most interesting expeditions
even in this neighbourhood. A little attention to the
map of the district will show the possibility of returning
from the whole or from any part of this expedition, either
through Gradbach, or by the Royal Cottage Inn, or by
Bramcott, at discretion.

Six miles on the road to Macclesfield, near to the
roadside inn, the “ Cat and Fiddle,” is the very remarkable
view already mentioned over Lancashire and Cheshire,
which probably extends over a distance of fifty miles.

A very beautiful long drive is obtained, by leaving the
Bakewell road, near to the fifth milestone, — proceeding
thence by the road to Millers’ Dale, — keeping on the
lower road near to the river, as far as Litton Mill, —
passing thence over Cram-side to Cressbrook, and thence
into Monsal Dale ; and, at the part where Monsal Dale
bends suddenly to the west, either remaining with the
carriage and leaving the valley scenery, and proceeding
in the carriage to Ashford, and thence to Buxton, — or
leaving the carriage at the bend of the valley, and crossing
the river, to ramble through the remainder of Monsal
Dale, and regain the Bakewell road, and rejoin the
carriage after it has made the circuit by Ashford, opposite
to the eighth milestone from Buxton.

Bakewell, Chatsworth, Haddon Hall, Matlock, Tides-
well, Eyam, Middleton Dale, Castleton, Beresford Dale,
and Dove Dale, form severally, as will have been already
inferred, most interesting objects for excursions from
Buxton ; and the most distant of them can hardly be
said to be beyond the limits of a long day’s drive. •
Middleton Dale, about twelve miles from Buxton, is a
limestone valley of considerable beauty.

Sheffield is tweuty-six, Chesterfield twenty-three,

120 . ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE HIGH PEAK.

Nottingham thirty-five, and Ashbourne twenty miles
from Buxton.

The many and various archfeological remains in the
different parts of the district, also supply interesting
objects for excursions. This mountain range of country
must have had, in most ancient times, a degree of
importance that may be conceived with difficulty, when
seen through the vista of the historical periods of time :
when life and property were insecure, when the morasses
of districts on lower levels were undrained and unhealthy,
when the means of subsistence were obtained chiefly from
the chase and from the flocks, when the whole land was
but thinly peopled, when lead mines and forest lands
would add to the employment-finding capabilities of this
mountain district, it is probable that it was at least as
fully peopled as other parts of the Midland Counties;
and it might be expected that, at least, the local landmarks
of names, and the vestiges of such of the ruder construc-
tions of the period, as might be large enough to defy the
destroying influence of time, would be found scattered
here and there. And, accordingly, although the map of
the district, so ably and so accurately constructed by the
Royal Engineers, under the Board of Ordnance, was by
no means primarily intended to afford instruction in such
matters, the frequent occurrence of such names as Pike
Low, Knight’s Low, Bee Low, Arbor Low, High Low,
Great Low, Nine Ladies, Andie Stone, Rowtor Rocks,
King’s Stone, Stone Barrow, and Tumuli, in many
districts and positions, — and of such words as goit,
dough, tor, gill, slack, &c.,— serve to mark places where
those persons who prize such ancient records, may expect
to meet with materials for investigation.

Of such remains, probably the most interesting and
perfect is Arbor Low, which has been called “ The Great
Druiclical Temple of North Derbyshire,” and is the site ,

ARBOR LOW.

121

and only record of wliat was, in all likelihood, one of the
rude but massive constructions for the barbarous religious
purposes of the ancient inhabitants of this country.
Similar gigantic ruins are found elsewhere : as the one
on Salisbury Plain (Stonehenge), and the one near
Avebury, likewise in Wiltshire. The ancient circle of
stones at Arbor Low is on the left-hand side of the
turnpike road from Buxton to Ashbourne, beyond Parsley
Hay, about nine miles from Buxton. It will be found
without difficulty by following the road to the left from
Parsley Hay, a little beyond the eighth milestone from
Buxton, and then following the first road to the right,
about half a mile. The remains with the embankment
will be noticed on the top of the second upland field on
the right, consisting of a circle of large unhewed stones,
rough, most of them from six to eight feet long, and
three or four feet broad in the widest part, but of variable
thickness, and extremely irregular shape. There may
probably be said to be, at the present time, about thirty
in number ; but this may be doubtful, as several of them
have evidently been broken. These are blocks of lime-
stone, and they are all now lying upon the ground, many
of them in an oblique position. Within the circle are
some smaller stones, scattered irregularly ; and near the
centre are three larger stones, conjectured by some,
probably without sufficient reason, to have formed part of
a cromlech, or altar. The circle is surrounded by a deep
ditch, outside of which is a mound, bank, or vallum.
The area encompassed by the ditch is about fifty yards
in diameter ; the width of the ditch is about five yards ;
and the height of the vallum, although probably much
reduced by time, is still from four to six yards. The
whole circumference is computed to be about 270 yards.
There are two entrances to the area, of the width of
several yards, opening towards the north and south,

J

122 ANCIENT TUMULI OH BARROWS.

Numbers of the stones which originally formed this
ancient structure have gradually become buried under
the accumulations of hundreds of years. The irregular
surface of the whole area, and some stones only partly
covered over, prove the truth of this statement. It is
confirmed by the well-known circumstance that all
ancient constructions become thus buried in the course
of ages. Successive cities are found to have been built
upon the present site of London ; and the ancient city of
Uriconium, near Shrewsbury, has been passed over by
the plough ; and Nineveh, and other cities of bygone
histories and people, are discovered at considerable depths
below the surface. The wonder may well be, that the
ancient circle of Arbor Low should have been left, so far
as it is, unburied, after the lapse of more than two
thousand years ; that its vallum should still be traceable,
and its fosse not entirely filled. This may be mainly due
to its position on a rocky, grass-grown, and sequestered
upland.

A barrow of extreme antiquity, on the eastern side of
the southern entrance, was opened by the late Mr.
Bateman, in the year 1845, and confirmed the ancient
character of the whole adjacent structures. The
tumulus was cut across, from the south side to the
centre, and a shoulder-blade and antler of the large red
deer were found in the excavation : and beneath the
highest part of the tumulus a flat stone was discovered,
about five feet long by three feet wide, lying horizontally ;
on removing which a small six-sided cavity was exposed,
formed by ten stones, and having a flooring of three
similar stones, neatly jointed. Within this space was
found a quantity of calcined human bones, and also a
rude kidney-shaped instrument made of flint, a pin made
from the leg-bone of a small deer, and a piece of spherical
iron pyrites. At the west end were also found two urns

ANCIENT CIRCLES.

123

of coarse clay : the one of rude form, the other of a
beautiful, artistic shape. As an illustration of the con-
tents of the tumuli or ancient barrows in this district*
the description is interesting ; but more particularly as
adding to the evidence of the antiquity of the remarkable
circle at Arbor Low. In some of these tumuli there
have been found one or more human skeletons, more or
less entire, together with urns, vases, incense-cups,
drinking-cups, spear-heads, necklaces, enamels, &c. :
some of them of extremely tasteful character and design,
while evidencing the rude means of their manufacture.
About a quarter of a mile to the west of this Arbor Low
circle is a conical tumulus, known under the name of
Gib Hill, which is connected with the ■jallum of the
circle by raised earth, and has been likened to what is
called the avenue of the great ancient circle of Avebury.

There is also a small stone circle, probably of similar
antiquity and character on Harthill Moor, between
Winster and Youlgreave, in a field called Nine Stone
Close. The circle is about thirteen yards in diameter, and
now consists of only seven rough and irregular stones ;
the largest being about eig-ht feet in length, and nine
feet in circumference. On Stanton Moor also, between
Winster and Rows ley, there is a smaller circle, eleven
yards in diameter, called the Nine Ladies, consisting of
nine stones, from three to four feet in heig’ht ; near to
which are several barrows, most of which have been
examined. At the east end of Abney Moor, adjoining
High Low Moor, is also a small circle of stones, thirty-
three feet in diameter, surrounding four larger upright
stones, the whole enclosed within a vallum. On Eyam
Moor, on Froggatt Edge, and on Hathersage Moor, are
still the remains of smaller circles, with tumuli or
barrows evidently connected with them.

Rightly or wrongly, many isolated rocks of fantastic

124

HOCKING STONES.

shape, or noticeable from some peculiarity of character,
have been described by writers of different periods as
being archaeologically interesting, and as possibly having
been used in the worship of the aboriginal inhabitants
of Britain. Such are the rocks called Rowtor or Rooter
rocks, or rocking stones, near Winster. Mr. Bateman
describes them as being “a remarkable assemblage of
rocks, which extends in length between seventy and
eighty yards, and rises to the height of about forty or
fifty yards. Near the east end is a large block of an
irregular shape, which several writers have noticed as a
rocking stone, which could be shaken by the hand ; now,
however, it requires the whole strength to put it in
motion, through having been forced from its equilibrium
by the mischievous efforts of fourteen young men, who
assembled for that purpose on Whit Sunday, in the year
1799. It has been restored to its former situation, but
the exact balance it once possessed is entirely destroyed.
Its height is about ten feet, and its circumference in the
widest part is about thirty ; its base has a somewhat
convex form, and the rock on which it stands appears to
have been hollowed to receive it. At a little distance
northward, is a second rocking stone, not very dissimilar
to an egg laid on one side, which may be moved by a
single finger, though twelve feet in length, and fourteen
in girth. More directly north is another rocking stone,
resembling the latter both in figure and facility of
motion, and at the west end are seven stones piled one
over another, various in size and form, but two or three
very large, all of which may be shaken by the pressure of
the hand : the effect being produced by the application of
the hand to various points. Nearly a quarter of a mile
west of Row Tor rocks is another assemblage of large
rock, called Bradley Tor ; on the upper part of which is
a rocking stone thirty-two feet in circumference, of an

CONTENTS OF ANCIENT TUMULI.

125

orbicular shape, and raised above the ground by two
stones, having a passage between them. Near the south-
west side of Stanton Moor is an elevated ridge, which
rises into three craggy eminences, respectively named
Cardiff Rocks, Graned Tor, and Durwood Tor, upon all
which are excavations or cavities, imagined to be rock
basins, and no doubt produced by natural causes.”

Referring the reader for additional information on
these ancient remains to the work of the late Mr.
Bateman, it may be added that a second work was
published by him in the year 1861, entitled “ Ten Years’
Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave Hills the barrows
opened by him, or found to have been previously opened
and emptied, having been met with in all parts of the upland
district around Buxton ; including Buxton and Fairfield,
Ladmanlow, Pig Tor, Stadon, Woolow, Eildon Hill,
Longnor, Hollins Clough, Warslow, Ecton, Wetton,
Hartington, Sheen, Middleton, Youlgreave, Hopton,
Chesterfield, Bakewell, Ashford, Eyam, and Tideswell.
Sometimes there were found entire human skeletons ;
with or without urns, which in some instances contained
burned bones, in others were empty. The skeletons were
sometimes found in a sitting position, but more usually
on one side, and much doubled up, so as to occupy a
smaller space. The interiors of the barrows were formed
of rough stones, placed side by side, or end to end, so as
to form a flooring and sides, with two or three flat
stones laid loosely over the top. Such instruments or
ornaments as beads, chain-work, spear-heads, daggers,
celts, axes, arrow-heads, cups, &c., formed of bronze,
iron, gold, glass, flint, and bones, being occasionally
met with in these ancient tombs. The number of the
localities mentioned will serve to pi’ove the statement
that the district around Buxton must have been peopled
in remote times ; and perhaps more particularly the

126 RHEDAGUA AT HORWICH END.

district on the south-east of Buxton. The times
referred to are antecedent to other trustworthy his-
torical records than can be gathered from the burial
places of the people, or from the rude circles of
unhewn stones that seem to have been to some degree
indestructible by time.

As coeval with the Roman period of our history,
the late Mr. Bennett, of Cliapel-en-le-frith, describes in
“ The Reliquary,” an ancient and embanked course,
which he considers to have been formed during the time
when Britain was occupied by Romans, and to have
been intended for the chariot races, and similar sports,
known to have been so much in use during the later
centuries of the great Roman Empire. ‘‘ At the
distance of half-a-mile north-east of Whaley Bridge, in
the parish of Chapel-en-le-Frith, upon the estate of
Thomay Guy Gisborne, Esq., and near to Horwich
House, is one of these Rhedagua. It has always borne
the name of Roosdyche, and is now in a perfect state of
preservation, and might, at this moment, over a con-
siderable part of it, be used as a race-course. It is an
artificially formed valley, averaging in width 40 paces,
or 83 Druid cubits, and 1,300 paces, 2,228 Druid cubits,
in length. It is in a great measure cut out of the side
of the hill, to a depth of from ten to thirty feet, but
where it is not so, it is enclosed on both sides with
banks of earth. The sides of that part which has been
excavated are covered with oak and other trees, which
form a noble avenue, and invest it with a majestic and
sombre character. At the east end of the course is the
goal, and at the west end are the remains of the met®,
and other tumuli, and also several other valleys, of
smaller dimensions than the Rhedagua, where it is
probable the chariots and horses, not actually occupied
in the race, were placed until their turn arrived to

BUXTON CHUKCHE8 AND CHAPELS.

127

engage in tlie noble strife. The spectators were
doubtless ranged upon the sides or banks, on each side
of the course, all along its length ; and many thousands
might easily have found accommodation.”

It is curions that such a cursus should also have been
found in connection with the great ancient circle at
Stonehenge ; and this might occasion a doubt whether
the cursus should not be referred to a still earlier date
than that of the Roman occupation of the country ; and
yet it is not difficult to suppose that the site for public
games and sports might have been fixed near to that of
structures which would have been resorted to by the
people, perhaps during many previous centuries. Leaving
the road from Buxton to Whaley, at Horwich End, and
following the road to Chapel-en-le-Frith for a very short
distance, a steep narrow and curved road to the left is to
be followed, which soon leads to this ancient cursus. A
wall that has been built across the course may be
reasonable matter of regret ; Mr. Bennett’s description
will be found to be by no means overdrawn ; and the
view from the top of the southern embankment is rather
pretty and extensive.

With the exception of what may be gathered from the
details already given, Buxton and the townships imme-
diately around it may be said to be destitute of either
buildings or other remains of archaeological interest, or
even of . mediaeval antiquity. The Old Hall Hotel is the
only building, any part of which can be said to be more
than two hundred years old, unless an older date can be
assigned to a small church in the higher part of the
town, called the Old Church, which had been long used
as a schoolroom until it was restored in the year 1840, by
the kindness of the late Duke of Devonshire. The date
of this church is unknown ; but it can hardly be suffi-

128

BUXTON CHURCHES AND CHAPELS.

ciently old to give importance to any inquiry. There
is the date on the Porch 1625, but this is a more
recent erection than the Church. There is in
existence a brass plate, bearing the date 1674, con-
taining a list of benefactors towards the salary of the
schoolmaster, and towards the repairs of certain high-
ways. The somewhat interesting Old Church, designated
as St. Ann’s Church, was again disused for some years,
except as a mortuary chapel, or as a Sunday School, until
the year 1885, when it was again restored to church use.
The covering, of slabs of stone, and the walls are as
sound as when erected more than three hundred years
ago. There was a chapel, dedicated to St. Ann, in
connection with the baths and wells, before the time of
the Reformation ; and there were records and valuable
memorials preserved in it ; but these were all destroyed,
together with so much else throughout the kingdom, the
loss of which is irreparable.

It may perhaps be conveniently stated here, that, in
addition to this small, old church, there is St. John’s
Church ; a costly building, without either ecclesiastical
character, or architectural consistency, with the date
1811 : there is the church at Fairfield, re-built in
1839 ; there is the church of Burbage, a small but very
pretty church, of Norman architecture, with a peal of
bells, erected in 1861 ; and there are Wesleyan chapels
in Buxton, Fairfield, and Burbage ; a very handsome
building, with a spire, called the Congregational Church,
belonging to the Independents : and a small neat Gothic
chapel, belonging to the Roman Catholics. There is, in
St. John’s Church, a very handsome pulpit of alabaster
and marble, erected in 1867, from designs by Mr. Henry
Currey, to the memory of Bishop Spencer. There are
also, in this church, handsome mural monuments to the
memory of Mr. Smithers and Mr. Wilmot, successive

BUXTON CHURCHES AND CHAPELS.

129

agents to the Duke of Devonshire’s estates in the district
of Buxton ; and to Mr. Samuel Turner, a much respected
inhabitant; a font and baptistry and beautiful stained
window to the memory of Dr. Dickson ; and a beautiful
large stained window to the memory of the Rev. R. P.
Hull Brown, a former vicar of Buxton. A third church,
St. James’s Church, has been more recently erected. It
supplies accommodation to seven hundred persons, and
all the seats are free and unappropriated. It is a
pleasing ecclesiastical structure. It was designed
by Messrs. Taylor, of Manchester, and does them
great credit. Both exterior and interior are full of
careful and well-considered detail. It is situated near
to the west end of the Cavendish Terrace, or the Broad
Walk, and very near to the Old Church.

CHAPTER III.

EXTENT AND BOUNDARIES OF LIMESTONE AND GRIT-
STONE FORMATIONS. — CLIMATE.— THE BUXTON
SEASON.

tHE mountain-limestone formation, to which the
district of the High Peak of Derbyshire owes so
much of its character, is of considerable extent.

Its greatest length, from the Blue John Mine, near
Castleton, which is on its extreme margin on the north,
to Sally Moor (near Wootton, about two miles to the
north of Alton Towers), the extreme margin on the
south, is nearly twenty-three miles. Its greatest width
is from twelve to fourteen miles; the narrowest part,
from Middleton-by-Youlgreave to Hartington, is five
miles across. These measurements are given geographi-
cally, without reference to the windings of roads. The
average addition of one- sixth will give a sufficiently near
approximation to the distances by the roads.

Buxton is on the north-western margin of the lime-
stone formation; and its boundaries may be readily
traced from thence. Fairfield and its common are like-
wise on the margin of this formation ; the higher grounds
of Corbar and Black Edge being on the gritstone. The
Water Swallows, at Dove Holes, are on the edge of the
limestone. The road from thence to Castleton passes
very near to the margin of this formation ; the Blue
John Mine, to the right of the road, at the upper end of
Hope Dale, as has been said, being on the limestone
formation; and Mam Tor, on the immediate left, and
the whole of the districts of Chapel-en-le-Frith, Glossop, 't

LIMESTONE AND GRITSTONE FORMATIONS. 131

Kinderscout, and Edale, being beyond this formation.
The town of Castleton is beyond the edge of the lime-
stone ; and consequently, the great cavern of the Peak
is on its very margin. Middleton Dale is near to its
margin ; Eyam, Stony Middleton, Baslow, and Bubnell,
are beyond its margin. Bakewell and Ashford are on
the limestone, but close to its margin. The Yale of
, Haddon, Rowsley, Edensor, and Chatsworth, are beyond
the limestone margin. Youlgreave and the adjacent
hamlets of Middleton, Elton, and Winster, are on the
margin of the limestone. The village of Matlock is on
the adjoining formation ; Matlock Bath and its valley
are on the limestone formation, but close to its margin.
The villages of Brassington and Tissington are on the
edge of the limestone formation. The considerable hill,
Thorpe Cloud, at the southern extremity of Dove Dale,
is on the edge of the limestone. Ham Hall is on the
margin of this formation.

The limestone formation is surrounded by the great
formation of millstone grit, interrupted occasionally by
limestone shale ; and this formation surrounds the lime-
stone, in almost all directions, with ground of higher
elevation than its own high level ; the difference some-
times amounting to between eight and nine hundred
feet. The gritstone formation is particularly extensive
on the north and west sides, but gives a boundary to
the limestone formation of several miles in breadth on
the east. On the south, there is a very narrow and irre-
gular edging of gritstone, which separates the limestone
from the new red sandstone formation.

The climate of the district is necessarily much affected
by the physical conditions which have now been shown
to obtain throughout this extensive tract of elevated
country ; and which extends from Buxton to an average
distance of from twelve to twenty miles, in all directions.

132

CLIMATE OF THE HIGH PEAK.

The elevation of the lowest part of Buxton may be
said to be 1,000 feet above the level of the sea, the level
of St. John’s Church having been ascertained to be
1,0294 feet. The mean density of the air is by so much
less than it is in most places. In the words of Mr.
Whitehurst, “ The column of quicksilver in the barometer
tube is always an inch lower at Buxton than at Derby,
at the same time and under similar circumstances.”
This difference in the degree of atmospheric pressure
has much effect on the human system ; and renders the
removal of invalids to this district from places that are
situated at a lower level, either eminently advisable or
otherwise, according to the nature or the stage of the
ailment. The effect of a change to this mountain air,
on comparatively healthy people, is exciting and invigor-
ating,— promoting circulation, appetite, and digestion,
and increasing the buoyancy of the feelings and the
general energies of the system. In the instance of the
invalided, the probability of such excitement, the degree
of which may be increased by the mobility which so often
attends severe or long-continued morbid action, may
render inadvisable the removal to such an air as that of
Buxton. This observation is more especially likely to
be applicable to those who are suffering from more acute
morbid states ; and especially when attended by much
mobility of circulation, and great susceptibility of tissue.
On the other hand, the mere debility and relaxation,
which are so often consequent upon the removal or miti-
gation of acute disorders; and the mixture of debility
and congestive torpidity, which so often accompanies
protracted convalescence, and so often attends protracted
indisposition of chronic character, are much relieved by
removal to the thinner and less oppressive air of this
elevated district.

The physical character of this mountain countiy may

CLIMATE AND SANITARY CHARACTER.

133

help to explain the comparative immunity, which is en-
joyed by its inhabitants, from epidemic and endemic
diseases. The dry and absorbent soil, which distinguishes
almost the whole of the limestone formation, and the
greater part of the gritstone formation, — assisted, as this
is, by their elevated position, — must conduce much to
this result, by diminishing the amount of stagnant
water, and other sources of miasmatous impurity. Even
the ordinary exanthematous epidemics — measles, scarla-
tina, and the like — are usually of singularly mild character
in this district ; and typhus, and even common continued
fever, rarely occurs, unless when brought into the dis-
trict by persons who have been sojourning in less favoured
places ; and when thus met with, has very seldom been
known to have extended to a second case. It has to be
said, moreover, that no case of epidemic cholera has
occurred in Buxton during any of the visitations of this
fearful disease.

If all this were truly written when the present work
was first issued; or so long ago as the year 1838, when
the work entitled “ Buxton and its Waters ” was first
published, it may be hoped that more confidence must be
felt as to the sanitary condition of Buxton, Fairfield, and
Burbage, since they have been placed within the pro-
visions of the Act for the Local Government of Towns,
and since, in connection with this important measure,
the main sewerage and drainage of the place have been
so far secured, under the able direction and superin-
tendence of Sir Robert Rawlinson and others. There is
only too good reason for the opinion, that intestinal or
typhoid fever, with all its disastrous consequences,
depends on the poison of sewage emanations ; and the only
security against this fearful risk to health and life, must
be derived from the complete manner in which such im-
purities are at once removed from houses, streets, and

134 SANITARY CHARACTER OP THE BUXTON DISTRICT.

drains. It were well, if a security of this important
kind could be obtained for every town and village in the
kingdom ; and if such a measure, in the local and
national interest, could be forced upon every tenement,
whether in town or in country districts. It were at least
well if every watering-place, the resort of the toil-worn,
for recreation, or of invalids in search of health, were
compelled to present such a diploma for the security of
its visitors ; and it were at least wise and prudent that
no such watering-place should be visited until after
such inquiry as to its sanitary character had been made,
and been replied to satisfactorily. There is no doubt
that one effect of change of air is to increase the sensi-
tiveness of the animal system, to render it more susceptible
to all external influences, whether morbific or otherwise ;
and that it is therefore more important, if such were
possible, that there should be no poisonous taint in the
air of a place resorted to for change of scene, or the use
of a mineral water, than that there should be no such
taint in the air to which use may have habituated the
individual system. The wretched prisoners who breathed,
during weeks or months, the mephitic air of the gaols,
in the mediaeval times, often escaped an attack of the
disease, which they carried with them in their clothes,
to spread the seeds of disease and death through the
courts where they were tried, or the houses to which
they returned on their acquittal ; and sailors have often
escaped the fever or the dysentery, to the risks of which
they had been exposed during a voyage in an impure
ship, to carry pestilence to the inhabitants of the town
at which they have landed.

The bearing which the high elevation of Buxton above
the level of the sea appears to have upon the probability
of its exemption from cholera is very interesting and

SANITAKY EFFECT OF ELEVATION.

135

curious. It was announced by Mr. Farr, in the admirable
report on cholera in 1849, and has been since confirmed
by farther statistical experience, that the mortality from
this dreadful malady increases as the level of places in
an affected district is lower ; and not only that localities
of higher level have a less liability to the disease, but
that the degree of immunity may be measured by the
degree of the elevation. This law must be liable to
contradiction or disturbance under very powerful local
exciting and predisposing circumstances, and would not
be held to justify in any case the neglect of the common
principles and conditions of public hygiene; but it is
curious as a great truth, derived from extensive statistical
data, and interesting in regard to the climatorial and
hygienic character of the Buxton district. And this
may help to explain the observation that influenza is
believed to have been a much milder ailment in Buxton
than in most other places, both as to its immediate
severity and its ulterior consequences. The importance
of this could hardly be overstated, when it is remembered
how much more frequently the visitations of this great
catarrhal epidemic have occurred of late years ; and that
they are believed, either directly or indirectly, to have
resulted in a greater amount of fatality than any other
epidemic disease. In forming an estimate of the degree
of fatality which attends influenza, “ It is necessary,” as
the late Dr. Theophilus Thompson well said, in the able
volume compiled by him for the Sydenham Society,
entitled “Annals of Influenza,” “to extend our
consideration to the fact that during the prevalence of
catarrhal fever the mortality is usually increased, often
to a very remarkable degree. The cause of influenza,
independently of its agency in producing characteristic
symptoms, appearing to exert a power to modify any pre-
existing disease with which it may combine, to impair

136 SANITARY EFFECT OF ELEVATION.

extensively the vital energy, so as to increase in the
population of an infected district, the liability to contract
other diseases, and also to lessen the ability to resist any
degree of fatal tendency which such concurrent diseases
may possess.” Such is, beyond all question, the explana-
tion of much of the indirect fatality, which is referable
to all the more severe epidemic diseases. To form a true
estimate of their effects, the mortality that can be
directly estimated must be considerably added to. And
when it is considered that, according to the able and
trustworthy reports of the Registrar- General, nearly
one-fifth of the total mortality of England is referred
to “ epidemic, endemic, and contagious diseases,” too
much importance can hardly be attached to the physical
and sanitary character of any locality, in which a
considerable degree of exemption may be obtained from
these fatally influential classes of disease. If the
mortality from all such diseases may be estimated, with
much probability, to be in the ratio of one in twenty of
those who are attacked, the smaller amount of sickness,
protracted indisposition, and resulting debility, which a
large degree of exemption secures to the inhabitants of
this district, in addition to the lower rate of the probable
mortality, deserves to be prominently mentioned in this
work. It cannot be disputed that a remarkably high
average of health is enjoyed by the inhabitants of this
district ; the general healthy aspects of the children
are the subject of frequent observation; and the large
number of people who live to an advanced age has always
been noticed. Such popular statistics, however, if
unfounded on precise data, are not to be received with
implicit trust ; but that there is an important degree of
exemption from endemic and epidemic diseases, that they
are generally of comparatively mild character when they
do occur, and that all diseases throughout the district are

i

SANITARY EFFECT OF DRAINAGE. 137

commonly of very mild and simple type, is the universal
experience of the medical residents.

But positive data exist in regard to the sanitary
character of the Buxton district, and these have been
already recorded in the earlier part of this work. It is
reasonable to expect that these results will become of
still more satisfactory character, as the effect of the
main drainage and sewerage of the Buxton distinct,
carried out and completed in the years 1860 to 1885.
In regard to the sanitary condition of the town
and district, in regard to the comparative immunity
from epidemic and endemic diseases, in regard
to general healthiness and probable longevity, the
inhabitants have indeed much for which to be thankful ;
and in regard to the climatorial and hygienic conditions
offered by the district to occasional residents, and more
especially in regard to the desirability of the district as
a resort for the purpose of health or recreation, by the
residents of the less elevated and more populous districts,
no stronger testimony can be adduced than is to be
derived from the facts and figures of such statistical
investigations.

The mountain position of Buxton and the surrounding
districts renders the whole locality colder than lower
situations in the same latitude. The inland position,
moreover, renders the mean annual temperature less'
equable than in places which are more within the
influences of the oceanic temperature. There are two
circumstances which deduct considerably from these
disadvantages. The one of these is the degree of shelter
from prevailing winds, which is afforded by surrounding
grounds which have a still higher elevation. There is an
appreciable difference of temperature between the upper
and lower parts of Buxton in cold weather, and more
especially if accompanied by high winds, blowing from

K

138 CLIMATE OP THE HIGH PEAK.

tlie north or north-oast ; and there is a much greater
difference of temperature between Buxton and the
surrounding villages, which are less sheltered. But
within these sixty years many hundred acres have been
covered with plantations, now of an advanced and
important growth ; which serve, not only to clothe and
embellish the scenery of this large- featured country, hut
to shelter it from the winds in an important degree. The
second modifying circumstance referred to is the relative
dryness of the air of the place, which greatly subtracts
from the effects of an absolute lowness of temperature.
Dr. Kilgour says that “ cold moist air, compared with
cold dry air, abstracts caloiic from the body in the ratio
of three hundred and thirty to eighty degrees,” or more
than four times as rapidly. In other words, the chilling
effect of the cold moist air is four times greater than
that of cold dry air ; and therefore the absolute lowness
of temperature at Buxton, compared with the temperature
of less elevated places, may be sometimes fully, if not
more than compensated, by the dryness of its atmosphere.
The dry air of the Buxton district is one of the most
interesting- of its characteristics : it is in general
singularly free from fogs and exhalations, and remarkably
clear; enabling the objects of distant scenery to be seen
with most defined distinctness. This is partly due to
the altitude of the place ; partly to the attraction of the
clouds and condensed vapours in the higher regions of
the air, by the more elevated ground in the neighbour-
hood ; and partly to the comparatively small amount of
aqueous exhalation, charged with organic contamination,
owing to the absorbent nature of the limestone and
gritstone soils. It should likewise be said, that
immediately after the heaviest rains, the grounds and
walks and roads in the town and neighbourhood are
found to be dry, to a degree which excites the surprise of
all strangers. And, therefore, although, as in most

EFFECT OF LIMESTONE ON THE ATMOSPHERE. 139

mountain districts, more rain falls in the High Peak of
Derbyshire than in most places of less elevation, the
effect of the rain is less observable or inconvenient. But
the Buxton district does not receive the whole of the
rain, which its mountains may be the means of collecting.
It is sometimes observable that clouds which are collected
around Axe Edge are precipitated on the adjacent
districts of Cheshire and Lancashire, when there is no
rain near Buxton. The enclosure of thousands of acres,
which were unenclosed and bare of pasture within the
memory of the present generation, and the drainage of
extensive districts for agricultural purposes, are pro-
gressively influencing the climate and scenic character of
these upland districts. It is almost difficult to imagine
how recently a large proportion of the country around
Buxton, and within many miles of it on all sides, was
without an enclosure, and covered with heath, g'orse, and
rank vegetation, the trees having been as yet unplanted
which now so much embellish the landscape in all
directions.

The beneficial effects of the air of Buxton upon some
of the invalids who resort to it cannot be wholly explained
even on the ground of its mountain elevation, or on that
of its dryness. It sometimes happens that invalids from
the neighbouring gritstone districts, of an elevation at
least as considerable as that of Buxton, are more benefited,
and more rapidly benefited by removal to the limestone
formation, than the mere change of air, or any otlJfer
concomitant circumstances can serve to explain. There
is indeed usually an amount of stimulating effect
produced by the limestone atmosphere upon those not
accustomed to it, which neither the elevation of the place,
nor the dryness of the air, can be held to explain. It
frequently happens that invalids, who are strangers to
the place and district, and who state that the remark has

140 THE SEASONS IN THE HIGH PEAK.

not been derived from any second person’s suggestion,
affirm explicitly tliat they can smell the air of the lime-
stone. On inquiry, it has seemed that they have
experienced a tingling sensation in the nostrils from the
air, rather than that the air has been really odorous to
them. That there may be important atmospheric
differences, which are not appreciable by chemical
re-agents, is universally admitted ; and it is not too
much to suppose that the air may be influenced by
passing over or resting upon extensive districts, either
according to their vegetative surface, or their geological
character. There is some such effect produced on the
air of this district by the great limestone formation;
and the result of this is, more particularly, to add to its
stimulating influence on the human system.

The spring in Buxton is unusually late, and propor-
tionably short ; the summer is of the average duration ;
and the autumn is long. The spring can seldom be said
to have crept from the arms of winter until the month of
April; and, in general, April is near its close before the
winter can be said to be fairly got rid of. From the
middle of May to the end of October, — and in some
seasons until considerably later, and almost to the end of
the year, — may be said to constitute the real spring,
summer, and autumn of Buxton. July and September are
apt to be wet months throughout England. The latter
end of May, the whole of June, of August, and of October,
are’usually the least changeable periods of the year.

The Buxton waters, whether used as baths or
internally, are equally efficacious at all periods of the
year;* and those who are suffering severely from those

* “ The usual season for drinkiDg the waters is from the beginning
of May to the latter end of October; but if the patient requires a
longer perseverance, he may safely use them all the winter, as they
are found, upon repeated trials, to be equally good in all seasons.”—
Dr. Hunter’s “Buxton Manual, or Treatise, on the nature and virtues
of the Waters of Buxton,” York, 1765.

THE BUXTON SEASON.

141

ailments in tlie relief of which they act so powerfully,
make use of them at any time throughout the year.
But people who have a choice generally prefer the
summer and axitumnal months for migrating to watering-
places ; for the obvious reasons that the country always
looks best when Nature has donned her livery, when the
sun is bright, and the weather warm ; and that exercise,
which is so valuable an auxiliary to all medicinal
treatment in chronic cases, can then be taken most
pleasantly, and perhaps with most advantage. It is
difficult, however, to understand why Buxton should
not be as full of its invalided visitors in June and July
as it is in August and September. This may have arisen
from fashion and secondary circumstances ; but time and
common sense must one day show its absurdity. The
comparatively cold evenings and mornings of autumn,
and the greatly shortened days, render the exercise
which can be taken at this time of the year, less
continuous than that which may be taken in the later
spring months and the summer months, and make the
disposal of his time irksome to many an invalid, in whom
indisposition may have spoiled the taste for reading,
and for whom the excitement of much society may
be necessarily disadvantageous. When invalids visit
Buxton during the months of June or July, the days
being then long, and dusk and bedtime but little divided
from one another, the cheerfulness is more likely to be
maintained, and the spirits and feelings made conducive
to the effects of the mineral waters, rather than suffered
to interfere with them ; for it need not be said that the
influence of the mind upon the body, at all times
paramount, is more especially important for good or for
evil when the latter is affected with disease.

I have used the word “ continuous ” with reference to
exercise ; and it may be well to embrace this opportunity

142

THE BUXTON SEASON.

of expressing my opinion, that every one, and invalids
especially, should take the quantum of exercise, not only
regularly, hut in divided doses, at different times of the
day, rather than endeavour to do as much as can he done
at one time, by which fatigue is induced, the blood is
determined almost unduly to the surface of the body?
the internal organs are disturbed, and the nervous
energies are inconveniently, and it may be injuriously
expended. This deserves to be seriously considered in
regard to invalids, who may be enfeebled by indisposition,
and whose systems may be predisposed to be acted upon
by causes apparently the most unimportant. On such
persons it cannot be too strongly urged, that they should
not attempt to walk far at one time ; but rather, that a
number of short walks should be alternated by rests.
This kind of exercise, which may be taken within an
hour or two after breakfast, and continued for longer or
shorter times, with longer or shorter intervals, almost
until bedtime in the summer months, is that which will
be found to be most useful to nearly all invalids, which
will employ the mind most fully throughout the day,
lessening the chance of the time seeming to be hanging
heavily on their hands ; while a more constant exposure
to the genial and tonic influence of the air will be
promoted : a point which, in regard to the value of
Buxton as a watering-place, deserves, perhaps, a higher
degree of importance than has yet been assigned to it.

But there is even a stronger reason to be advanced,
why invalids should resort to Buxton as soon as the
return of warmer and more settled weather permits them
to leave home with comfort. There is more general
activity in the system at this time of the year than at
any other season ; and a correspondingly greater natural
effort made for the relief of the more chronic ailments
than at any other period. This will have been noticed

THE BUXTON SEASON.

143

by most persons, as well as by medical men. The return
of spring", of warmer weather and brighter days, not only
stimulates the dormant vegetation, and arouses the life
of plants into a renewal of activity; but acts upon
animal life likewise, and includes man in its effects ;
notwithstanding the artificial condition, and the artificial
wants, which civilization has given rise to. The effect
of such stimulus on the human system is seen, in a very
obvious and painful degree, in the instance of those who
are suffering the extreme stages of disease. The warmer
air is too stimulating for the irritated and wasted tissues ;
and it has to be predicted of many such cases, that the
more early the return of the season which is the more
genial to the healthy, the sooner will the slender thread
be divided by which such invalids cling to life. And it
is no less observable in other cases, in which the effect of
such stimulus is not to destroy life, but to aid in the
restoration of strength and the removal of disease. It
has often been suggested, in the instance of sufferers
from the most chronic and obstinate of the disordered
conditions, in the relief of which the Buxton waters are
found to be so generally useful, that, in order to obtain
the greatest amount of effect from their use, the earlier
periods of the year should be taken advantage of, when
the efforts of the system, thus stimulated by the season,
will be most likely to aid and confirm their effects. This
stimulating effect of spring upon the human system may
be increased by the periodical type, which all the opera-
tions of nature are found to assume. There is a remark-
able tendency to periodicity in all vital phenomena. It
is not merely in regard to the seasons, the succession of
day and night, and the alternation of repose and activity ;
but this law extends to all natural phenomena. And this
gi’eat law may be supposed to aid in producing the
development of all the vital efforts, which is so observable

144

EFFECT OF CHANGE OF AIR.

•in spring1, and which is found to he of so much practical
importance in regard to disease. The dryness of the air
of Buxton is the probable cause of one singularly valuable
peculiarity, which is observable in regard to the place.
Invalids hardly ever take cold at Buxton. They may
have only just quitted the bedroom to which they had
been confined by serious and protracted indisposition,
have travelled to Buxton closely muffled and packed in
wrappings and multifarious envelopments; and, almost
immediately on arrival, have ventured into the open air,
have sat down on the benches with which the walks are
abundantly supplied, and have spent hour after hour in
this indulgence, which in most places would prove to be
so dangerous ; but here it is hardly ever followed by any
unpleasant consequences ; and, on the contrary, con-
tributes to restore health and vigour to the enfeebled
system. When it is considered that this observation has
reference to a place which is resorted to for the use of
tepid and hot baths, from the effects of which the vessels
of the surface would be rendered unusually susceptible,
its importance in a medical account of Buxton will be
admitted to be great. The statement, however, must
not be made use of to justify rashness, and sudden and
violent changes in regard to exposure and clothing on
the part of invalids ; but it shows that to be justifiable
which would otherwise be unsafe ; and it illusti'ates
strongly a valuable character of the air which super -
incumbs the mountain limestone.

Change of air is well known to be capable of producing
much effect on the health of man. The amount of such
effect is usually in proportion to the degree of the
change, provided that it is not too great for the powers
and susceptibilities of the system to endure without
injury, and that the change is from a less pure to a
purer air, and from an air that is damp to one that is
dry. There are important disordered conditions in which

EFFECT OF CHANGE OF AIK.

145

the removal to a damper air is indicated, and in which a
low and well sheltered situation should be preferred.
But these cases are the exception to what applies to the
majority of disordered states. It cannot be wondered
at, that the removal to such a locality as Buxton should
be followed by beneficial results, in many of the diseases
from which the inhabitants of low and damp localities
suffer so severely. It must indeed be admitted, that
change of air of any kind often does good. The secondary
influence of mind and its associations may often justi-
fiably assign a preference to such a change of air, as
might seem to be less suitable to the generality of cases.
There is, for instance, a virtue in the air of the native
place, which may be inexplicable, unless the indirect
effect of memory and association be allowed for, It has
been said, that

“ Custom moulds

To every clime the soft Promethean clay ;

And he who first the fogs of Essex breathed,

(So kind is native air) may in the fens
Of Essex from inveterate ills revive,

At pure Montpelier or Bermuda caught.” — Armstrong.

If this were so, the “ custom ” would probably have
little to do with the result. The effect would have to be
ascribed to the mental stimulus : to the influence of the
scenes of the younger days on the mind, and through
the mind on the body.

But, waving a consideration of such influence of mind,
and of such special or exceptional cases as have been
referred to, and of the cases in which disease may have
so nearly done its worst, that an exposure to the ordinary
breath of heaven could hardly be undergone with im-
punity, and to which the mildest and blandest air may
alone be suitable, it may be affirmed that the locality in
which the air is the most dry and pure, and the inhabi-
tants are most free from disease, will be most useful to
the generality of invalids, and that Buxton deserves to be
ranked among the places which claim so high a character.

CHAPTER IY.

ORIGIN AND CAUSE OF THE HEAT OF THE THERMAE
SPRINGS OF BUXTON.

HE temperature of the Buxton tepid waters is the
first of their characteristics to be noticed. It
is one of the most important of their sensible
properties ; for, although no one who had been witness
to their medicinal effects could ascribe them to the
temperature of the waters, yet this temperature must aid
and increase such effects, and facilitate the admission of
the saline and gaseous constituents into the systems of
those who make use of them.

There are few subjects which have given rise to more
speculation and inquiry than the cause of the elevated
temperature of hot springs. Although there are only
two districts in which such springs are found in England,
they are by no means rare in most other countries.
More than forty such springs are reported to exist in
Portugal alone ; the temperature of which ranges from
68 degrees to 150 degrees. Between sixty and seventy
of these springs are said to exist in France ; the
temperature ranging from 70 degrees to 212 degrees.
Switzerland and Italy are likewise rich in this respect.
But the springs of Germany have far out-stripped ail
the others in medical importance, which may be ascribed,
in some degree at least, to the personal efforts of the
highly-gifted people of that country. The baths of
Aix-la-Chapelle, Wiesbaden, Ems, Baden, and several
others, are as well known by reputation in this country
as to the Germans themselves.

ORIGIN OP THE TEPID WATERS.

147

Before directing attention to the causes which may
produce the elevated temperature of hot springs, it may
be endeavoured to be shown whence the water is derived
with which these springs are supplied.

The water of all springs is derived from the atmosphere,
or from large subterranean reservoirs, or from the ocean.

The water of most springs is derived from the
atmosphere. The aerial vapours are condensed on the
surface of the earth, in the form of rain, hail, or snow.
The water percolates through the softer strata, finds its
way through fissures or faults in the denser strata, until
its progress is stopped by an impermeable bed of clay,
&c. It is forced over 'the surface of such a stratum by
the pressure of the superincumbent water, until it is
Harried once again to the surface of the earth, through a
breach in the stratification above it, and forms a spring.
But miners say, that the lower they descend below the
■surface the less water they meet with. Indeed, these
waters can hardly be supposed, under ordinary circum-
stances, to penetrate very far without being’ absorbed by
the strata through which they pass, or arrested, and
again brought to the surface, by meeting with an
impermeable stratum. Whereas boiling water is poured
out by volcanic agency, at an elevation of many thousands
of feet, on the confines of perpetual snow ; and, con-
sequently, the depths at which large collections of water
may be supposed to exist may be inferred to be very
considerable.

There seem, then, to be reasons for believing that
there are reservoirs, or large collections of water, situated
at very considerable depths in the bowels of the earth;
while it must be added, that such collections of water
3an hardly be so considerable as to be independent of
supplies from other sources, and to be capable of pouring
)ut the immense volumes of water, which are discharged

148

ORIGIN OF THE TEPID WATERS

from depths to which the atmospheric waters cannot be
supposed to penetrate, under ordinary circumstances ; or
such discharges of water, in quantities so considerable,
would materially increase the quantity of water contained
in the atmosphere and in the ocean. It has been inferred
that such subterranean reservoirs cannot be of such
extent as to afford this large supply, from calculations s
by which a specific gravity is assigned to the globe of
nearly five times that of water, and a third more than
the mean density of its rocky crust. Such inferences, ,
however, are without adequate foundation. The Andes, ,
with their elevation of 25,000 feet above the level of the 3
sea, have been well said to bear no greater proportion to )
the size of the earth that the roughness on the rind off
an orange to the size of the fruit ; and yet, compared!
with this, how little is the greatest depth to which mam
has penetrated. We can be little justified with such
facts before us, in forming conclusions as to thee
composition of character of the internal structure of the-
earth.

But when we take into account the amount of volcanic;
agency, which is still going on in various parts of the:
earth’s surface ; when we consider that thermal waters:
spring, with few exceptions, in the neighbourhood of
either recent or extinct volcanoes, or of such disruptedi
stratifications as are the results of volcanic action ; whent
we couple with this the amount of volcanic power which!
is manifested in the ocean — the islands that have beem
upheaved from its depths, within the memory and
authenticated traditions of men, — and the shocks that
are often experienced far out at sea; when we connect
these facts with another singular fact, that thermal)
springs, and indeed that volcanoes, are very rarely found
at any great distance from the sea, and indeed, when
so found, are believed to derive their waters from great

ORIGIN OF THE TEPID WATERS. 149'

inland lakes, or inland seas ; and when to these considera-
tions it is added that columns of watery vapour, and
showers of boiling water, are among the principal
phenomena of active volcanoes, it is surely not too much
to connect intimately the waters of the ocean with
thermal springs, and to conceive that the ocean is the
probable source from which the waters of these springs
mav be derived. It does not appear to be too much to
conceive that, through disrupted strata, or faults, at the
bottom of the ocean, through chasms created by volcanic
outbreaks, water would be forced by the enormous
pressure of the mass of waters above ; or that this should,
under such pressure, and with the facilities created by
the strata having been disrupted by the volcanoes,
penetrate much deeper than we can conceive the
atmospheric waters to penetrate. It may be conceived
that, in this way, water may arrive at a centre of volcanic
agency; and that there, urged by the heat that exists in
the depths of the earth, this water may be converted
into steam ; and that, when the steam thus formed can
find no vent, it may at length accumulate such power as
to upheave the masses of strata above it, and in its turn
become the active element of a volcano ; or that, when
the steam can find a vent for itself, by passing through
strata already disrupted, it may be generally condensed
and cooled, until it may emerge at length on the surface
of the earth, in the condition of a hot or of a tepid
spring, according to the length of the channel through
which it has had to pass.

This is perhaps little more than theory ; but it is
theory founded on such an association of facts, as seems
to justify a strong opinion of its probability. If it be
denied, it is difficult to assign any satisfactory reason
why thermal springs are not found as commonly in the
interior of vast continents, as in the neighbourhood of

150

origin of the tepid waters.

the ocean; why thermal waters are so constantly found
to be connected with existing or extinct volcanoes ; and
why water, in the form of steam, or at a much elevated
temperature, is so constantly associated with every
volcanic outbreak. But this supplies an explanation of
several circumstances, which form singular and interest-
ing matters in the history of thermal waters. It gives
a key to the surprising fact, that thermal springs flow in
unvarying quantity, and at an unvarying temperature,
from age to age ;* and that, as far as can he ascertained,
their constituents have been unmodified by time. If
"the waters with which these springs are supplied, were
derived from the same source as that of the generality
of springs, viz. : the waters condensed on the surface of
the earth from the atmosphere, they would necessarily
be subjected to the same vicissitudes. In a particularly
dry season, the supply would be diminished, or would
temporarily cease; and on the other hand, after an
unusually large fall of rain, the quantity discharged
from them in a given time would be greatly increased.
But in regard to thermal springs, these causes have no
influence. In winter and in summer, in dry seasons and
in wet seasons, a certain number of gallons per minute
are poured out with an undeviating regularity. Moreover,
if these waters were derived from the atmosphere, the
colder the season, the lower would be their temperature;

* “ The springe in Greece still flow at the same places as in the
Hellenic times : the springs of Erasinos, on the slope of the Chaon,
two hours’ journey to the south of Argos, was mentioned by
Herodotus ; the Cassotis at Delphi, now the well of St. Nicholas,
still arises on the south of the Eesche, and its waters pass under the
temple of Apollo; the Castalian fount still flows at the foot of
Parnassus, and the Pirenian near Aero- Corinth ; the thermal waters
of iEdepsos in Euboea, in which Sylla bathed during the war of
Mithridates, still exist. I take pleasure in citing these details, which
show that, in a country subject to frequent and violent earthquakes,
the relative condition of the strata, and even of those narrow fissures
through which theBe waters find a passage, has continued unaltered
during at least two thousand years.’’— Cosmos ( Lieut.-Col . Sabine's (
Edition. Vol. I.

ORIGIN OF THE TEPID WATERS.

151

and certainly, likewise, the larger tie quantity of water
poured forth, the lower would be its temperature. But,
through long series of years, not only does the quantity
of water poured out by these springs in a given time
remain the same as it was at the most remote record, but
their temperature remains steadily the same as when first
noticed. Supposing the ocean to be the source from
which these springs derive their supply of water, the
definite quantity may be forced through the fissures,
either by its gravity, or by the pressure of the superin-
cumbent waters, — this definite quantity may be converted
into steam, by the means presently to be noticed, — the
steam may be condensed, and cooled to a definite degree,
by passing through a definite space, — and supposing no
waste to arise, from leakage or otherwise, 129^ gallons
of water per minute, containing the same gaseous and
saline constituents as now and heretofore, may continue
to supply the natural baths of Buxton throughout ages
to come.

The absence of sea-salt in any of the thermal springs
might at first be considered to be fatal to the above views.
But it has been sufficiently proved by direct experiment,
that sea water is deprived of its saline constituents, by
passing through a certain thickness of sand, &c.; and,
therefore, the passing through we know not how many
miles in depth of various strata would necessarily depri ve
it of all its saline matters, even if the hypothesis of its
conversion into steam, and consequent separation from
every foreign ingredient, were thrown aside.

Knowing as we do the gigantic extent of the processes
of nature, and the uniformity of the means used to effect
the same results, in different places and at different times,
it may probably be inferred that the same cause, which
produces the supply of water in the instance of any one
ff the thermal springs, might equally serve to account

152 CAUSE OF THE HEAT OF THE WATERS.

for it in the others. Some general source, which may
equally serve in regard to all thermal springs, is therefore
sought for. But in regard to the Buxton thermal springs,
the circumstance obtains that, in various situations, at no
far removed distances, in the limestone formation, surface
springs are swallowed up by fissures or cracks in the
strata; some of which are found to re-appear at the
surface, at different distances from what is locally called
the swallow ; and the whole of these may or may not so
re-appear. It could not be thought to be impossible that
such swallowed-up spring or springs should travel
through such fissures, and serve to supply some vast
subterranean reservoir, from which the supply of water
to be vaporised might be obtained.

The cause of the elevated temperature of thermal
springs is a question of still more immediate interest.

As has been said, thermal springs are always found in
the greatest abundance, in the neighbourhood of active
or recently active volcanoes ; and volcanoes are hardly
ever found to exist, without giving rise to springs of
tepid water. In those situations where no traces of
volcanic agency can be detected in the neighbourhood of
tepid springs, these waters are found to issue from the
primary rocks, either dii-ectly, or from beds of incon-
siderable thickness, which evidently form merely a crust
over rocks of the primary class. In some instances, the
tepid springs are found in the midst of chains of
mountains, or close to their base ; in other instances, a
succession of such springs is found in the same direction
as that in which a mountain chain extends ; sometimes,
they “ gush out at or near to the line of junction between
the granite or other igneous products, and the stratified I
rock resting upon its flanks, which from its highly
inclined position would seem to have been upheaved;
whilst in a few cases where they occur in the midst of

CAUSE OP THE HEAT OP THE WATERS. 153

the granite itself, patches of stratified rock are found
contiguous. Thus the same agent which forced up ther
granite through the axis of the chain, may have given
rise to the hot springs which accompany it first along
the fine of the disruption. # * * * * In many

instances where the general aspect of this country does
not so forcibly impress upon the mind the idea of volcanic-
forces having been in active operation, there is something
in the particular circumstances of the locality indicative
of the same kind of agency.”— (Professor Daubeny on
Volcanoes.)

Professor Daubeny goes on to cite the tepid spring at
Clifton, as gushing out of a narrow fissure of hard rock,
bounded by abrupt cliffs, with an enormous fault near to-
the north of the spring “ which fias thrown down the
limestone beds one hundred and twenty feet,” serving to-
justify the opinion that a mighty force has at some period
rent these rocks in sunder, and opened the passage for
the tepid water from deeply-seated strata; he cites
Matlock “from the abruptness of the cliffs which bound
the defile on either side, and from the existence of an
enormous fault, much of the same description as that of
Clifton,” and justly adds “that the volcanic rocks which1
are found in many parts of Derbyshire afford an
additional presumption that the tepid waters of that
country owe their origin to volcanic heat; ” — he cites the
warm springs of Carlsbad, as emerging from ‘ ‘ a kind of
conglomerate, composed of broken masses of granite
united together by a silicious cement,” leading to the
inference of riven rocks and shattered fragments and
disrupted strata; — he cites the warm springs of Pfeffers,
in the Grisons, bursting forth from the side of an
extraordinary chasm in a limestone rock ; adding that
“ the other thermal springs in Switzerland appear under
circumstances for the most part similar,” and that “ the

L

154 CAUSE OP THE HEAT OP THE WATERS.

situation of the thermal waters in the beautiful mountain
region of Virginia, west of the Blue Ridge, which I
visited in 1838, strongly corroborates the views above
enunciated;” “in short, out of fifty-six springs more or
less thermal, forty-six are situated on, or adjacent to,
anticlinal axes ; seven on or near lines of fault or
inversion ; and three, the only group of this kind yet
known in Virginia, close to the point of junction of the
Appalachian with the Hypogene rocks.”

The position of the different tepid springs in Derbyshire
confirms these views strongly. Not only do the broken
and shattered strata, and the abrupt cliffs, and frequently
occurring patches of toadstone, tell of volcanic action
and riven rocks, and account for fissures by which such
springs could find egress ; but the springs occur near to
the edge of the limestone formation in every instance ;
and in such situation, the continuity would be more
likely to be broken through, down to more deeply seated
strata.

Connecting these facts together, the conclusion seems
to be justifiable, that thermal springs arise from beneath
rocks of the primary class, through disruptions which
have been caused by volcanic agency ; and granting that
thermal springs arise from terrestrial depths below all
the strata which have been the subject of geological
knowledge, it would remain to be shown whether the
temperature of the interior of the earth may be adequate
to raise large quantities of water, brought into successive
contact with it, to the boiling temperature.

It has been observed, in many countries of high latitude,
that when the atmospheric temperature falls below a
certain point, the temperature of the springs in those
countries ceases to fall in the same ratio ; and, in fact,
that their temperature often exceeds that of the air.
Nor have these singular observations been confined to the

CAUSE OF THE HEAT OF THE WATERS. 155

springs of the countries referred to. It is well known,
that a certain elevation of temperature is essential to the
life of plants, and that different plants have different
ranges of temperature within which they can live. It is
said to have been ascertained that rye requires for its
growth a temperature of not less than 46 degrees ; and
yet, owing to the internal temperature which emanates
from the earth, independent of the solar influence, this
grain is grown and ripened in Sweden, where the
atmospheric temperature is little more than 36 degrees.
It would seem indeed that the mean terrestrial tempera-
ture exceeds the atmospherical in many northern districts,
if not in northern countries generally ; and that it is
owing to this, that nearly the whole of Siberia, the upper
parts of Finland, and some parts of Sweden, afford
harvests and sustenance to the inhabitants, under a
degree of atmospheric temperature which would be
insufficient for these purposes, but for the inherent
temperature of the earth. That this cannot be owing to
the absorption of the solar heat during the warmer
months, appears to have been proved by experiments,
showing that six months are required for the absorption
of heat to the comparatively trifling depth of thirty feet.
But this is proved even still more conclusively by the
ascertained fact, that the atmospheric temperature at the
equator is higher than that of the perennial springs.

These observations would go far to establish an opinion,
that the earth possesses a considerable degree of internal
heat, which would almost necessarily become more
considerable the greater the distance from the surface.
But it is by the results of experiments which have been
made in mines, that it has been established as a fact, that
the deeper we penetrate beneath the surface of the earth,
the higher the temperature is, and that we are enabled to
form some idea of the depth at which the earth may be

156 CAUSE OF THE HEAT OF THE WATERS.

at so high a temperature, as would suffice for the
conversion of water into steam.

In the ancient quarries below the observatory at Paris,
at the depth of only ninety-two feet, the temperature is
nearly two degrees higher than that of the mean
temperature of the country. If the temperature of
subterranean springs be taken as a guide to indicate the
mean temperature of the earth as we penetrate more
deeply below its surface, it has been found, to cite one
out of many such observations, that in the copper mine
of Dolcoath, in Cornwall, at the depth of 1440 feet, the
temperature of the spring is 82 degrees, while the mean
temperature of the country is only 50 degrees ; or, to
mention another instance, that in the silver mine of
Guanaxuato, in Mexico, at the depth of 1713 feet, the
temperature of the springs is more than 98 degress, and
the mean temperature of the country little more than
60 degrees.

But it is chiefly by ascertaining the temperature of the
rock itself, at different depths, that a fixed conclusion
may be arrived at, as to the rate of increase in the
temperature, as we descend more and more deeply into
the bowels of the earth. And the result of such
observations, many of which have been made with great
care, and possible sources of fallacy watchfully guarded
against, is that the earth becomes warmer by one degree
for every forty-four feet of depth ; and, consequently, at
a depth of little more than 7000 feet below the surface
of the earth, the temperature would be sufficient to raise
water to the boiling point, and convert it into steam : a
depth which bears no greater proportion to the diameter
of the globe than a few inches bear to a mile.*

* “Hot springs,” writes Baron Humboldt, “issue from rocks of
every kind ; the hottest permanent springs yet known are those found
by myself, at a distance from any volcano,— the ‘ Aquas calientes de
las Trincheras,’ in South America, between Porto Cabello and New

CAUSE OF THE HEAT OF THE WATERS.

157

It must be admitted that this would be sufficient to
account for the elevated temperature of thermal waters,
were their temperature the only particular which dis-
tinguishes them from other water. The intimate
connection that there is between these waters and
volcanoes has, however, led to repeated suggestions, that
these may or must have something more to do with the
production of these waters than merely the having
forced the channel by which they escape to the surface.
Snow, to the depth of two feet and a half, remained
unmelted on Vesuvius, after the eruption had lasted two
days, in 1822 ; and the observers were able to keep their
naked hands on the margin of the lava stream without
inconvenience, at the time when the centre of it was
still in a fluid state. This proves how slowly heat passes
through the volcanic products ; and it has been urged
that it is possible there may be masses of melted material,
thus crusted over, of enormous size, situated at great
depths in the bowels of the earth ; and that such masses
may have retained a highly elevated temperature, during
periods long anterior to any of our records ; and that
currents of water, passing close to, or near, these masses,
would be vaporised by them, and might form hot springs,
the temperature of which might not necessarily undergo
any perceptible diminution during hundreds of years.

Valencia, and the ‘Aquas de Comangillas,’ in the Mexican territory,
near Guanaxuato. The first of these had a temperature of 19P5
degrees Fahrenheit, and issued in granite; the latter in basalt, with a
temperature of 205 5 degrees Fahrenheit. According to our present
knowledge of the increase of heat at increasing depths, the strata, by
contact with which these temperatures were acquired, are probably
situated at a depth of about 7,800 English feet, or above two geo-
graphical miles . . . The elevation of the new volcano of Jorullo,
unknown before my American journey, offers a remarkable example
of ordinary rain water sinking to a great depth, w^ere it acquires
heat, and afterwards appears at the surface as a thermal spring.
When, in September, 1769, Jorullo was suddenly elevated to a height
of 1682 English feet above the surrounding plain, the two small
streams called Rio de Cutimba and Rio de San Pedro disappeared,
and some time afterwards broke forth afresh from the ground during
severe earthquake shocks, forming springs, whose temperature in
1803, 1 found to be 150‘4 degrees Fahrenheit."— Cosmos.

158 CAUSE OE THE HEAT OP THE WATERS.

With satisfactory proof of the astonishing- fact, that
at a few thousands of feet below the earth’s surface, its
strata are at a great elevation of temperature, it would
seem needless to indulge in speculation as to any other
cause for the heat of waters, which are known to proceed
from great depths, and probably from greater depths
than geology has made us acquainted with, and at which
no other cause than the temperature of the globe itself
would be needful to convert water into steam.#

But, in truth, the ingredients of mineral waters, both
gaseous and saline, being identically the same as the
materials discharged from the bowels of the earth in
volcanic eruptions, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion
that these waters proceed from volcanic centres, and
probably derive from volcanism all their characteristics.
It should be remembered that we are not dx-iven to this
conclusion, on account of any difficulty in explaining the
elevated temperature of thermal waters, which might be
due to the internal heat of the depths of the earth, but
on account of the chemical charactei-s and distinctions of
all thermal springs. Chlorine, chiefly in combination with
hydrogen, as hydrochloric acid, — sulphur, in combination
with oxygen, or with hydrog-en, — cai-bonic acid, — the

* “ The relation, indeed, of almost all springs impregnated copiously
with mineral matter to the sources of subterranean heat seems
placed beyond all doubt by modern research. Mineral waters, as they
have been termed, are most abundant in regions of active volcanoes,
or where earthquakes are most frequent and violent. Their tempera-
ture is often very high, and has been known to be permanently
heightened or lowered by the shock of an earthquake. The volume
of water also given out has been sometimes affected by the same
cause. With the exception of silica, the minerals entering most
abundantly into thermal waters do not seem to differ from those in
cold springs. There is, moreover, a striking analogy between the
earthy matters evolved in a gaseous state by volcanoes, and those
wherewith the springs in the same region are impregnated ; and when
we proceed from the site of active to that of extinct volcanoes, we
find the latter abounding in precisely the same kind of springs.
Where thermal and mineral waters occur far from active or extinct
volcanoes, some great internal derangement of the strata almost
invariably marks the site to have been, at some period, however
remote, the theatre of violent earthquakes.’’— Lyell's Geology.

CAUSE OP THE HEAT OF THE WATERS. 159'

chlorides of soda and lime, — and oxydes of iron variously
combined with carbonic acid, &c, — are all the common
products of volcanoes, and the ingredients most commonly
found in mineral waters. And indeed all thermal waters
may thus be grouped into one great family, probably
identical in origin, singularly alike in chemical characters,
and entirely independent of local causes, in regard to
their temperature, their flow of water, and the amount
of their saline and gaseous impregnation. Whereas the
other kinds of springs, even although their saline
ingredients may be similar to those which are contained
in some of the thermal waters, are dependent on local
influences, are affected by ,wet or by drought, and by
variations in the local temperature ; and their geological
and geographical positions are materially different from
those of the thermal springs. It seems to be an un-
avoidable conclusion, that the cause of volcanic action,
so uncertain as to time, degree, and duration, must be
chemical. The heat, the steam, the evolution of gases,
all denote the operation of chemical affinities, new
combinations, disturbed forces, produced and operating
on a gigantic scale, and with proportionate and vast
consequences. It seems to be only necessary to infer
that such chemical action should be moderated in degree,
by dilution of the re-agents, or by the constraining
influence of mechanical difficulties or hindrances, in order
to explain a more regular series of similar phenomena of
less violent character ; or such moderated action might
follow, and be continued for long- periods of time, after
the chemical changes had been accomplished in regard to
the substances of more powerful affinities, or presenting
greater mechanical facility for their display. It may
well be, that such gradations of action are equal to
produce columns of boiling water or seas of melted lava,
to eject them with enormous force, or fearful violence,

1-60 CAUSE OF THE HEAT OF THE WATEES.

amid the cold desolation of Iceland, or from the summit
■of Vesuvius, — or to charge any given quantity of water
with gaseous and saline constituents, and produce a
certain elevation of its temperature, and cause it to he
poured forth as a thermal spring.

Theories have been broached, and arguments and facts
advanced, to extend the chemical theory of volcanic
action, far beyond what has now been stated. The
merit of much scientific tact, and of having collected
and arranged facts and observations, of great interest
and value in regard to this question, is due to Professor
Daubeny, whose great work on volcanoes has been already
referred to.

CHAPTER V.

UENEBAL PEOPEETIES OF THE BUXTON TEPID WATEES.
EESULTS OF SUCCESSIVE ANALYSES. — COMMENTAEY
ON THEIE COMPOSITION, IN EEFEEENCE TO THEIE
MEDICINAL EFFECTS.

SHE tepid mineral waters of Buxton are bright and
clear in a remarkable degree. When seen in a
glass vessel, as dispensed to the drinkers of the
waters, or when seen in the flows and conduits, their
brilliancy is very noticeable. There is, moreover, a
perceptible shade of colour in the waters — a faint tinge
of blue — which is peculiar to them, and serves to dis-
tinguish them from the ordinary waters of the district.
It is strange that this tinge of colour should have been
denied by Dr. Pearson ; but he did not enjoy the same
opportunity of observing it which we now possess. In
the old and imperfectly-lighted baths, the great trans-
parency of the waters could be noticed, but their
brilliancy was wholly unobservable, and this tinge of
colour was necessarily not noticeable. In the well-lighted
apartments which now contain the baths the mass and
depth of the water exhibit the transparency, brilliancy,
and colour, in the best manner. The colour has been
supposed, at different times, to be due to various mineral
ingredients, believed to be contained in the waters, but
not in sufficient quantity to be detected. At an early
period copper was thought to be the colouring ingredient ;
in more recent times, iodine was inferred to be a probable
cause of the colour. The only purpose served has been

162 GENERAL PROPERTIES OF THE TEPID WATERS.

to indicate, that the colour has always been a subject of
remark, even in remote times. Attention has been
directed to all the different causes to which it might be
referable; and unless it could be due to the small
proportion of iron, which has now been ascertained to
be among its constituents, the cause of the blue tinge is
still unknown. The brilliancy is due to the large
quantity of gas which it holds in solution, and which is
given off from it in the form of minute bubbles. If a
bottle of transparent glass is filled with the water, and
held between the eye and the light, the water will be
seen to be charged with these bubbles ; most of them
being exceedingly small, but clustered quite close
together. In the lai-gest of the natural baths, at the
instant of the escape of the waters from the bowels of
the earth, and from the great pressure to which it must
there be subjected, much larger bubbles of gas are given
off, somewhat irregularly ; sometimes as large as a
billiard ball, and sometimes in considerable numbers.
The gas forming these large bubbles, which are so much
more noticeable than the minute bubbles, bears a very
small proportion to the quantity of gas which is givgn
off more slowly in the form of the small bubbles. The
greater proportion of the gas quickly escapes when the
water is exposed to the air; but if carefully bottled,
corked, and sealed, it would contain much of the gas for
an indefinite time. The appeai’ance of the large bubbles
of the gas, rising like soap bubbles through the masses
of the water in the bath, is curious and beautiful. The
quantity of gas with which the water is charged, giving
it much the appearance of the artificially aerated waters
after the first violence of their effervescence has subsided,
adds much to the buoyancy of the water in the baths.
Feeble invalids have to be cautioned as to the buoyant
character of the water, as it renders care, and having

buoyancy of the tepid waters. 163

the handrails or the bath-chains in ready grasp, to be
needful in the instance of infirm or feeble bathers.
When limbs are more or less paralysed, or even much
enfeebled, there is sometimes a difficulty in keeping them
under the surface of the water. In extreme cases of
diminished command over the limbs, or of great debility,
the affected parts, and sometimes even the whole body,
have to be held by attendants under the surface of the
water. Unless in such extreme conditions of system,
the buoyancy of the water in the baths is simply an
enjoyable characteristic, and greatly facilitates the use
of muscular exercise during the immersion.

The effect of the temperature of the natural water on
the bathers is somewhat different from what might have
been expected. The degree of shock commonly ex-
perienced at the instant of immersion is usually greater
than would be looked for from bathing in water of so
much higher temperature than that of the air. When
the bath is made use of under proper circumstances, the
shock and sense of chill are only momentary effects,
being immediately followed by efficient reaction. If
judiciously used there ought to be no return of chill
during the stay of the bather in the water ; nor should
there be any chilliness, unless for a single moment, on
leaving the bath. The reaction should be maintained
during the whole of the time that the bather remains in
the water, after the primary and momentary shock ; and
it should be maintained, and indeed it is desirable that it
should increase for some hours after leaving the bath.
The reaction often continues throughout the whole
remainder of the day, sometimes lasts throughout the
following night, and is occasionally found to be continued
during the whole of the subsequent day. These latter
cases are rare; and it may be observed, these extreme
effects usually show that the warmer baths would be

164 SHOCK AND REACTION FROM BATHING.

more suitable for such cases than the natural baths ; and
that baths of these 'waters, of any temperature, should
be used with much caution and moderation as to the time
of remaining in the water, and as to the frequency of
using the bath. Such cases are, although comparatively
rare, sufficiently numerous to form an important feature
in the history of the effects of these waters upon the
iuman system. And in regard to the cases in which the
shock occasioned by the bath is not merely momentary,
but continues more or less during the time of immersion,
or even afterwards, it may likewise be said that the
natural bath is seldom used judiciously, or even without
risk, under these circumstances. The use of the warmer
baths will commonly be found to be preferable in these
cases. The stimulating effect of these baths is not only
observable in regard to the degree of reaction, or glow of
increased warmth ; and, in the exceptional cases, by the
feverish heat which follows their use ; but also in regard
to the system generally. The spirits, the digestion, and
the appetite, are all so much stimulated, as to convince
those bathers who may have been previously the most
sceptical as to the powerful and extraordinary action of
the baths of these waters upon the animal economy. In
the course of the last thirty-five years a very large
number of medical men have been led to make trial of
the Buxton bath for the relief of their own ailments;
and many of these gentlemen had their trust in the
medicinal value of the water much influenced by the
older analyses, and expressed their scepticism in suffi-
ciently unqualified terms before using the bath. But this
want of belief in the peculiar and remarkable character
of the waters has never failed to be removed by the use
of the bath, even on the first time of bathing. The
gaseous character of the waters, so evident when bathing
in them — and the marked degree of excitement which

STIMULATING EFFECT. — THE WATER FEVER. 165’

follows tlie use of tlie bath — have invariably produced a
complete recantation of all preliminary doubts and dis-
paraging opinions.

The stimulating effect produced by the bath usually
lasts during the subsequent twelve or fourteen hours.
In cases of disordered action, the use of the bath is
sometimes followed by an increase of feverishness, pain,
or stiffness, according to the nature of the ailment.
This effect may begin to be felt from six to twelve hours
after bathing, and may continue in greater or less degree,,
from a few hours to twenty-four hours, or longer. It is
almost always desirable that this effect should be allowed
to subside before the bath is made use of again. There-
is a more lasting effect of this kind, which frequently
follows the use of several baths of this water, and which
is well described as the water-fever. This is often to be
regarded as an indication that the baths are acting upon
and influencing the system and the morbid condition, and
that the use of them will be eventually beneficial; the
question for consideration being, perhaps, whether their
use should be interrupted, or whether they should be
used more sparingly, or whether the use of the warm
baths should be substituted for that of the natural baths,
either temporarily or otherwise. These more powerful
effects of the baths are usually controlled by using them
only every second, or every third day, or on two successive
days with the interruption of the third day ; and by
regulating the time of remaining in the bath, according
to the strength, excitability, or other peculiarities of
individual cases. Such restrictions have, moreover, an
additional object. Whether the primary excitement
from the use of the baths is considerable in its degree or
otherwise, and whether the water-fever is evidenced
strongly or otherwise, a course of these baths is almost
always followed by some degree of general debility. This

166 SECONDARY EFFECT OF THE BATHS.

is first noticeable in the circulation: the pulse at tbe
wrist, and tbe heart’s action become more feeble ; but it
is early marked by langour and feebleness, and indisposi-
tion to make any exertion, despondency, diminished
appetite, and disturbed or lethargic sleep. The degree
of this secondary * effect of the baths is usually
inconsiderable; and it is generally of short duration,
when the baths are made use of with the interruption of
certain days, when the course is not unwisely prolonged,
and when the several immersions have not been for too
long a time. But it is right to say, that when such
precautions are not used, these effects are sometimes so
great as to be of serious importance. It would not be to
give a fair account of the medicinal effect of the Buxton
baths, nor to offer a caution which is often needful, as to
the use of the baths, if this were not thus stated in
unqualified terms. It often happens, that strong and
otherwise healthy individuals, suffering- only from localised
rheumatism of some part of the trunk of the body, or of
the limbs, referable to exposure to cold and wet — as in the
instance of miners, who frequently have to lie down at
their work, with one or both legs, and perhaps one hip,
and perhaps even one side of the body, covered with
water, and this during days and even weeks in succession
. — are tempted, from an anxiety to obtain relief, and to
return to their homes as soon as possible, to bathe more
frequently than is advised, or to remain longer in the
bath than is directed, with the consequence of a sudden
and great prostration of power, sometimes resulting in
important and serious disadvantage. Within a single week,
such strong and even athletic patients, without previous
appreciable disturbance or deranged function of any
internal viscus, with an ascertained healthy condition of
the circulation, respiration, membranes, and faculties,
have presented themselves in a state of much languor and

i

HISTORY OF SUCCESSIVE ANALYSES. 167

exhaustion, evidenced by the condition of the heart’s
action, and every other least inistakeable indication ; and
all this extreme effect has been referable only to the use
of the bath daily, and the having remained in the bath
every time from five to fifteen minutes longer than had
been ordered.

Such effects as these are not experienced after the use
of baths of ordinary water at any temperature, or
repeated or continued to any extent ; and the enquiry is
naturally and at once suggested, as to the cause to which
these effects are to be ascribed. The chemical constitution
of these waters has therefore been a subject of speculation
and inquiry, from the earliest records. It can be no
subject of surprise, that every generation of men, seeing
the great and marvellous healing powers of these waters,
should have become dissatisfied with the investigations
as to the chemical ingredients which had hitherto been
made, feeling their utter inadequacy to explain so
considerable an amount of medicinal effect. And thus,
during the long space of three hundred years, have these
waters been the subject of anxious and painstaking
investigation, to the successive generations of chemists
and medical men; leaving every succeeding race of
investigators virtually as unable as before to explain
satisfactorily and conclusively the effect of the waters,
by reference to their ascertained composition. And yet
the confidence expressed by the successive medical
observers, has been unvarying ; and the kinds of diseases
for the relief of which they are found to be so useful,
are the same as in the earliest times. The temperature,
and the flow, and the clearness and brightness, and the
freedom from smell or very marked taste, have been no
less unvarying, than the effects on certain morbid
conditions of the human system, and than the chemical
constituents, whatever these may be.

168 SPECULATIVE INFERENCES OF DR. JONES.

After the imperfect investigation which the state of
science in that age enabled him to make, Dr. Jones, in
his curious hook (published in the year 1572), is obliged
to content himself with the conclusion, that the qualities
of the water are due to the presence of “some excellent
ore, rather than either brimstone, alum, bitumen, iron,
copper, or any such like, for then it should in drinking
be perceived by the taste. Albeit true it is, as affirmeth
Galen, all such hot baths of such minerals have force of
drying, but in these you have no such sense, but so fair,
so pleasant, and so delectable, that it would seem to be a
dulce bath, made by art rather than by nature ; howbeit
the effects declare brimstone to be therein. Sea water
often strained through sand, becomes sweet, and so may
these waters being strained through the earth, lose their
minei’al taste, but retain great virtue both manifest and
hidden.” Here may be remarked, even in those earlier
days, when analytical chemistry could do so little, the
full admission as to the powerful effect of the waters
upon disease, that this effect must be ascribed to some
medicinal constituent, and the conjecture that the
constituent may be sulphur, or some similar agent,
deprived by filtration, or some equally powerful means, of
its taste or smell, but being left in other respects in an
efficient condition. Of the long catalogue of strangely-
named ailments, for which this water was then said to be
curative, Dr. Jones places “Rheums” (rheumatism) at
the head, as is done at the present time; and in the list,
there are female weakness and irregularities, relaxed and
irritable states of the mucous membranes, with their
many and varied morbid consequences : most clearly
indicating, that the large proportion of the invalids at
that time resorting to the Buxton baths, were suffering
from the same disordered conditions of system, as the
greater number of those who make use of them at this
time for the relief of their ailments.

I

DR. LISTER’S AND DR. LEIGH’S INVESTIGATIONS. 169

Dr. Lister, the second in date of the ancient investi-
gators of the Buxton water, any traces of whose works
have been preserved, describes the medicinal effects of
the baths as being stimulating, and states that, if too
long continued, they produce wasting, feverishness, and
debility ; referring the effects to the small proportion of
iron, which he affirms that he could taste, but could not
otherwise detect ; and stating, moreover, that the water
contains a small proportion of common salt, and of
calcareous earth.

Dr. Leigh, who wrote previously to 1671, testifies to
the “ surprising effects ” which he had observed from the
use of the baths in cases of rheumatism. He says :
“ Persons that could not go before without the help of
crutches, came from thence to Manchester on foot without
them, viz., sixteen miles.” The distance, according to
the modern measurement, is twenty-four miles; and it
will be noticed, that ancient authors generally, in
mentioning the distances from place to place in the
district, state them as being two-thirds of the distances
as estimated by modern measurement. Dr. Leigh ascribes
the medicinal effect of the water to “ marine salt, and
the sal catharticum amarum, with the nitrum calcarium.”

Dr. Short, in 1733, made a much more careful chemical
examination of the Buxton tepid water than any which
had been made previously. He says, in his preface :
“ Many of the (mineral) waters in use have been so
superficially examined, that it is impossible to draw any
certain conclusion concerning their contents, or what
they are or are not ; and therefore they should be more
thoroughly searched and sifted. Buxton, for instance,
which though it has justly maintained its character these
two thousand years, yet has there no pains been taken to
discover its impregnating principles, except by Dr.
John Jones (a Welshman, who lived some time at King’s

M

170 er. short’s investigations.

Meadow, near Derby), near two hundred years ago; and
a transient visit made to it by Dr. Lister. Matlock,
though much frequented of late years, yet the world are
strangers to its contents, though some would have us
believe that its virtues are exactly the same with those of
Bristol (Clifton) ; but offer neither argument nor
experiment to support their opinion.” He says : “ Since
hhese waters continually bring up so large and numerous
bubbles with an impetuous force from the bowels of the
earth, then must their interstices be richly stored with
this fine air ; ” and he seems to have been inclined to refer
the medical action of the waters, either directly or
indirectly, to this air; but would not appear to have
endeavoured to estimate the proportion of the air con-
tained in the waters, nor to ascertain its character. He
ascribes the principal effects of the water to “ its warmth
and mineral spirit ; ” stating that he could not refer the
medicinal effects to the solid chemical constituents, which
he computed to be only 26 grains in the imperial gallon,
of which he estimated 13 grains to be calcareous, and the
remainder to consist of marine salt and nitre in equal
proportions. Dr. Short testifies to the good effects which
he had seen from the use of the baths in cases of gout
and rheumatism ; and then says, that he would refer the
medicinal action of the waters to “a subtle mineral
principle or spirit, wrapt up in the air (contained in
■them).” He mentions the favourable effects from these
baths in cases of contraction and stiffness of the limbs,
the consequence of “ rheumatic and arthritic pains.”
He concludes that the water is highly impregnated with
a mineral steam, vapour, or spirit, containing a most
subtle and impalpable sulphur ; herein following the idea
suggested by Dr. Jones so long before ; but not seeming
-to be conscious that he had borrowed the theory from any
preceding writer, although he had quoted largely from

l

DBS. HUNTER, PERCIVAL, AND HIGGINS’ ANALYSES. 171

Dr. Jones’s work. Dr. Short mentions the effects which
he had witnessed from the use of the baths in relieving
uterine obstructions, in removing periosteal thickenings,
in removing the effects of old sprains, in affording relief
"to certain disordered conditions of the kidneys and
bladder; and he advises that both the baths and the
drinking- of the waters should be used with discrimination ;
by no means always or necessarily drinking the waters
and using the bath at the same time, or in all cases ; but
drinking the waters in some cases, bathing in others, and
in some cases using the waters in both ways. Dr. Short
says also, “ let me add once for all, that as this water is
•of such a nature as I have mentioned, so it is not to be
trifled with, for if it be unnecessarily used it will
•certainly do harm ; and he judiciously adds that the use
■of the waters is not advisable in inflammatory cases, nor
“ in consumptions attended with a rapid motion of the
hlood, and weak pulmonary vessels.”

Dr. Hunter published a “ Treatise on the Nature and
Virtues of the Waters of Buxton,” in 1765. The results
of his analysis are nearly the same as those of Dr. Short.
His estimate of the proportion of “ calcareous earth ” is
somewhat larger than that of Dr. Short, and of the
proportion of “sea salt” and “native alkali ” is somewhat
smaller ; but his total results, as to the amount of the
saline constituents, and their nature, are nearly the same.

Dr. Percival made “ Experiments and Observations on
the Buxton Waters,” which were published in the sixty-
second volume of the “ Philosophical Transactions.”
The estimate of the total saline constituents deducible
from these experiments is nearly the same as that of Dr.
Short ; and they are referred to the headings — sea salt,
calcareous earth, and alkali.

Dr. Higgins published an analysis of the Buxton
waters in 1782, and, so far as the solid constituents of

172

dr. pearson’s analysis.

the -water, the analysis is singularly successful. With
the needful correction, to make the result correspond with
the imperial gallon of water, it would be as follows : —

Sea Salt

Calcareous earth, combined with acidulous

Sulphate of lime

Chloride of magnesium

Iron, combined with acidulous gas

Grains.

4-6

gas .. 15-1

2-0

1-6

0-6

Saline constituents in an imperial gallon,.. 23'9

This appears to have been the only instance, previously
to Dr. Lyon Playfair’s analysis, in which any trace of
iron was detected in these waters.

In 1784, Dr. Pearson published his great and excellent
work entitled “ Observations and Experiments for In-
vestigating the Cbymical History of the Tepid Springs
of Buxton.” It is to this analysis, that the discoveiy of
the nature of the gaseous impregnation of the waters is
to be referred. The following paragraph is a summary
of the more important of Dr. Pearson’s observations and
discoveries, which may be supposed to be still of general
interest, or to bear upon the character and properties of
the water in the present day.

“ The water is of crystalline transparency, and is
colourless. When a large bulk of it is viewed together, ,
as that contained in the baths, where it is four or five
feet deep, it is colourless, and objects may be seen i
through it. This crystalline fluid exhibits bright bubbles,
of the size of the smallest pin’s head, adhering to the
sides of any vessel containing it, or whatever is immersed !
in it. The baths contain these bubbles in every part of
them, especially upon a little agitation. Moreover,
streams or clusters of these bubbles, of various sizes,
from the magnitude of the smallest pin’s head to the
bulk of a cherry, or even sometimes of a billiard ball,
every now and then break out from the floorings of the
baths, and dart perpendicularly upward through the

SUMMARY OF DR. PEARSON’S OBSERVATIONS. 173

whole thickness of the water. In a portion of the water
that has ceased to manifest bubbles in a temperate heat,
by exposing it to a greater degree of heat, they will
again appear. There is no smell from this fluid, nor will
it become fetid by standing, as some have asserted. It
is perfectly insipid ; in particular it has not the slightest
acidulous taste. The temperature is 81 £ to 82 degrees,
according to Fahrenheit’s scale. There is every reason
to believe that this water has been at precisely the same
temperature for many hundred, perhaps many thousand
years. It has certainly been of the same heat since this
property was first determined by the use of specifically
graduated thermometers, more than thirty years ago
(1750-53). When the bath is agitated, as by the plunging
of the bathers, the transparency of the water is changed
to that of turbidness ; but as soon as the commotion
subsides, it becomes instantly clear as before. This
turbid appearance has been ascribed to impurities or to
sedimentary matters deposited on the pavement of the
bath, and stirred up and mixed with the water ; but it
certainly is not occasioned by this circumstance, because
it may be produced at all times, even immediately after
the bath has been thoroughly cleansed and refilled, and
when there is no sediment either observable or by any
possibility present. Moreover, when glass vessels were
filled with this turbid water it appeared perfectly clear,
nor did it deposit any sediment on standing. (This
muddy appearance is no doubt referable to the large
quantity of gas that is mixed with or suspended in the
water.) The medicinal qualities of this water chiefly
depend upon a permanent vapour. This permanent
vapour (gas) is inodorous, is not acidulous, occurs in
exceedingly minute bubbles, which are diffused through-
out the whole bulk of the water, and are not by any
means merely adherent to the sides of the vessel

174

dr. pearson’s experiments.

containing it. This vapour (gas) is elastic, yielding to
pressure, and recovering its former volume when the
pressure is removed. It continues as a vapour at all
temperatures, and is colourless. It cannot support
combustion. The gleam of a taper introduced into it
was constantly extinguished. Animal life is supported
by it, or maintained in it, during a much shorter time
than if allowed to respire an equal amount of atmospheric
air. Many kinds of water contain more atmospheric air
than this water, and many kinds of water contain more
carbonic acid gas ; but none appear to contain the same
amount as this water, of this peculiar, elastic, and
aeriform principle. We are instructed, as the results of
many experiments, that this water does not contain any
inpregnation which is evidenced to the senses, except
the permanent vapour, which is not carbonic acid gas,
nor any vapour which is odorous, — that the heat of the
water much exceeds the temperature of the ordinary
springs of the district ; the temperature of such springs
being usually about 48 or 50 degrees ; — and that the
water contains acid of vitriol (sulphuric acid) and marine
acid (muriatic acid) combined with lime and alkali, and
carbonic acid combined with lime, in addition to its
impregnation with the permanent vapour.”

Dr. Pearson estimated the gaseous impregnation to be
only one-fourteenth part of the bulk of the water, at
ordinary temperature, and under ordinary pressure ; and
the following was the result of his analysis of the solid

ingredients : —

Chloride of sodium

Sulphate of lime

Carbonate of lime .

In the Imp. Gallon.

2' 338

3-333

14-000

Total solid ingredients per imperial gallon 19-066
or 19i grains.

ANALYSIS BY SIK C. SCUDAMORE AND MR. GARDEN. 175-

In the year 1819, or thirty-five years after the date of
Dr. Pearson’s analysis, Sir Charles Scudamore and Mr.
Garden jointly examined the Buxton tepid waters, with,
the appliances and greater accuracy of the more advanced
state of science.

According to the careful and excellent analysis per-
formed by these gentlemen, the imperial gallon of the'
waters was estimated to contain : —

Grains.

Chloride of magnesium ‘773

Chloride of sodium 3’200

Sulphate of lime '800

Carbonate of lime 13 866

Extractive matter ‘666

Loss '693

19-998

or 20 grains of solid or saline matter.

The examination of the gaseous impregnation of ther
water, served to confirm Dr. Pearson’s discovery as to the
nature of the gas. In the words of Sir Charles
Scudamore, “ Dr. Pearson found that the proportion of
carbonic acid, in the Buxton water, did not exceed the
half of what is found in many common springs. He had
the merit of discovering the separate existence of azote'
in this water, a principle which had never been detected
by any preceding chemist in any water. In the imperfect
state of chemistry, thirty-six years ago (1783-1819), the
nature of azote was unknown, and he described it “as
being a permanent vapour, composed probably of air and
phlogiston.’ The present analysis gave about one-fifth
more of azote in a gallon than appears from Dr. Pearson’s
conclusions.”*

According to Sir Charles Scudamore’s and Mr. Garden’s
analysis, the imperial gallon of the waters appeared to-
contain of gaseous impregnation : —

*A Treatise on Mineral Waters. 2nd Edition. London, 1833.

176

dr. lyon playpair’s analysis.

Carbonic acid
Nitrogen

Total .

Cubic Inches.

2 00

....;.. 6T8

8'18

The proportion of nitrogen was supposed to be rather
more than three times that of the carbonic acid contained
in the waters.

In 1852, the water was analysed by Dr. Lyon Playfair,
with the subjoined result : —

Analytical Report on the Water of the Thermal Springs
of Buxton, by Dr. Lyon Playfair, C.B., F.R.S.

“ Museum of Practical Geology and Government
School of Mines.

“ London, July 24th, 1852.

“ To Sidney Smithers, Esq.

“ Sir, — In consequence of a request made by you, on
behalf of His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, I visited
Buxton on the 8th and 9th of April, for the purpose of
collecting the water of the thermal spring for analysis.

“ The water was collected partly in glass -stoppered
bottles, and partly in earthenware jars. The gas, as it
issued from the crevices of rock and bubbled through the
water, was caught by an inverted funnel, and collected
in glass bottles filled with th6 thermal water itself.
These bottles were then sealed on the spot; and the
evidence derived from the gas contained in them shows,
that the precautions used for preventing the access of
air were quite successful.

“ It is not necessary for me to describe the physical
conditions under which the thermal springs appear at
Buxton. It may be sufficient to state, that they issue
from fissures in the limestone, and are accompanied by
frequent but intermittent bursts of gas, which escape
partly as large bubbles, and partly in innumerable small

DR. LYON PLAYFAIR’S ANALYSIS.

177

bubbles, giving to water freshly collected in glass
vessels, all the appearance of soda water.

“The water is clear, sparkling, inodorous, and when
cool, is almost tasteless. Its temperature is 82 degrees
Fahrenheit, and its specific gravity T0003.

“ Two points had specially to be attended to in the
analysis of the waters, — firstly, to ascertain the nature
and quantities of the ingredients in solution; and,
secondly, the character and composition of the gas
accompanying them.

“ In order to be sure that every ingredient came under
my observation, I caused 100 gallons of the water to be
evaporated down to about half a gallon, and examined
the deposit and residual solution for bodies which might
be present in such small quantity as to escape detection
in the unconcentrated water. The precaution was found
to have been necessary, for, in addition to the ordinary
constituents of the waters, two more rarely occurring
bodies — viz., fluorine and phosphoric acid — were found to
be present, although only in minute quantity. The
amount of fluorine was, however, sufficient to etch glass
when applied with proper precautions. Neither iodine
nor bromine could be detected.

“ The following analysis gives the amount and nature
of the solid ingredients in one imperial gallon of the
water at 60 degrees : —

Grains.

Silica 0-666

Oxide of iron and alumina 0-240

Carbonate of lime 7-773

Sulphate of lime 2-323

Carbonate of magnesia 4-543

Chloride of magnesium 0-114

Chloride of sodium 2-420

Chloride of potassium 2-500

Fluorine (as fluoride of calcium) trace

Phosphoric acid (as phosphate of lime) trace

20-579

178 de. lyon playfair’s analysis.

“On examining1 the water, there were found present
carbonic acid and nitrogen, in addition to the solid
ingredients. It was important to estimate the amount of
the former in an exact manner. Some of the water was
received from the spring into a glass-stoppered bottle,
and the stopper was immediately inserted and secured.
One gallon of the water was found to contain altogether
13*164 grains of carbonic acid ; but of this quantity,
5*762 grains were due to the carbonates of lime and
magnesia, and therefore only 7 "402 grains could in any
sense be considered as free. Again, the carbonates of
lime and magnesia are present as bicarbonates, or car-
bonates dissolved in carbonic acid, and 5‘762 grains of
carbonic acid would require to be added for this purpose.
Hence of the 7'402 grains, or 15*66 cubic inches of
gaseous carbonic acid in the water, only 1‘640 grains, or
3-47 cubic inches, can be considered as wholly free and
uncombined.

“ The nitrogen in the water could only be present
in solution, and not in combination ; and as there
is no very accurate method for ascertaining the precise
quantity of this gas in the water at any given tem-
perature, it was considered chiefly important to ascer-
tain accurately the composition of the escaping gas,
as this would indicate that of the gas held in solution.
The following are the analyses of two portions of the gas
collected as formerly described, the analyses being given
according to volume.

i. n. Mean.

Carbonic acid 1'169 1164 1'167

Nitrogen 98-831 98-836 98'833

Oxygen trace trace trace

100-000 100-000 100 000
“ The gas, therefore, consists entirely of carbonic acid
and nitrogen ; for the oxygen, which did not amount to
one-tenth per cent, may be viewed as quite accidental,

dr. lyon playfair’s analysis.

179’

arising probably from tbe corks used to close the bottles.

“Judging from tbe analysis and proportion of the
gases, it is assumed that at the moment of issue, tbe water
is charged with 206 cubic inches of nitrogen, and 15-66
cubic inches of carbonic acid. This assumption is
founded upon the proportional relation of the two gases.
The proportion of carbonic acid in the water being
determined, and the proportion of carbonic acid to that
of nitrogen contained in the water being 1‘2 to 98'8, the-
amount of nitrogen contained in the water at the moment
of issue may fairly be assumed to be 206 cubic inches per
gallon.

“ Before remarking further on the above analysis, it
may be useful to refer to that by Scudamore. The
analysis given by him was upon the wine gallon, which
is one-fourth less than the imperial gallon. Correcting
for this difference Scudamore found twenty grains of
solid matter in a gallon — a result not materially different
from that detailed above. The solid ingredients do indeed
differ to some extent in the two analyses ; but it must be
recollected that analytical chemistry is now in a much
more advanced state ; and instead of being surprised at
the difference, we are rather inclined to admire the
precision with which the points had been made out.

“ From a consideration of the previous analysis, I am
inclined to ascribe the medicinal effects of the water
almost entirely to its gaseous constituents. The water r
deprived of its gases, has the composition of an ordinary"
spring water, with the exception of the fluorine and
phospheric acid, both of which are present in mere-
traces ; and it is therefore difficult to conceive that they
can have any medicinal effect when the water is used for
baths. The gases are, however, nearly of the same-
composition as those of the thermal spring at Bath, and'
there is no reason to doubt that dissolved carbonic acid

180 DR. SHERIDAN MUSPRATT’S ANALYSIS.

and nitrogen may exert important physiological effects.
At all events, the singular chemical character of the
Buxton tepid water must be ascribed to its gaseous and
not to its solid ingredients.

“ Sir,

“ I have the honour to be,

“Your obedient and faithful servant,

“LYON PLAYFAIR, F.R.S.”

In the year 1860, Dr. Sheridan Muspratt, of Liverpool,
published the following analysis of the Buxton tepid
waters : —

Carbonate of lime

Carbonate of magnesia

Carbonate of protoxide of iron

Sulphate of lime

Chloride of calcium

Chloride of magnesium

Chloride of sodium

Chloride of potassium

Silica

Nitric acid

Organic matter

Floride of calcium

Phosphate of lime

Grains in the
Imp. gallon.

8541

3-741

0 082

0 330

1-227

0-463

2-405

0-260

1-044

trace

0-341

— | trace

Total per gallon 18-434

Free carbonic acid 3-5 cubic inches

Nitrogen 5040 „ „

In 1876, the well-known chemist M. Otto Hehner,
when on a visit to Buxton, became so much interested in
the character and medicinal value of this water, as,
without solicitation or recompense, to undertake a new
analysis of its saline ingredients, especially moved thereto
by the wish to ascertain, by the more recently discovered
means of Spectrum Analysis, whether any hitherto
undetected constituents of medical interest might, be
obtained from it. The analysis, however, resulted in
confirming the accuracy of the previous analyses, with

M. OTTO HEHNER’S ANALYSIS. 181

the discovexy of a small but notable quantity of lithiaj-
anil a veiy small quantity of iodine, but in both cases too
small to allow of a quantitative determination. M.-
Hehner did not examine the water as to its gaseous
constituents, “ aware that the nitrogen is the chief and
most remarkable constituent of the water, but I
considered its presence is so far beyond all doubt, that,
even with better means of collection than were at my
command when I obtained the samples for analysis, it
appeal’s questionable to me whether I could have added
anything to Dr. Playfair’s and Dr. Muspratt’s results.”
It cannot but be a satisfaction that the saline ingx’edients
had been so l-ecently examined, more than confii’ming
the accuracy of previous investigations, and leaving the
nitrogen contained in the water the ostensible cause of
its medicinal value.

M. Otto Hehneb’s Analysis of Saline Constituents
only, 1876.

Grains per Imperial Gallon.

Chloride of Sodium 4-51717

Sulphate of Soda 0’20233

Sulphate of Potash 0-66866

Sulphate of Ammonium 0-01564

Sulphate of Lime 0-67364

Nitrate of Lime 0'25660

Carbonate of Lime 9-18584

Carbonate of Magnesia 4-72693

Carbonate of Iron 0 03709

Carbonate of Manganese 0-00847

Silica 0-83769

Total 21 13006

Phosphoric Acid trace

Iodine . trace

Lithia trace

The most recent analyses of the thermal water of
Buxton are by Dr. Thresh. This important examination
required three separate analyses. As in the examination
of the water by Sir Lyon Playfair, the words of the
analyst are quoted, and the several analyses are detailed.

182

DR. THRESH’S ANALYSES.

Dr. Thresh’s Analyses op the Residual Deposit
from the Buxton Water, op the Gas op the
Water, and op its Saline Constituents, 1880,
81, 82.

“ The last analysis made of the Buxton thermal water
occupied most of the writer’s leisure during the winters
of 1880-81, and 1881-82. Residing upon the spot, and
with a laboratory within a vei-y shoi-t distance, unusual
facilities were enjoyed for making a prolonged and
searching chemical investigation. The complete examina-
tion necessitated three series of analyses ; the first, of
the mud deposited near the mouth of the spring; the
second, of the gas issuing from the spring, and of the
gas dissolved in the water; and the third, of the saline
constituents.

“ Every thermal water deposits more or less rapidly
upon cooling, or from loss of carbonic acid gas or exposure
to the air, a mud or sinter, differing in appearance and in
composition according to the character of the strata
through which the waters pass in their subteiTanean
journeyings. Very frequently the examination of such
deposits reveals the presence of elements which, on account
of their excessively slight solubility, are present in the
water in such minute quantities, that their presence may
be overlooked in an analysis of the water itself.

“ When the springs and reservoirs into which the
water flows were examined, the slabs, walls, &c., were
found to be coated with a vei-y dark brown mud which
stained the skin when rubbed between the finger and
thumb. It appeared of a peculiar character, and it was
felt that its analysis could not but yield interesting
results. Such proved to be the case. It was found to
consist chiefly of the higher oxides of manganese in a
hydrated condition, and capable of combining with

DR. THRESH’S ANALYSES.

183

oxygen when exposed to the air, or to water containing
oxygen in solution. In composition it corresponds closely
with that of many samples of psilomelane and wad, ores
of manganese. The importance of the inference to be
drawn from this discovery will be discussed later on.
Molybdenum has never before been discovered either in
a mineral water or in a deposit from such a spring, but
probably is derived from a molybdate of lead which may
frequently be found in cavities of limestone rocks. The
tabulated result of the analysis is appended

“ Oxide of manganese ;. 80-32

Sulphate of barium, sand, &c 1-08

Lead oxide -15

Copper oxide -07

Molybdic acid -02

Cobalt oxide -30

Iron and aluminium oxides 1-36

Zinc oxide -46

Barium oxide -79

Calcium oxide 5-31

Strontium oxide a trace

Magnesium oxide 3-18

Carbon dioxide 3-23

Phosphoric acid ' -oi

Water 3-93

100-21

“The results obtained by the analysis of the gas
evolved at the spring were in close accordance with
those of Dr. Playfair, but it was noted that the
composition of this gas varied slightly, according
to the length of time during which it was allowed to
remain in contact with the water under the reduced
pressure to which it is subject when it has risen to the
earth’s surface. Thus the mean of two analyses of the
gas collected at the mouth of the spring, and at once
removed from contact with water, gave

Nitrogen qq.19

Carbonic acid -88

whilst some of the gas which had been allowed to stand
over a little water, gave : —

Nitrogen

Carbonic acid 1-37

184

DR. THRESH’S ANALYSES.

“ This difference would be inexplicable were Dr. Play-
fair’s assumption correct. Undoubtedly at some little
depth the free gas consists of pure nitrogen, whilst at a
still greater depth even that will be in solution.

In determining the amount and composition of the
gas held in solution by the water at the moment of issue
from the springs, the greatest care was taken to obtain
reliable and accurate results, and as an appendix to the
original paper an illustrated description will be found of
the apparatus used in collecting and measuring the gases.
The mean of a number of experiments gave the follow-

ing results: —

Cubic Inches per
gallon of water.

Nitrogen 61

Carbonic acid gas 4-1

Total 10-2

From this the calculated percentage composition is —

Nitrogen 5978

Carbonio acid gas 40-22

Total 100'

“ To dissolve 10-2 cubic inches of such a gaseous
mixture at a temperature of 81 '5 F. (that of the thermal

water) would require a pressure of P64 atmospheres, con-
sequently on exposing the freshly drawn water, bubbles
of free gas commence to make their appearance, and after
a time the excess passes off, but this takes place if the
water is not agitated, much more slowly than might be
anticipated, considering the insoluble character of the
gas. In fact when the water is agitated, as in bathing,
the surplus gas is liberated almost instantaneously, and
in bubbles so minute that the water becomes opalescent.
Doubtless much of the gas is liberated within the very
pores of the .skin during bathing, and acts in what may
be considered its semi-nascent state, producing effects
altogether unattainable by use of the same agent in any
other condition.

DK. THKESH’S ANALYSES.

185-

“ The analysis of the minei'al constituents was con-
ducted after the manner of Baron Bunsen, in his-
examination of the mineral springs of Baden-Baden,
The process, though exceedingly tedious, leaves nothing'
to be desired as regards the accuracy of the results, and
has the advantage over older methods in allowing these
results to be so completely checked that there is little
danger of overlooking any of the constituents. As was-
previously stated the whole of the elements present in the
deposit were not found in the residue obtained by evapora-
tion of large quantities of the water, but this was doubt-
less owing to their almost entire insolubility, and to our
ignorance of reactions sufficiently delicate to detect such
minute quantities. Calculated into grains per gallon*
the water was estimated to contain —

Bicarbonate of calcium 14-01

„ magnesium 6-02

» iron ‘03

„ manganese -03

Sulphate of barium -05

„ calcium *26

„ potassium -62

„ sodium -81

Nitrate of sodium -03

Chloride of calcium -02

Chloride of sodium 3-10

„ ammonium trace

„ magnesium -95

Silicic acid *g5

Organic matter -02

Carbon dioxide *20

Nitrogen .jg

27'32

Lithium, strontium, lead, and phosphoric acid, traces.

From this analysis, or rather from the manner in which
the results are expressed, it would appear as if the
quantity of saline matter per gallon was much in excess-

N

186

DR. THRESH’S ANALYSES.

of that found by any other observer ; but this difference
is only apparent, and arises from the fact that the com-
pounds represented by them as carbonates are found here
as bicarbonates. The carbonates of calcium, magnesium,
iron, and manganese are practically insoluble in water,
but in the presence of carbonic acid the bicarbonates are
formed and these dissolve. Upon evaporating a water
containing such salts, they are decomposed, the carbonic
acid being given off and an insoluble carbonate remaining.
This decomposition is readily seen when a little of the
Buxton thermal water is boiled in a glass flask. Hence,
whilst the last analysis represents, as nearly as can be
ascertained, the composition of the saline matter as it
exists in the water, the former ones merely represent the
result of the analysis of the water residue.

“ The waters of many mineral springs vary in com-
position from time to time, certain constituents gradually
increasing or diminishing ; and to ascertain whether any
change is taking place in the Buxton thermal water,
it is necessax-y to compare the results of such analyses as
may be applicable for that purpose. Unfortunately, on
account of their imperfect character, the results of the
examinations made during the last century are not avail-
able. The results since obtained are tabulated below to
facilitate comparison. In each case the carbonates men-
tioned in the older analyses are calculated into their
equivalents of bicarbonates, as it is in this state that
they exist in the water.

i

DR.

Calcium bicarbonate

Magnesium

Iron „

Manganese „

Barium sulphate

Calcium

Plumbic

Potassium „

Sodium „

Ammonium,

Sodium nitrate

Calcium

Calcium fluoride

Sodium chloride

Potassium „

Ammonium

Calcium

Magnesium,

Silica

Organic matter (and loss)

Strontium

Bithium

Phosphates

Iodides

Total grains per gallon

tESH’S

ANALYSES.

187

©

o fl

c3 § *-•
r3 cc a3

H

*3

t>>

■+3

eg

H

Pi

CO

*4

©

a

4

©

g o

U2

ja

s

p

a

©

W

3

EH

19967

11-193

12-299

13-278

14-010

—

6-919

5698

7-199

6011

"240*

•113

.051

•031

—

—

—

.011

•028

—

—

—

•048

•800

2-323

•330

•674

•260

—

—

—

—

•004

—

—

—

•669

•621

—

—

—

•202

•843

—

—

—

•016

—

—

—

trace

—

•026

—

—

—

•257

—

—

trace

trace

—

•020

3'200

2-420

2-405

4 517

3'088

—

2-500

•260

—

—

—

—

—

—

•002

—

—

1-227

—

—

•773

•114

•463

—

•953

—

•666

1-044

•838

•949

1-359

—

•341

trace

•201

—

—

—

—

trace

—

—

—

trace

trace

—

—

trace

—

trace

—

—

—

trace

—

26-099

26-375

24-180

27-662

27096

“ It will be noticed that Muspratt’s results differ
considerably from the others, and we must conclude
■either that he did not obtain his water from the same
source as the other analysts, or that the saline constituents
had varied considerably between the years 1852 and 1860.
There is, of course, just the possibility of an error having-
crept into this analysis, or into the calculation of the
results : but, as we have no details of the examination, we
cannot judge whether such is the case or not. It will be
remembered, however, that the thermal waters supplying
the baths, wells, &c., are not derived from a single spring,
hut from a number of springs arising in close proximity.
These are now built over, hence it is difficult to obtain
access to them, or to ascertain their number ; but in 1646,

* Oxide of iron and aluminia.

188

DR. THRESH’S ANALYSES.

before tbe present buildings were erected, there were
said to be nine springs within a radius of eight yards,
eight of which were warm and the ninth cold. The two
principal springs arise immediately beneath the slabs at
the bottom of the gentlemen’s natural bath, and have
precisely the same temperature; but a more uninter-
rupted stream of gas-bubbles comes to the sui’face at one
spring than at another. There is therefore a possibility
that a slight difference might be detected in the consti-
tuents of one or more of these springs ; and, if such were
the case, the variations in the analysis would be readily
accounted for, were the waters not collected at the same
source. Unfortunately, previous analysts do not mention
where or how their samples were obtained ; but so far as
can be ascertained, the water examined by Playfair was
taken from one of the principal springs, whilst that
employed in the two last analyses was derived from the
bath over the springs. In this case Playfair’s result
represents the composition of the waters of one only of
the springs, and the others that of the mixed waters of
all the springs.

“ Scudamore and Garden found only four salts, whereas
Playfair enumerates ten. Muspratt twelve, Hehner thir-
teen, anfl.the writer eighteen. It does not follow that a
proportionately large number of elements was detected in
each case ; but merely that the relative quantities of acids
and bases lead to the inference that they are combined in
so many different ways. Thus suppose three acids and
three bases to be present, these may be united to form
not less than three salts or more than nine ; and whether
these or any intermediate number are assumed to exist
in it, depends chiefly upon the proportions of the various
radicles ; but not unfrequently the result is influenced by
the theoretical views of the analyst. A careful consider-
ation of the results will, however, lead anyone capable of

DR. THRESH’s ANALYSES.

189

judging1 to tlie conclusion that Muspratt had analysed a
water from a different source to that from which the
others were obtained, and that from the defective method
of analysis Scudamore and Garden’s result cannot be
used for comparison. Taking, therefore, only the analysis
of Playfair, Hehner, and the writer, the saline consti-
tuents appear to vary slightly from time to time both in
character and in quantity. The sulphates and potassium
salts have diminished; whilst the carbonates, sodium
salts, and silica have increased. The proportions of the
calcium and magnesium salts, and the total amount of
solid matter, however, vary to so small an extent as not
to affect in any way the distinctive character of the water.
With regard to the gaseous constituents, no change
whatever has taken place, the slight difference in the
analysis being doubtless due to the methods of collection.
The gas evolved at the spring- is nearly pure nitrogen,
and the amount of this gas dissolved in the water in 1852,
as calculated from Playfair’s results, is the same as has
recently been found by actual experiment.

“ On account of the special organic purity of the
water, the comparatively spiall quantity of the saline
constituents, and the large volume of nitrogen contained
in it, the Buxton spring is usually classed with those of
Gastein and Wildbad. It differs from these, however, in
containing in solution a much larger proportion of
nitrogen, whilst the gases evolved from the waters of
its congeners contain very considerable proportions of
oxygen (Gastein), or of oxygen and carbonic acid (Wild-
bad).

The springs at Gastein, in Austria, are 3,051 feet
above the sea level, and the waters have a temperature
varying from 95 degs. to 118 degs. Fahr. It is evident,
therefore, on account of this higher temperature,
that, upon coming to the surface, these waters must

190

DR. THRESH’S ANALYSES.

lose tlieir gaseous elements much more rapidly than the
Buxton waters, for the solubility of all gases diminishes
with increase of temperature. The evolved gas con-
sists of

Nitrogen 69'1 per cent

Oxygen 30-9 “

Carbonic acid «

and each gallon of water contains : —

Blearbonate of calcium 5U erains

„ magnesium -3 B

„ iron -7

„ sodium -0 „

„ manganese -3

Sulphate of sodium 15-1

„ potassium •! '

Chloride of sodium 3-6

Phosphates of aluminium -4 |

Silica 2'4

Fluorine, Strontium, and Organic matter traces

Total 28-6

“On account of the difference in the solubility of
oxygen and nitrogen, and of the proportion in which they
exist in the atmosphere, water when agitated with airr
takes up for every 65 volumes of nitrogen, 35 volumes of
oxygen, and therefore, is richer in oxygen relatively to
nitrogen than the atmosphere. Now the Gasteiu waters
evolve a gas differing from common air only in being
somewhat richer in oxygen, and therefore the gas held
in solution must contain a still larger proportion of the
latter element. By calculation based upon the analytical
data just given, the dissolved gas will consist of

Nitroeen 5-2’5 per cent.

Oxygen 47'5

And assuming the water as it issues from the earth to
remain as highly surcharged with gas as does that of the
Buxton Thermal Spring, it would only contain per
gallon —

Nitrogen 4 0 cubic inches.

Oxygen 3.6 „

or less than two -thirds the amount contained in the
Buxton Water. Supposing this water to have derived

DR. THRESH’S ANALYSES.

191

its nitrogen from the atmosphere, it must have passed in
its subterranean course through very different strata to
those traversed by the waters of the Buxton Thermal
Spring, since instead of losing oxygen, it has actually
become more highly charged with this gas.

“ The’Wildbad (Wiirtemburg) Springs, about fifty in
number, arise at an elevation of 1300 feet, have a
temperature of 96 degs- Fahr., and are found very
beneficial in cases of chronic rheumatism and gout.
They contain more nitrogen than the Gastein Springs,
and are in other respects more allied to those of Buxton,
Each gallon has been found to contain —

Sodium chloride

„ bicarbonate

„ sulphate

Potassium sulphate

2.0

Calcium bicarbonate

Magnesium

Manganese and iron

Silica

Total

The gas evolved consists of —

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Carbonic acid

*** w 1)

“ From which it is evident that, like the Buxton water

it has lost oxygen and taken up carbonic acid ; but
unlike it, it has not parted with the whole of the former
element. The composition of the gas held in solution
will be —

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Carbonic acid gas.

9.4

20

8S-6

per cent.

n

ft

“ assuming these warmer waters capable of remain-
ing as surcharged with gas, as do the Buxton waters,
they would only contain in each gallon 47 cubic inches
of nitxogen, or a little over two-thirds of the amount
found in the Buxton springs. Moreover, this would be

192

DR. THRESH’S ANALYSES.

highly diluted with carbonic acid, as one gallon of water
would contain —

Nitrogen 4’7 cubic inches.

Oxygen 10

Carbonic acid gas 44 3 „

“In its richness in nitrogen, therefore, the Buxton
water stands pre-eminent.”

Much merit is due to Dr. Thresh for this very com-
prehensive series of analyses. The examination of the
deposit from the water gives results of much interest,
whether it be held to solve the problem of the origin of
"the nitrogen in the water or not. By every chemist who
has examined the gases with which the Buxton thermal
water is charged, it is placed at the head of all mineral
waters that are so constituted, and is shewn to be sur-
charged with nitrogen, whatever medical value may
attach to such constitution. Even the well-known
mineral waters of Gastein and Wildbad, remarkable as
these waters are known to be for their medicinal
character, contain less of nitrogen gas than is evolved
by the Buxton mineral water, as demonstrated by Dr.
'Thresh’s calculations.

It will have been noticed, as the result of every one of
these successive analyses, not only that these waters have
been ascertained to be surcharged with nitrogen gas ; but
that this important element is disengaged on the issue of
the water from the limestone, and in such quantity as to be
.crowded throughout its interstices in the form of minute
bubbles of gas ; much larger bubbles being disengaged
from time to time, and rising to the surface of the
waters ; and that, when the water thus surcharged is
agitated, it loses its singularly beautiful transparency,
.and becomes thick or opalescent. This renders the
actual proportion of gas that may have been held in
:solution, under the pressure of the depths from which it

USES AND IMPORTANCE OF NITROGEN. 393

may liave arisen, or upon its liberation at the moment of
issue, of less practical significance, than that the gas is
thus brought into immediate contact with the skin of the
bather, in a form eminently available for absorption,
possibly, as inferred by Dr. Thresh, in a “ semi-noscent
state,” “within the very pores of the skin,” securing the
absorption into the system, and enabling its degree to be
added to, throughout the whole cutaneous surface, or
locally, by friction, kneading-, or massage, or by any
required amount of showers, sprays, or douches.

The different analyses of these waters, which have
been made at different and distant periods down to the
present time, have thus been set forth, in order to
indicate the difficulties which have at all times attended
the rationale of their effects in disease ; and to show how
early the opinion came to be entertained, that these
effects might be ascribed, in a principal or important
degree, to the character and quality of the gas or per-
manent vapour, which is contained in the water. It is
admitted to be still difficult to determine the precise
nature or extent of the effects of uncombined nitrogen,
when introduced into the human system, whether by
absorption through the skin, or through the mucous
membrane of the stomach. It may even be true, that
the whole of the medicinal effect of the water is not due
to the nitrogen which it contains. It may be in part
referable to some constituent, which even the greatly
advanced state of modern chemistry has not been able to
detect. But it is just to indicate, that the medicinal
action of nitrogen may not be unequal to produce great
medicinal effects, when so exhibited as to be absorbed into
the system with great readiness and in large amount.
The effect of nitrogen, throughout the economy of the
earth, is now known to be very great and all-important.
The agent which, only a few years ago, was considered

194 USES AND IMPORTANCE OP NITROGEN.

to be simply a diluent of the oxygen in the atmosphere,
and to have only the effect of lessening the action of
this great stimulating and oxydising principle, nitrogen
is now ascertained to be an important component
of many animal substances, and an indispensible element
in the nutriment of animal life. There is no single
particular in which the laborious and successful investi-
gations of modern chemists, and the applications of the
results to physiology and pathology, have been so
influential and important, as in the development and
elucidation of the importance of nitrogen, in its multi-
plied combined relations to the phenomena of life. The
high authority of Baron Liebig may be quoted in support
of this statement, in reference to its different and im-
portant bearings, by adducing a succession of sentences
from his works. “ All parts of the animal body which
have a decided shape, which form parts of organs, con-
tain nitrogen. No part of an organ which possesses
motion and life is destitute of nitrogen.” — “All kinds of
food fit for the production either of blood, or of cellular
tissue, membranes, skin, hair, muscular fibre, &c., must
contain a certain amount of nitrogen.” — “ Water and
common fat are those ingredients of the body which are
destitute of nitrogen. Both are amorphous or unorgan-
ised, and only so far take part in the vital process as that
their presence is required for the due performance of the
vital functions.” — “All such parts of vegetables as can
afford nutriment to animals contain certain constituents
which are rich in nitrogen ; and the most ordinary
experience proves that animals require for their support
and nutrition less of those parts of plants, in proportion
as they abound imthe nitrogenized constituents. The
chief ingredients of the blood contain 1 1 per cent, of
nitrogen, and no part of an organ contains less than 1/
per cent, of nitrogen.”— “ All experience proves that

USES AND IMPORTANCE OF NITROGEN. 195'

there is, in the organism, only one source of mechanical
power ; and this source is the conversion of living parts
into lifeless, amorphous compounds.” — “No part of the
body, having an organised or peculiar form, contains, for
eight equivalents of carbon, less than one of nitrogen.” —
“ Out of the newly formed blood, those parts of organs
which have undergone metamorphoses are reproduced.
The carbon and nitrogen of the food thus become con-
stituent parts of organs. Exactly as much sulphur,,
carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, is supplied to the organs
by the blood — that is, ultimately, by the food — as they
have lost by the transformations attending the exercise
of their functions.” — “ The flesh and blood consumed as
food ultimately yield the greater part of their carbon for
the support of the respiratory process, while the nitrogen
appears as urea or uric acid, the sulphur as sulphuric
acid. But previously to these final changes, the dead
flesh and blood become living flesh and blood; and it is,,
strictly speaking, the combustible elements of the com-
pounds formed in the metamorphoses of living tissues,,
which, with some other substances to be more particularly
mentioned hereafter, serve for the production of animal
heat.”

These quotations may serve to illustrate and justify
the degree of importance ascribed to nitrogen, in the-
phenomena of life — in the nutrition and expenditure of
the animal economy. Every movement of the animal
machine involves the expenditure of some portion of the
existing and living tissues ; and every such expenditure
involves the consumption of a given propoi’tion of
nitrogen, and demands its restoration in the form of
aliment, in the composition of which nitrogen is an
essential element. The nitrogen, to be thus useful, must
be combined with other elementally substances, and
combined in certain proportions ; but such compounds do-

USES AND IMPORTANCE OP NITROGEN.

not exist without nitrogen ; and this element is essential
to organic structure, to animal function and movement,
and to nutrition.

Moreover, to return to the words of Baron Liebig
“ Medicinal or remedial agents may he divided into two
classes, the nitrogenised and the non-nitrogenised. The
nitrogenised vegetable principles, whose composition
■ differs from that of the proper nitrogenised elements of
nutrition, also produced by a vegetable organism, are
distinguished, beyond all others, for their powerful action
on the animal economy. The effects of these substances
are singularly varied ; from the mildest form of the
action of aloes to the most tenable poison, strychnia, we
• observe an endless variety of different actions. With
the exception of three, all these substances produce
diseased conditions in the healthy organism, and are
poisonous in certain doses. Most of them are, chemically
speaking, basic or alkaline. No remedy, devoid of nitro-
gen, possesses a poisonous action in a similar dose. This
consideration, or comparative view, has led to a more
accurate investigation of the composition of picrotoxine,
the poisonous pi-inciple of cocculus indicus; and Mr.
Francis has discovered the existence of nitrogen in it,
hitherto overlooked, and has likewise determined its
amount.”

In these instances, likewise, the nitrogen is in com-
bination ; and it is in virtue of the proportions of such
combination that the resulting compounds are thus
powerful in their effects on the animal economy ; but the *
nitrogen is essential to the result, and it is not a mere
diluent.

Once again — “ Disease occurs when the sum of vital I
force, which tends to neutralise all causes of disturbance
(in other words, when the resistance offered by the vital
force), is weaker than the acting cause of disturbance.” —

i

USES AND IMPORTANCE OF NITROGEN. 197

“ In medicine every abnormal condition of supply or of
waste, in all parts or in a single part of the body, is called
disease.” — Baron Liebig.

Such illustrations, cited from such authority, manifest
the great importance of nitrogen in the economy of life,
and in the production and the cure of disease.

“ The Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal,” No,
193, October, 1852, in an elaborate and able analytical
review of my “ Letter to Dr. Lyon Playfair,” contains-
the following passage, and also the well-selected quotation
from Dr. Sutro’s excellent “ Lectures on the G-erman
Mineral Waters.”

“ The thermal spring of Wildbad in the Black Forest
I contains, with a minute amount of saline matter's, a large1
amount of nitrogen, 80 per cent.; and to the presence of
this gas, the German physicians and Dr. Sutro ascribe
the curative effects which the use of the Wildbad water
exerts upon chronic rheumatism, rheumatic gout, and
stiffness and nodosity of the joints. So also the waters
of Pfeffers in the Canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland,
and that of Gastein in the mountains of Salzburg,
contain, the former a small proportion of nitrogen, the
latter a good deal more (2-02 in 100 parts of water). It
seems therefore quite natural to ascribe to the presence
of this gas very notable effects upon the human organism ;
though in what exact manner these effects are produced,
it is not easy to understand and explain.

“ The opinion of Dr. Sutro is given in the following
passage 1 Without oxygen we should suffocate, without
nitrogen we should starve. I should not go so far as to
attribute a nourishing property to the nitrogen introduced
into the absorbent vessels with the highly-diluted water.
But when it is admitted, on all hands, that our tissues
constantly discharge waste particles in proportion to the
regular additions provided by the arterial supplies ; and

198 SALINE CONSTITUENTS OF THE WATERS.

when we know a great part of this waste to issue from
our cutaneous pores in a gaseous form, would it not he
reasonable to attribute some restoratory function to the
contact and combination of the gas with organic particles ?
We know that, in old age, earthy or inoi-ganic formations
prevail in the reproductive sphere. Limbs become more
rigid, the joints less pliable, secretions retarded,
excretions diminished, vital elasticity and resisting power
impaired. Substances ordinarily carried rapidly along
the vascular canals in a dissolved state are now pre-
cipitated out of the slowly moving mass, and deposited in
spaces where they further impede voluntary movement.’
“ If we see the use of a mineral water, causing distinct
retrogression of these anti-vital phenomena; if we
perceive gouty concretions to proceed towards absorption ;
if we observe contracted limbs gradually to relax again,
and to try feeble efforts of long-forgotten exercise; if
we find cutaneous harshness and rigidity to diminish,
and to give way to a former softness; if we behold a
resuscitated desire for muscular exertion and for mental
work in a prostrated individual, and we know the spa,
the originator of these changes, to possess a great
quantity of nitrogen, is it not legitimate to attribute to
this gas part of the efficacy ? ”

As to the solid constituents of the water, it is only
indirectly that tbe result of the more recent analyses
can be said to be of much importance. It is indeed,
needful, and only the just due of a mineral water, to
which the long-continued and large resort of sufferers
from rheumatism, gout, &c., attach much importance,
that the more advanced state of chemistry should be
brought to bear upon it from time to time, in order to
determine whether, or to what extent additional
discoveries as to the substances which enter into its
.composition may bear out, explain, or extend its useful-

COMPARISON OF THE RECENT ANALYSES. 199

ness and applicability in different diseases. The result
is that silica, oxide of iron, alumina, fluorine, and
phosphoric acid have been for the first time ascertained
to be among the substances dissolved in the waters. The
proportion of the ingredients is indeed small. But since
the presence of these ingredients in the waters had not
been detected, even by the analysis which was made with
so much care and skill by Sir Charles Scudamore and Mr.
Garden at a time comparatively so recent, and with all
the means and appliances which chemistry then possessed,
it seems to be an unavoidable inference, that as this
rapidly advancing science attains greater and greater
perfection in its processes and teachings, it may help us
to explain more and more satisfactorily the means, by
J virtue of which these waters act so usefully in the relief
of disease. Such explanation may prove to be derivable,
exclusively, from the effect that may be referred to the
direct introduction of so much free nitrogen into the
animal economy, by the use of these waters, whether
externally or internally ; or it may be assigned, in part,
to the introduction, in a peculiarly available state of
combination and dilution, of the solid ingredients already
ascertained to be contained in the waters ; or it may
come to be partially referred to a constituent or consti-

Stuents which have not hitherto been detected in it.

Looking at the great advance which has been made in
I the science of chemistry, in the minute accuracy of its
| manipulations and results, in the closeness of its reason -
i ings, the breadth of its deductions, the value and bearing
of its inferences, and its extensive and much extended
U influence on all collateral branches of science, both in
| medicine and the arts, it is impossible to doubt that more
| certainty may be obtained as to the modus opercindi of
I these waters in disease that we now possess. And yet
H the facts already ascertained are so important and con-

200 RESULTS AND INFERENCES FROM ANALYSIS.

elusive, in regal’d to the solid and gaseous constituents
of the waters, as to warrant a full a priori confidence in
its medical character. By Dr. Pearson’s analysis,
carbonic and sulphuric acids, chlorine, lime, and free
nitrogen, were ascertained to be contained in them ; this
analysis was confirmed, and the presence of magnesium
detected by Sir Charles Scudamore and Mr. Garden; and
by Dr. Lyon Playfair’s analysis, the presence of silica,
iron, alumina, potassium, fluorine, and phosphorus was
ascertained. So large an amount of additional informa-
tion commands additional confidence and serves to
confirm and establish the character and value of the
waters, independently of theories, and in aid of the
immemorial experience of their medical efficacy.

Dr. Muspratt’s analysis so far differs from that by Dr.
Playfair as to give a larger proportion of silica, a much
smaller proportion of sulphate of lime and of chloride of
potassium, and two grains less of total saline constituents
in the gallon of water. Inasmuch, however, as Dr.
Playfair’s analysis was obtained from the residue of 100
gallons of water reduced by boiling to about half a
gallon, it may be probably held to be the more authorita-
tive analysis, as far as regards the saline constituents of
these waters. What is much more interesting is, that
Dr. Muspratt obtained from the waters an appreciable
proportion of organic matter. Although only amounting
to one-thii*d of a grain per gallon, and therefore not
justifying the slightest imputation of impurity, more
particularly as found in waters that must arise from vast
depths, and must have percolated great beds of strata,
this small proportion of organic matter may have an
important degree of influence on the absorption of the
waters through the pores of the skin during the
immersion in the baths, and may contribute to or

RESULTS AND INFERENCES FROM ANALYSES. 201

produce the remarkable emollient effect on the skin that
is produced by the bathing in these waters.

It seems to be sufficient, and to be as much as consists
with the present state of information, to have learned
that these waters contain these saline and gaseous
constituents, — to ascertain what effect the use of the
waters, as baths and internally, produces on the human
system in health, and in different disordered or diseased
conditions — and to assume that the effects must be
referable to what has been ascertained as to the constitu-
ents of the waters. It would have been impossible to
infer a priori, that a certain proportional combination
of three or four elementary substances would produce an
alimentary substance, a certain other combined proportion
of the same elementary substances would produce a
substance having valuable medicinal properties, a third
proportional combination of the same substances produce
a virulently poisonous compound, and a fourth compound
of the same ingredients produce a substance that would
be neither alimentary, nor medicinal, nor poisonous, but-
a substance insoluble in the gastric secretions, and
altogether inert when received into the human stomach.
And yet the chemistry of organic substances furnishes
many instances of this remarkable character, which the
present amount of our information leaves unexplained.
The same component elements, in different proportions,
form the most powerful of the vegetable tonics (quinine),
the most active of the vegetable narcotics (morphia), the
most powerful of the vegetable poisons (picrotoxine), and
the most valuable of alimentary restoratives (animal and
vegetable fibrine). The effects of these compounds are
no less certain, and the grounds for their use are no less
trustworthy and defined, because the reason of such
difference in property cannot be ascertained. The
admission, that the degree of effect or the kind of effect

o

202 ESTIMATE OF AN AMMONIACAL HYPOTHESIS.

on the system of the Buxton tepid waters, could not be
predicted from the nature of their chemical constituents,
is no invidious or singular admission of limited know-
ledge ; nor can it affect the trust which science attaches
to experience, when the peculiar character of the tepid
mineral waters is thus established. An important
amount of medicinal value may be claimed for them, on
the exclusive ground of their chemical constitution.

It has been advanced, as a mode of explaining the
action of the Buxton tepid waters upon the animal
economy, that the absorption of the nitrogen with which
they are so largely charged, leads to the formation of so
much ammonia, by involving the decomposition of a due
proportion of water to furnish the required amount of
hydrogen; and that the ammonia thus formed, and
brought to bear immediately upon the blood and tissues,
is the essentially curative principle of these mineral
waters. There is no foundation for this hypothesis ; the
supposed conversion of the nitrogen into ammonia is
entirely conjectural, and extremely unlikely; and even
if it were otherwise, the action of ammonia would be
inadequate to explain that of the Buxton waters. These
waters are more stimulating ■ and more alterative in their
effects, than could be accounted for in this way. This
ammoniacal hypothesis is attempted to be supported by a
statement, that the diseases for which the action of the
Buxton waters is known to be remedial, are marked by a
deficiency of ammonia in the secretions. Animal
chemistry, however, demonstrates the incorrectness of
this assertion. Even the urine of healthy persons does
not contain so much ammonia as serves to neutralise the
acids which it contains, and urine ought always to show
a slight excess of acidity ; and in almost all the diseases
of excitement, or of inflammatory character, the urine is
likewise, in at least an equal degree, characterised by

ESTIMATE OF AN AMMONIACAL HYPOTHESIS. 203

predominant acidity. But tlie ammonia which charac-
terises urine is, for the most part, formed by the
putrescence of the urea, and other highly animalised
matters contained in it, long after it has been discharged
from the system. If the remarkable similarity in
composition of carbonate of ammonia and urea be
considered ; and the fact, that a considerable proportion
of the excess of uric acid in gouty and rheumatic
conditions, would seem to be obtained at the expense of
the urea, and to be the consequence of an imperfect
decarbonisation of the blood during the process of
respiration, as ably urged by Dr. Gairdner in his
excellent treatise on Gout; the utter fallacy of this
ammoniacal view, as to the action of the Buxton waters,
either as regards the effects of ammonia or the condition
of disease is fully demonstrated. Medical men need not
be told that ammonia is equally inadequate for the relief
of gout or the cure of rheumatism, in whatever form it
may be used.

CHAPTER YI.

THE CRESCENT, AND THE RANGES OF BATH-BUILDINGS.
ESTIMATED FLOW OF THE TEPID WATERS. THE
NATURAL AND HOT BATHS, DOUCHES, WELLS, ETC.

SHE mineral waters are situated in the lower part of
Buxton, emerging1 from several natural openings
v — ' in the limestone rock, very near to the edge of

the mountain limestone formation. The baths, wells,
&c., are necessarily placed as near as may be to the
fissures from which the waters issue, and had to be
constructed at the somewhat low level to which the
waters rise. The baths are contained in two wings, at
the east and west ends of the Crescent.

The range of bath buildings at the east end of the
Crescent contains the hot-bath establishment, &c. The
range at the west end of the Crescent contains the St.
Ann’s Well, the Chalybeate Well, and the ranges of
baths in which the waters are used at the natural
temperature of 82 degrees.

“ The diameter of the inner circle on which the
Crescent is built is about two hundred feet, and of the
outer one three hundred ; and the breadth of each wing is
about fifty-seven feet, making the length of the whole
building nearly three hundred and sixty feet. The upper
storeys in the front are supported by an arcade, within
which is a paved walk, about seven feet wide, where the
company may take air and exercise without being
incommoded by bad weather. The area in front is a
small gravel plot, some feet below the level of the arcade,
well supplied with garden chairs for the accommodation
of the walkers.

“ The building has three storeys. The arcade is of the
rusticated character. Above the arches, an elegant

THE CRESCENT.

205

balustrade extends along the whole front and the ends of
the fabric. Over the piers of the arcade arise fluted
Doric pilasters, that support the Architrave and cornice.
The trygliphs of the former and the rich underpart of the
latter have a beautiful appearance. The termination
above the cornice is formed by another balustrade, that
extends along the whole building. The front contains
forty-two pilasters, and two tiers of windows above the
arches, thirty-nine windows in each tier ; to these add
the lower windows, those in the ends, and in the back of
the building, and there arises a total of three hundred
and seventy-eight windows.” — Jewitt’s History of Buxton,
1811.

The Square is connected with the Crescent by a
colonnade; the colonnade extends along three sides of
the Square ; and the colonnade which skirts the internal
area of the Crescent and the external area cf the Square,
forms a covered walk of a hundred and seventy-five
yards in length.

Both the great ranges of bath buildings are covered,
and their interiors are well lighted. Due ventilation is
secured by shafts and other appliances of the best modern
construction. When the amount of watery vapour
necessarily discharged from the warm waters, as they are
poured into the reservoirs, and thence into the baths, in
such vast quantities, is considered, and the amount of
heat which is given out from the waters, and the quantity
of nitrogen and carbonic acid gases constantly disengaged
from them, are taken into account, — the importance of a
free ventilation at all times, and a command over the
means of adding to its degree at pleasure, will be
appreciated, and felt to be peculiarly needful.

The western or natural bath department, occupies a
space of ground between the Crescent and the Hall, and
has a comparatively small extent of frontage. This

206

RANGE OP NATURAL BATHS.

limited space is occupied by an elevation of dressed stone,
surmounted by a balustrade, and presenting five com-
partments. Of these, the three in the centre are occupied
by domed, semi-circular, recessed, and fluted spaces, of
windowed size and shape; the base of every recessed
space being formed of a vase, from the centre of which
a jet of water may be made to play. This archi-
tectural front has been adapted in its style to the
Crescent, with which it is connected, and to the uses
of the building it appertains to ; and it serves to
illustrate the suitableness of the stone of the adjoining
gritstone formation for ornamental building — its fine
and beautiful grain, and the smooth surface and bold and
sharp edges with which it may be finished and carved,
either in relief or otherwise.

The elevation of the eastern, or hot-bath department,
is not interfered with by any other building, and forms
a decorated and substantial example of what must be
called the Crystal-Palace style of architecture, — a style
which is one of the great creations of our times, and
which is calculated to produce, directly or indirectly, a
most important change in the character and details of
modern architecture. Presenting frontages of glass and
iron, on the south and the east; every enarched com-
partment having a breadth of four feet six inches ;
the building is nearly 30 yards in width, and more than
60 yards in depth. It is placed substantially on a base of
wrought and smoothed stone.

Both these departments of baths are approached from
the colonnades of the Crescent and the Square by
contiguous arcades ; and there is a roofed passage of
communication from the Hall. The extension of this
colonnade is occupied by shops.

At the south-west corner of the Crescent, entered from
the Crescent colonnade, is the St. Ann’s Well for the

CHALYBEATE WELL. — BATH RESERVOIRS. 207

use of the drinkers of the water. This more recent well
is on the site of the oldest St. Ann’s Well that is on
record, and close to the spot at which the spring emerges
by which the well is supplied. The apartment contain-
ing the well is entered from the colonnade, without
exposure to the weather. The well room is lofty, and
lighted from above ; the well in the centre being
surrounded by a ledge of marble, on which to place the
glasses, — supported by a partition, from within which
the water is dispensed to the drinkers.

On the north side of the entrance to the St. Ann’s
Well, and close to it, is the entrance to the gentlemen’s
department of the natural baths ; next to this is the
entrance to the ladies’ department of the natural baths ;
and next to this, and opening from the Crescent
Colonnade in the same way is the well for the supply of
the chalybeate waters to the drinkers.

The size of the room containing the chalybeate well is
twenty-two feet by sixteen feet, and lighted from above.
The chalybeate water is poured from three orifices into
an ornamental basin, in the centre of this apartment.

The well-rooms, especially the one used by the drinkers
at St. Ann’s Well, are inferior in size to the require-
ments of the public, and should be replaced by adequate
and handsome reception rooms.

Every one of the baths in the natural -bath and the
hot-bath departments is separately supplied with the
mineral waters, from closed reservoirs, in which the tepid
waters are collected, as they are poured from the fissures
in the limestone rock. The separate supply thus afforded
to every one of the baths is so large, that the tempera-
ture of from 80 degrees to 82 degrees is maintained, and
the gaseous and chemical properties of the waters are
preserved. In regard to the natural baths, there is not
only this separate supply of the mineral waters, but the

208 AMOUNT OF FLOW OF THE TEPID WATERS.

waters are constantly running into and out of them ; the
supply for every bath being received directly from the
reservoir which feeds it, and carried away at once through
the waste pipes into the river. As in the instance of the
other baths, the baths which are devoted to the use of
the patients of the Hospital have likewise this indepen-
dent, untouched, and abundant supply of the tepid
waters, derived from the unused overflow during the
hours when the other baths are not in requisition.

The flow of the tepid waters is amply sufficient for
every purpose ; and the amount which is discharged
altogether is even considerably greater than the very
large quantity which is now made use of. Were the
whole of the flow to be determinable — thus constantly
discharged — in unvarying quantity — of the unvarying
temperature, at the moment of issue, of a fraction of a
degree more than 82 degrees Fahrenheit — and of
unchanging chemical character — the whole quantity
poured forth would probably be found to be not less
than 250 or 300 gallons per minute.

Dr. Short, writing in the year 1734, says, “ all these
four springs together,” viz., those of the inner bath, the
outer bath, St. Ann’s Well, and Bingham’s Well,
"throw forth in a year 97,681,860 gallons of water,
besides the waste water that gets out of the bath, and
the strong spring rising up in the middle of the bath
level beyond St. Ann’s Well, and the warm water which
rises up in the hot and cold spring, and lastly the two
small warm springs which rise up in the low ground
between the hot and cold spring in the sough, with
several other oozings of warm water in sundry other
places, the wh»le added together will be nearly double
this computation.” But even this estimate, which Dr.
Short states to have been the earliest which had ever
been made, gives 185 wine gallons, viz., 139 impeiial

AMOUNT OF FLOW OF THE TEPID WATERS. 209

gallons per minute as the flow of the four springs ; which
he was induced to estimate as only half that of the
amount of tepid water actually discharged, if the whole
had been collected, and none permitted to run to waste.
The flow of Bingham’s Well and of St. Ann’s Well,
according to Dr. Short’s estimate, being deducted from
the above, amounting to 26 ^ gallons per minute, would
leave a flow of 112J gallons per minute for the supply of
the natural baths in the year 1734, i.e., forty-six years
before the foundations of the Crescent were laid. Fifty
years after this estimate had been made by Dr. Short, an
estimate of the flow supplying the natural baths,
exclusive of that of the other wells and springs, was
made by Dr. Pearson. This estimate was made in the
year when the Crescent was completed, viz., 1784; and
the flow is stated as having been “ nearly 140 ale gallons
per minute,” which would be 116^ imperial gallons.
These estimates confirm one another very remarkably,
and justify our great confidence in the statements of
these observers.

Much of the flow of the tepid waters supplying the
natural baths would seem to have been lost between the
years 1784 and 1851 ; as according to a report which was
made to Mr. Smithers, by Mr. Eddy and Mr. Darlington,
the engineers, in November, 1851, the amount of flow
which supplied the natural baths at that time was only
84J imperial gallons per minute. In the process of
levelling and excavation for the formation of the new
natural baths, a larger amount of flow was regained
than that which had thus gradually come to be wasted;
and 129i imperial gallons per minute are now poured
forth for the supply of the natural baths exclusively, in
addition to the flow by which the hot baths, and that by
which the drinking wells are supplied. It will be
observed that this flow is greater to the extent of 17

210

DEPTH OF NATURAL BATHS.

gallons per minute than the quantity of water supplying
these baths in 1734; and greater by 13 gallons per
minute than the supply in 1784.

The depth of water in all the gentlemen’s natural
baths is 4 feet 8 inches ; and the depth of water in the
ladies’ natural baths is 4 feet 2 inches. These baths are
therefore used in the erect position, in order to admit of
free exercise and movement during the period of
immersion. This is essential in baths of water, at the
natural temperature of the Buxton tepid springs, viz.,
82 degrees Fahrenheit. Although the temperature of
82 degrees constitutes a bath of tepid character, and may
be said to be about 20 degrees higher than the

temperature of river water in the summer season in

these high latitudes, it is nevertheless 16 degrees below
the temperature of the internal organs of the human
body* and 13 degrees to 14 degrees below that of the
surface of the body. A bath of 82 degrees would
therefore be unwisely made use of in the recumbent
position. The degree of muscular action which is

involved in the maintenance of the body in the erect

position, lessens the risk of chill attending or resulting
from the use of the baths, even when the limbs are not
kept in more or less active movement during the time of
bathing. Crippled and paralysed conditions sometimes
preclude any such movement of the limbs, or any very
important amount of muscular exercise during the use
of the bath. But, in most cases, active exercise is not
thus precluded or interfered with during immersion in
the water ; and the erect position in which the baths are
used leaves the trunk of the body and the limbs under
full command, and renders every desired degree of
exercise usually obtainable. The baths are of sufficient
size, as well as sufficient depth, for this important
purpose; and they are, moreover, surrounded with

CUTANEOUS ABSORPTION WHILE BATHING. 211

handrails, and supplied with swinging chains, in order
that the bather may obtain any desired amount of
exercise during the use of the bath.

It is by no means exclusively on account of the
temperature of the water, that as much muscular
exercise as is otherwise expedient and practicable should
be taken during the use of these mineral baths. The
absorption of the water through the skin into the system
seems to be indispensable to the effect of bathing in any
mineral water. This absorption is secured and promoted by
bodily exercise, and friction, or pressure, of the surface of
the body, during the use of the bath. Y ery little absorption
of the water is believed to take place through the skin,
if the bather remains quiescent while immersed in the
bath ; and the greater the amount of friction of the skin,
and the more active and general the degree of the-
muscular exertion which is made, the greater the amount
of absorption under the same circumstances. This is
applicable to baths of any temperature ; but it is more
particularly important in using baths of mineral waters,
and more especially of those mineral waters which may
be chiefly dependent for their medicinal action upon the
amount of the gaseous impregnation which they contain.

The degree to which the skin is absorbent has been
the frequent subject of experiment and discussion. Some-
substances are more readily absorbed than others; find
many substances, as mercury, show, from their medicinal
action, that they are absoi’bed, although not amenable to-
chemical tests. An increase in the amount of the
secretion from the kidneys is almost always experienced
after the use of the Buxton baths ; and the secretion is
usually lowered in its specific gravity, and rendered less
acid in its character. If not absorbed, the action of
these waters when used as baths is inexplicable : — a
character and amount of effect upon rheumatic and other'

212

DOUCHES OF THE WATERS.

local and general conditions, that may be held to be one
of the strongest arguments in favour of the absorbent
powers of the skin, as to these and certain other
medicinal agents, if assisted by friction, or by exercise,
during immersion. The alkaline character of the waters,
and their emollient and detergent effects, must aid the
degree to which they are absorbable through the skin ;
and the gaseous constituents of the waters may be
considered to add to this effect. The relaxed and moist
state of the skin, generally and locally, of many persons
•afflicted with rheumatism, gout, &c., may aid the degree
of the absorption, and help to explain the medicinal
results.

All the baths are supplied with douches, or continuous
jets of water, made to issue with a considerable amount
of force, and which may be directed against, and played
upon, any part of the body, limbs, or joints, which may
be more particularly affected. The douche is an exceed-
ingly valuable remedy in many chronic localised ailments.
Sprains and similar injuries of the textures near to the
surface — the seats of re-united fractures and reduced
dislocations, which are often left for a long time after
such injuries in a very imperfect and painful condition —
cases of spinal weakness, and localised chronic infirmities
of rheumatic or gouty character — and local forms of
paralysis, sometimes traceable to exposure to cold and
wet, sometimes to the effect of lead and other mineral
poisons — are found to derive much greater or more rapid
effects from the use of the bath when combined with the
douche than when used without it.

The medicinal value of the douche is due to the greater
degree of absorption of the mineral waters, through the
skin, by the parts submitted to its action ; the effect of
the impulse and percussion of the jet of water being
tantamount to active friction with pressure. The readi-

LOCAL EFFECT OF THE BATHS AND DOUCHES. 213

ness with which the degree of this friction may be
controlled, by regulating the force of the jet and the
time of the application; the much greater amount of
this kind of friction that may usually be borne, without
inconvenience at the time, or discomfort afterwards,
than of rubbing with anything of harder character than
the water itself ; the amount of pressure with which the
jet acts on the part submitted to it, answering the full
purpose of most efficient shampooing ; the perfect
adaptation and equalisation of the pressure and friction
over the whole surface douched, notwithstanding any
curves or inequalities of the body or limbs, while the
medicinal properties of the water are absorbed and
brought to bear immediately upon the part or parts
which may be more particularly affected — are the evident
reasons why the douches of the mineral waters prove to
be of such great value in the treatment of many localised
and disabling ailments. And it is not too much to say,
that some of the most wonderful and gratifying instances
of relief obtained from the use of the Buxton waters
have been referable to their use in the form of douches.
A noble duke had his foot trodden upon by a horse. The
foot was not apparently injured after the primary
irritation had subsided. There was no perceptible
swelling of the foot, nor thickening of the bones or
ligaments of the arch of the foot, which had been
injured. But there was much crippling, and some
occasional pain. To walk was difficult ; and to take an
amount of walking exercise adequate to the wants and
duties of life was impossible. Months passed away;
the most skilful surgical opinions and appliances were
found to be useless. In three weeks, under the use of
the bat-hs and douches of the Buxton water, the patient
was enabled to walk three miles continuously, without
lameness at the time, or inconvenience afterwards.

‘214 LOCAL EFFECT OF THE BATHS AND DOUCHES.

•Such, cases might be multiplied to any extent. This
case is cited, because, from the high position of the
sufferer, considerable attention was attracted to it at the
time ; and because it is one of many such cases of local
injury, in which a cure by the use of the baths and
douches of these mineral waters may be looked for with
much confidence.

But the effect of the baths alone, without the use of
the douche, upon local lesions, even of remote date, is
most curious and conclusive ; evidencing their great
influence on the deeply seated and dense fibrous tissues,
which are so rarely remediable by ordinary means of
treatment. The sites of fractures or other serious
injuries, that have happened in the earlier years of life,
become sensitive when these baths are used in mature
and even advanced life ; and stiffness and imperfect use
are often removed, that have been of many years’
duration. An elderly lady made use of the baths on
account of rheumatism of both knees, not only with
satisfactory relief to the rheumatism, but with the effect
of restoring use to one of the hands which had been
injured by a fall thirty years before, and which had been
so contracted that she had been unable to open it from
the time of the accident. There was the evidence of her
son and her niece, both of mature age, as to the con-
tracted state of the hand from the time of the injury;
and the restored power was seen by numbers of people.
Minor instances of this kind are so common, that cases
of injury, and consequent diminished power of move-
ment, should resort to the baths without reference to
the lapse of time, as affording a reasonable chance of
recovery, if there have been no destruction or extreme
displacement of the injured textures. While such cases
supply the most gratifying proofs of the action of the
waters, the question is often asked why they do not act

i

THE NATURAL BATHS.

215

as promptly and as conclusively upon the cases of con-
stitutional ailment attended by local lesions of similar
character, and involving a similar disability of movement ?
The reply is, that the removal of local lesion without
any constitutional bias or complication, must be a smaller
result than the cure of a morbid condition which may be
traceable to hereditary influences, and may have impaired
the restorative powers of the system. It is not too much
to infer, and experience supports the inference, that the
I same means, which, in a shorter time, can remove such
lesions when not complicated with constitutional con-
ditions, may, in a long-er time, afford a probability of
removing them, when by so much less amenable to the
action of remedies.

The gentlemen’s department of the natural baths is
entered by a corridor, which is sixty feet in length, and
-of an ample width and height; and which gives access
to two large public baths, to the private baths, and
shower baths, of the water at the natural temperature.

The “ Gentlemen’s Public Bath No. 1,” or “ Two
Shilling Bath,” is contained in an apartment which is
nearly fifty-one feet long, more than thirty-three feet
wide, and upwards of twenty feet high, from the top of
the water in the bath to the ceiling of the room. The
bath itself is twenty-six feet in length, and eighteen
feet in width. This large apartment contains suitable
| dressing closets, and all other desirable comforts and
| conveniences; and is lighted by means of a double tier

!of windows. This bath is on the site of the oldest of
the baths ; but the new bath is two feet longer, and two
feet and a half wider than the former one ; the apartment
is nearly double the height ; it is well lighted (instead of
A being somewhat dingily dark), and dry, and well warmed
and ventilated (instead of being more or less close and
damp at all times).

216

THE NATURAL BATHS.

The “ Gentlemen’s Public Bath, No. 2,” or “ One
Shilling Bath,” likewise furnished with dressing closets
and all other comforts and conveniences, is twenty-seven
feet long and fifteen feet wide. The apartment is not so
lofty, nor so well lighted as the No. 1 bath ; but it is
larger, and better lighted than this bath used to be ; and
the area is well warmed and ventilated.

The gentlemen’s private baths are eleven feet long, and
five feet wide, with private dressing rooms, and shower
baths, and every comfort and accommodation.

The ladies’ department of the natural baths is like-
wise entered by a separate corridor.

The “ Ladies’ Public Bath ” is contained in an
apartment which is thirty-nine feet long, and thirty-nine
and a half feet wide. The bath itself is twenty- three
feet long, and eighteen feet wide. There are dressing
closets, and all desirable and comfortable appurtenances.

The “Ladies’ Private Baths” are eleven feet long, and
five feet wide, and supplied with douche apparatus ; there
are also shower baths connected with these baths; and
they are furnished with separate dressing rooms, and
every accessory to comfort.

The bath of the waters at the natural temperature,
provided for the use of the patients of the hospital, is
equal in every essential particular to those already men-
tioned. There are dressing boxes, douche apparatus, &c.

It is mentioned by the late Dr. Joseph Denman, in a
work entitled “Observations on the Buxton Water,”
published in 1801, in strong terms, as a great dis-
advantage to the usefulness of the Buxton Waters, that
no provision had been made for supplying baths of the
mineral water at any higher degree of temperature than
the natural heat. It was not until the year 1818, or
seventeen years after the publication of this decided
opinion in favour of warmer baths of the mineral waters,

THE HOT BATHS.

217

that this deficiency was in any degree supplied. But Dr,
Denman could not have foreseen, nor could any adequate
anticipation have been formed, as to the amount of benefit
which would accrue from the use of artificially heated
baths of the Buxton tepid waters, and the consequently
greater and greater demand for these baths on the part
of the public.

Much apprehension has been always entertained lest
the raising of the temperature of these waters, in ever so
small a degree, might have the effect of impairing the
medicinal qualities. Such an apprehension might seem
to be the more justifiable, inasmuch as the opinion has
come to be more and more generally held that the
medicinal effects of the waters depends to an important
extent upon the gases which they hold in solution, and
which might be likely to be more and more driven off, as
the temperature of the water is more and more raised.
It has to be remembered, however, that the whole of the
waters poured forth from these springs, and supplied to
the baths, have naturally the elevated temperature of 80
degrees or upwards ; and that the very large proportion
of the water in a bath is unmeddled with, until the
moment of introducing the relatively small quantity of
the same water heated, which is necessary to raise the
water of the bath to such higher temperature as may be
required. Supposing the temperature of common spring
or river water to be about 50 degrees, a bath of 95
degrees would require the addition of so much hot water
as would elevate the temperature of the water 45 degrees ;
whereas, in the instance of the tepid waters of Buxton,
the difference of temperature would be only 15 degrees,
and the addition of one-third only of the proportion of
heated water to the bath would be necessary. So small
a proportion of heated water has to be added to the
natural water, to raise its temperature to that of any

P

218 COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF THE HOT BATHS.

■ordinary hot bath, that it has often been impossible
■when these baths have been in a very great demand from
morning till night, to prepare a bath in the hot-bath
department at a lower temperature than 88 degrees, or
even sometimes than 90 degrees ; the heat of the marble
sides and floorings of the baths, and of the pipes con-
veying the hot water, &c., being sufficient to raise by so
much the temperature of the natural water without the
addition of any heated water at all. It may be justifiably
advanced, that the temperature of these mineral waters
affords the greatest facility for their use in the form of
baths, at any required degree of temperature, with the
least possible risk of impairing their effects. In a very
large proportion of the cases in which these baths are
required, the natural temperature is precisely that which
would be desired. The degree of heat is that at which
the slightest degree of shock would be given on
immersion, and a due amount of reaction be rendered the
most certain to follow the use of the bath, — at which the
good, without the evil results of cold bathing, would be
experienced. At any higher temperature, the regular
use of the baths would be more likely to be attended by
debilitating effects. Whereas, as has been stated, any
such higher degree of heat for a bath may be obtained
most readily by the addition of a very small proportion
of heated water, and with so much less risk of diminish-
ing the amount of the medicinal properties of the waters.
It may be advanced, that, if the Buxton waters had been
of so much higher a degree of natural heat, the water
would have had to be lowered in its temperature by the
addition of cold or cooler water to it, in order to adapt
its heat, for the purpose of bathing, to the requirements
of a large number of invalids ; more of the medicinal
properties must have been diminished by such addition,
or such exposure, than takes place under present

COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF THE HOT BATHS. 219

circumstances ; and if this water had been at such a
natural degree of heat that it could not have been used
in any case without having been previously cooled by
addition or exposure, the disadvantage and loss of
properties must have been very important. But the
proportion of invalids who use the natural baths is very
large ; and those who use the heated baths have, as nearly
as may be, the full advantage of the medicinal properties
of the waters, to the extent to which the water used in
the baths is in its untouched and natural state ; the bath
being only affected in that proportion in which hot
water is added, and in which the whole of the water in
the bath may be supposed to be influenced by being
mixed with so small a proportion of heated water, and
by the temperature of all the water in the bath being
raised any given number of degrees above the natural
heat. The principal difference in effect between the
heated and the natural water is, in all probability, due to
the difference of temperature ; and this difference cannot
be so important as might have been supposed to be
probable, for the reason that so little of the water has to
be made.hot, in order to raise the temperature of a bath
of 82 degrees to any required degree of heat up to 95
degrees ; beyond which temperature it is rarely found to
be either needful or expedient in any case, to raise the
temperature of the water in these baths. It follows,
that the greater the extent to which the mineral waters
have to be heated, the greater the degree to which the
medicinal efficacy is diminished. But when the above
statements are carefully considered, it must be admitted
to be wonderful, that so small an addition of heated
water to the natural water as is required, should influence
the medicinal effects in any appreciable degree ; and the
usual estimate, that three baths of the water at the
temperature of 95 degrees are only equal to two natural

220

ARRANGEMENT OF THE BATHS.

baths, is at all events as high an estimate of the difference
between the amount of relative effect as is justifiable.
And, accordingly, numbers of cases, in which the use of
these heated baths has to be trusted to exclusively, the
use of the colder natural bath being contra-indicated by
any individual circumstance of such cases, are found to
be relieved or cured as completely as if the natural baths
had been made use of. Many periosteal, neuralgic, spinal,
paralytic, and atonic cases, — many cases of rheumatism
and gout, attended with much debility, — many cases in
which acute or active morbid action has been recent, or
perhaps may have imperfectly subsided, many cases, in
which disturbance or irritation of the heax-t’s action, or
of the mucous or the fibrous tissues, or of any of the
great viscera, may render the shock of a bath of 82
degrees inexpedient or hazardoxis, and a less active agent
than the unmodified baths of the Buxton tepid waters to
be preferable, whether in the first instance, or throughout
the course of the baths — such cases, and they are very
numerous, find in these hot baths, adapted in temperature,
&c., to the individual indications, the means of using
these waters without risk, and with every probability of
benefit.

The hot-bath department, placed, as has been said, at
the east end of the Crescent, occupying a frontage to
the south of 90 feet, and to the east of 180 feet, is
connected with the Crescent, the Square, the Hall, and
the natural baths, by a colonnade; and is divided into
two separate parts, one of which is devoted to ladies, and
the other to gentlemen. None of the baths in this
department have had to be placed beneath existing
structures, as had to be done in regard to two of the
public baths in the other department; a sufficiently
extensive and unoccupied space of ground has been
covered throughout by a ridge -and- furrow roof, and

ARRANGEMENT OF THE BATHS.

221

arranged internally in the best and most efficient
manner.

The gentlemen’s hot-bath department, to which a
colonnade in the south front of the building, eighty feet
in length, gives access, is entered by a corridor which is
likewise eighty feet long. The several baths are entered
from this corridor.

The range of private baths is extensive and complete,
with separate dressing rooms, with shower baths, and
with every other appliance which may conduce to comfort
or advantage. These baths are prepared of any heat
that may be desired.

The hot baths are lined throughout with marble,
or with the patent white porcelain -covered bricks. The
douches in the hot baths are served at any required
temperature. The hot baths are shallow, and used in
the recumbent position.

The ladies’ hot bath department corresponds exactly
with that appropriated to gentlemen. It is entered by
its separate corridor, eighty feet long, from the arcade on
the south front of the building ; the baths being likewise
extensive and complete, with separate dressing-rooms,
and every accessory arrangement for convenience or
comfort.

Near the great building are the hot baths for the
use of the patients of the hospital. These baths are
approached by an entrance on the south of the building.
There are separate bath-rooms for men and for women,
each containing four baths, with dressing-closets, douche
closet, &c., and entered from comfortable waiting-rooms.

Within recent years, the external use of mineral
waters otherwise than by immersion, or in addition to
immersion, has been in request at some of the Continental
health-resorts, and has been advised, or regarded more or
less favourably, by members of the medical profession in

222

ARRANGEMENT OP THE BATHS.

this country. Seeing that the object in view must be
the medicinal action of the mineral water that may be
absorbed through the skin, the practical issue must be
the degree to which absorption is obtainable, and its
results. It may well be, that, if the local or general
absorption of the water through the skin can be increased,
the remedial effect may be increased ; and that in cases
for which general immersion may not be advisable, on
account of local or general weakness or lesion, a local
external use of the water, without immersion, might be
justifiable and of value. Douches of various force and
volume, — showers or sprays of definite degree, kneading or
massage of affected parts, — while soaking or paidly steep-
ing in shallow water, — manipulated by more or less skilled
attendants, might secure local effects from the absorption
of the water, that might be remedial. In cases for which
general or partial immersion might not be contra-
indicated, these local or general means might obviously
increase the degree of absorption, and add to the probable
or possible results. It is advanced, that these means
have given valuable results in cases of great weakness,
or great susceptibility, or extremely chronic character, or
complicated with organic lesion, which had contra-indicated
immersion, and that such accessory arrangements may
increase or modify the results in special cases of localised
rheumatism, deposition, contraction, or loss of power,
whether of anoemic, congestive, neuralgic, or cachectic
character, in all their infinitely multiplied varieties and
degx-ees, suggesting degrees and modifications in the
treatment. The value of such accessory means of using
mineral water externally will probably be mainly confined
to exceptional cases, and may not equal the curative
results of general or partial immersion in the water ; but
it may be of value in states of system which may not
justify immersion, and may be a valuable subsidiary

ARRANGEMENT OF THE BATHS.

223'

treatment in the more severe local conditions. In the
rise of all such means, the known medicinal power of the
mineral water must be borne in mind, and the time and
degree of the application should be regulated accordingly.
It is an axiom that excessive treatment is commonly
injudicious, and more likely to weaken than to cure the
patient. Shallow pans or baths, through which the
mineral water at regulated and desired temperature may
run in a gentle stream, and in or on which the whole or
any part of the body may rest, and which may be readily
accessible for the needed manipulation, shampooing, or
massaging, from all sides, give the required conditions
for this application. It is curious that the shallow
streams, with their beds of fine sand, so long in use at
one or more of the Continental warm mineral water
resorts, anticipated, if they may not have suggested,
these modified baths. The shower, needle, wave, and sitz
baths, now added to the various douches, and other
means of using the Buxton mineral waters, may add to’
their value, by adapting’ them to a larger number of
cases. These various baths are regulated to any temper-
ature that may be required.

CHAPTER VII.

{PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND ALTERATIVE EFFECTS OF
THE BUXTON TEPID WATERS. MORBID CONDITIONS
FOR THE RELIEF OF WHICH THEY ABE USEFUL.
CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH CONTRA-INDICATE THEIR
USE. RULES FOR THE USE OF THE BATHS AND
FOR DRINKING THE TEPID WATERS.

SHE effects of the baths of the Buxton tepid waters
upon the human system may be classed as primary,
secondary, and alterative.

The primary effects include the shock immediately
experienced on immersion in the water at the natural
temperature, and the reaction which should immediately
follow the shock ; whether the degree of the reaction be
no greater than is necessary to restore the general
balance of the circulation, or continue during many
hours afterwards ; such an amount being included in the
primary effects, although it may produce a very impor-
tant degree of stimulation on the nervous and muscular
systems. The secondary effects, which are seldom
experienced until several baths have been taken — or in
any very important degree unless they have been taken
during several successive days, or unless the immersion
has been continued during an unusual length of time, ar
unless the bath has been made use of by those suffering
from special morbid conditions — do not show themselves
until some hours after the bath has been used ; and are
then characterised by excitement, at times amounting to
g feverish state. The alterative and ultimate effects are

PRIMARY EFFECTS OF THE BATHS.

225

not usually produced until several baths have been taken ;
and are then characterised by more or less of general
depression and languor, and their accompanying indica-
tions.

Under the head of the primary effects of these baths,
is the degree of the shock which attends their use at the
natural temperature ; and this is believed to be so far
peculiar, that it is greater than would be occasioned by a
bath of common water at this tepid degree of heat. This
greater degree of shock is probably due to the contained
gases. Usually, if the bath has been used under proper
circumstances, the shock is of very short duration ; and is
followed, after a few seconds, and during the immersion,
by a vigorous reaction. The degree of reaction is
commonly greater than the degree of the shock which
had preceded it, and much greater than would attend the
use of a bath of ordinary water at the same temperature.
The reaction, involving a general glow of heat over the
whole body and limbs, a somewhat accelerated circulation,
and a remarkable buoyancy of the feelings, usually
continues during several hours after the bath, and is
attended by an increase of appetite, and a marked degree
of excitement of the spirits. The special effect of the
baths, in regard to the primary shock, and the reaction
which immediately follows it, is however chiefly one of
degree ; the same effect, but less in its amount, being
commonly experienced after bathing in common water.
The warm baths of the mineral waters produce necessarily
less shock in proportion, as the water of the bath is more
nearly of the same tempex-ature as that of the human
body ; and the degree of the reaction is usually less,
other things being equal, than that which follows the
use of the natui-al baths ; but it is usually greater, to a
very marked extent, than commonly follows the use of a
warm bath of ordinary water.

226 SECONDAKY EFFECTS OF THE BATHS.

The secondary effects of the baths are of a still more
peculiar character ; differing much more from that which
follows the use of a bath of ordinary water, at any
temperature. Seldom manifested until from eight to
sixteen or eighteen hours after the use of the bath ; and
seldom, unless under specially excitable and morbid
conditions, until after several baths have been made use
of ; the degree of the secondary effects is added to, by
the longer time that the bather has remained in the bath,
by the more frequent repetition of the bath, and by the
morbid or the constitutional susceptibility of the system
to become unduly stimulated. The secondary effects
include the increase of gouty and rheumatic pains, so
commonly experienced at the commencement of a course
of these baths, in such conditions of system ; and like-
wise the thirst, restlessness, loss of sleep, feverish
symptoms, and less active state of the secreting organs,
during the course, and especially during the earlier part
of the course of the baths ; for, as the course is
continued longer and longer, the secondary effects
gradually subside, and are succeeded after a longer or
shorter interval, which varies much in different cases, by
the alterative effects : the feverish condition sometimes
subsiding altogether ; but in most cases in the first
instance, alternating with the indications of the
alterative action — with the depression, languor, and
eventual debility, which mark the full alterative action
of these mineral waters.

The alterative action of the baths is then essentially
characterised by symptoms of debility ; and such
symptoms — apart, of course, from the relief of pain, the
partially or entirely restored use of crippled limbs, or
the generally improved state of the several organic
functions — constitute the great and conclusive proof of
their full medicinal action. And it may be strongly said,

ALTERATIVE EFFECTS OF THE BATHS.

227

that the full effects can seldom be considered to have
been obtained, until some indications of diminished
I general power have been shown. It is often of some
importance, in cases where much morbid condition has to
I be removed, to determine how far the alterative action
of the baths should be continued ; and in most such cases,

ithe course has to be interrupted and resumed many times.

Sometimes two courses, and more rarely three courses
|! may be advisedly used in the course of the same year ;

interrupted by a sufficient interval of time, to enable the
t powers and general balance of the system to be so far
[ restored, as to justify the resumed use of so powerful an
alterative as these waters are. It is often a great
| mistake to infer, that the full benefit derived from their
| use is certain to be obtained from one or two or even
more courses of the baths. I have seen — in the course
of the years during which the effects of these waters
j have been under my observation — very many cases, in
which a large and even unlooked for degree of benefit
has been obtained ; but in which, after a persevering use
| of the baths throug-h two or three courses, they have
been abandoned; because they had not proved to be
i completely curative, although they had been so largely
I remedial. I have seen the bed-ridden sufferers from
gout and from rheumatism enabled to walk about again,
f with the aid of a crutch, or stick, or both ; and enabled,
contrary to any reasonable expectation that could have
been entertained, to resume the horse exercise, which had
been impracticable for months or years : and yet the
I' hopeful continued use of these waters has been abandoned,,
because a more rapid and entire relief has not been
afforded. It cannot be too early, or too anxiously
impressed on the minds of such sufferers from the most
severe forms of gout or rheumatism, that a strong"
constitutional bias, the gradual result of hereditary

'228 DISEASES RELIEVABLE BY THE BATHS.

predisposition, or of the misdoings of years, and un-
checked morbid action, may not be entirely curable, even
by the use of such a great agent as these waters ; or, if
curable, may only prove to be so after a long, persevering,
and patient use ; and that a certain amount of relief, the
degree of which may be even beyond reasonable hope,
.ought to afford an amply sufficient motive for their con-
tinued use.

The diseases for the relief of which the Buxton baths
are found to be the most eminently useful are rheumatism,
gout, neuralgia, and certain forms of spinal, uterine, and
dyspeptic affections. Many of the disordered conditions
which are incidental to old age — much of the deranged
health incidental to middle age in females — much of
the irregularity and disturbed condition incidental
to females at various periods of life — much of the nervous
weakness, that is indicated by tic-doloureux in its various
forms, sciatica, &c. — much of the functional derangement
which is consequent upon exposure, intemperance, or
-advanced life — much of the disordered and painful con-
ditions, dependent on old age, gout, &c. — much of the
local loss of nervous, and thence of muscular power,
dependent upon the poisonous effects of lead, mercury,
,&c. — are usually remediable, and in an important degree,
by the use of these mineral baths. And, as has been
previously urged, the painful or crippling consequences,
which often follow such injuries as fractures, disloca-
tions, sprains, bruises of tendons and ligaments, and the
like, are commonly influenced and relieved by the use of
these baths, in the most satisfactory degree.

The presence of acute inflammation, and the existence
of organic disease in any of the great organs essential
to life, usually contra-indicate altogether the use of
bhese baths. The intimate connection between paralysis

i

CONDITIONS CONTEA-INDICATING THE BATHS. 229

and disease of the brain, or spinal . cord, or their
immediate envelopments — the equally intimate connection
between rheumatism and affections of the heart the’
frequent occurrence of pains of rheumatic chai'acter, in
connection with the general derangement of health,-
consequent upon affection of the liver or the kidneys—
the connection between gout and visceral congestion, and
all the important bearing's and consequences of such
congestion — the degree of liability there is, in acute or
subacute gouty and rheumatic states, to metastasis are,-
severally, cogent reasons for the exercise of care and
judgment in the use of the baths. It cannot be said too
strongly, that no invalid should leave his home, in order
to make use of these baths, without the express advice
and sanction of his usual medical attendant ; and medical
men cannot be made too fully cognizant of the stimu-
lating and alterative character of these mineral waters.
And, moreover, as no medical man who has not personally
been concerned in the use and effects of the waters can
know so much about them as those who have their effects
under their continual observation, it may be said, with
equal truth and emphasis, that no person ought to use
these waters without the sanction and direction of a
medical man resident in Buxton. It is my duty to state
this in so many words, and to urge it upon public
attention ; and the seniority of my position enables me
to do this with a less chance of misconstruction, and
justifies me in doing so.

The warmer baths of the Buxton waters are weaker,
less stimulating, and less alterative in their effect, in the
same proportion as they are raised in their temperature
above that of 82 degrees ; and inasmuch as, when not
heated beyond the temperature of 95 degrees — that is,
when no more of the same water heated is added to a
much larger bulk of the water at the natural temperature

230

EFFECT OF THE WARMER BATHS.

than is required to raise the whole water in a bath to 95
degrees, or less— not only a sufficiently large, but a
definable proportion of the medicinal effect is retained ;
inasmuch as the shock, with its risks, in the cases of
feeble and excitable invalids, is thus got rid of ; inasmuch
as the primary stimulation, and the secondary febrile
state, and the ultimate alterative effects are thus modified ;
the use of these warmer baths frequently serves as a
valuable introduction to the after use of the natural
baths, and as a very useful substitute for them, in cases
where debility, or excitability, would render the use of
the natural baths unwise or unsafe.

Neither the natural nor the warmer baths ought to be
used every day. When so used, the alterative effects are
very liable to be manifested suddenly, and in excess.
Strong men who have ventured to bathe in these waters
every day, have often become suddenly and very un-
necessarily debilitated ; and in the case of rheumatism
and other ailments having been the occasion for using
these baths, the disadvantage has arisen that the bathing
has had to be discontinued for a time, and sometimes for
months ; the full, and otherwise realisable degree of
relief, not having been obtained. The impatience to
secure the benefit from the use of the baths in as short
a time as possible, and the anxiety to return to their
homes and occupations, lead many to make such excessive
use of them, and supply ample and conclusive experience
as to their powerful character. Generally the baths are
to be used every other day ; or on two successive days,
their use being omitted on the third day.

The time of the day for bathing is a question of much
importance. The baths have usually most effect when
used before breakfast, and are commonly the best borne
about three hours after breakfast, or three hours after
luncheon. The system is found to be more susceptible

RULES FOR BATHING.

231

to tlie action of medicinal agents, before breakfast;
probably because the nervous and vascular powers are
more vigorous at that time, and tbe tissues are then
in a more absorbent condition. It is well known that
stimulants produce greater effect when taken before
breakfast, and tonics are seldom wisely directed to be
taken at that time; and, on the same principle, the
baths of these mineral and stimulating waters are not
by any means always wisely ordered to be used before
breakfast ; and, on the contrary, many invalids are
unable to bathe with comfort or even safety before break-
fast, who do so without discomfort between breakfast
and luncheon, or dinner. The time for using the baths
after breakfast, depends much upon the kind and amount
of the breakfast, and the rapidity of the digestion. The
larger and heavier the meal, and the more slow the
digestion, the longer should the bath be deferred. And,
on the other hand, in the cases of much enfeebled
persons, and of those who from habit, or want of appetite,
or general debility, eat but sparingly at breakfast, and
of the most easily assimilated kinds of food, the use of
the baths may not be wisely deferred beyond the end of
the second hour after breakfast, as the complete digestion
of the food in the stomach is apt to be followed by an
unmistakable degree of languor, and the bath is not so
well borne under such circumstances. It is generally
advisable to use the baths between breakfast and
luncheon or dinner, at the commencement of the
course ; and in some cases to use them before break-
fast afterwards, when the effects shall have been
proved to be moderate, and the extra effect obtained
by bathing before breakfast may even be thought to
be desirable. Usually, more baths have to be taken
t during a course, if the baths are used after breakfast,
I than if used before breakfast. The more feeble the

232

RULES FOR BATHING

person, the more excitable the individual constitution,
and the more febrile or inflammatory the nature of the
ailment, the less desirable it is to bathe before breakfast ;
and the less susceptible the individual system, the
stronger the system, and the more obstinate and unim-
pressible the nature of the ailment, the more desirable it
is that the baths should be used before breakfast. The
time during which persons should remain in the baths
varies very much ; but should seldom if ever equal the
long periods which are said to be expedient in using
many of the continental mineral baths. From one
minute, or less, to ten minutes, and very rarely to fifteen
or twenty minutes, is usually found to be a sufficient
time for the immersion in the natural baths ; and from
three minutes to twenty minutes, and very rarely longer
than the latter time, in the warmer baths. Generally,
the time of immersion should be longer in the warmer
than in the natural baths ; and longer, the higher the
temperature of the warmer baths may be. Usually, if
the temperature of the warmer baths is not gradually
reduced, in order to bring the case more and more within
the influence of the medicinal effects, or in order to
prepare the patient to commence the use of the natural
baths, the time for remaining in the baths should be
increased. It is seldom wise to begin the course of either
the warmer or the natural baths, by remaining in the
water for the same time which may properly be allowed
after several baths have been taken, and the system has
become somewhat accustomed to the stimulating effects
of the waters.

When the warmer baths are not indicated — either as
preparatory, or as being exclusively adapted to the
individual case — and the use of the natural bath might
be justifiably begun at once, the use of the warmer baths
may be deprecated as involving exactly as much loss of

KtJLES FOE BATHING.

233

time, as these baths are less powerful in their effects
than the natural baths, besides being- in some instances
less suited, or even occasionally altogether unsuitable.
This often applies to dyspeptic conditions — to cases of
gout, rheumatism, &c., attended by cutaneous irritation,
with or without the scorbutic character — to relaxed states
of the female constitution, without visceral congestion or
obstruction — and to such cases of spinal derangement as
are not marked by irritation, but by general or local
relaxation, and consequent diminution of power and
defective function. There are many cases of hysteria,
chorea, facial tic, &c., in which the warmer baths are
either used without advantage, or even disadvantageously ;
and in which the use of the natural bath is attended with
the best effects.

But there is a much larger number of morbid conditions,
in which the use of the natural baths is unsafe or un-
justifiable, and in which the use of the warmer baths is
beneficial. Such are cases of gout, rheumatism, or
neuralgia, accompanied by marked irritability of the
general system, or by an evident tendency to assume an
inflammatory character. Such are cases in which there is
irritation or disturbance of the heart’s action ; cases in
which there is a congestive or irritative condition of the
mucous membranes ; cases of hepatic congestion, irrita-*
tion, sluggishness, or disturbance of function ; and,
generally, cases of congestion or irritation of any of the
great internal organs ; such congestion or irritation not
being sufficient in degree, or in the importance of its
bearings or connections, to justify the withholding the
baths, when otherwise strongly indicated, for the relief of
the special conditions in which these baths are useful.

The effect of the warmer baths is modified satisfactorily
in some of the more severe morbid conditions, by varying
the degree to which the body is immersed. When the

Q

234

RULES FOR BATHING.

body is only covered to the height of the armpits, it is
called a three-quarter bath ; when only to the waist, a
half bath; and when to the hips, a quarter bath. In
this way, any degree of pressure from the water on the
trunk of the body may be avoided ; and, which is some-
times of importance, the gaseous emanations from the
water are kept at so much greater a distance from the
mouth and nostrils. By this modified use of the baths,
the range of cases for which they are otherwise indicated,
and to which they are thus rendered applicable without
risk or disadvantage, is much increased. When the
variety of visceral conditions with which gout, rheuma-
tism, &c., may be complicated, is considered, the value of
such a means of modification may be inferred to be
important. The longer or shorter interval of one or
more days between the baths ; the longer or shorter time
of the immersion, from one minute to twenty minutes, or
longer ; the use of the warmer baths, or of the baths at
the natural temperature ; and the degree of heat of the
warmer baths, from 95 degrees, or higher, to 88 degrees ;
and the use of the quarter bath, or half bath, or three-
quarter bath, or whole bath, according to circumstances,
supply an extensive power of adaptation to different
cases.

The baths should not be made use of after dinner,
and not later than three or four hours after any meal, if
the system is very excitable, or there is any reason to
infer a probability that the baths may disagree. The
most convenient times for bathing, when not thus contra-
indicated at those hours, are before breakfast, and an
hour before dinner. It is necessary, in almost all cases,
to return to the lodging as soon as possible after leaving
the bath, and to remain within doors during two or more
hours afterwards, according to the season and the
weather. In dry and warm weather, one hour will

RULES FOR DRINKING THE WATERS.

235

generally be sufficient for tliis purpose ; but in cold and
damp weatber, it may be advisable to remain in the bouse
three or four hours, or even during the whole remainder
of the day. Remaining thus quiet during so long a
time after bathing, not only diminishes the risk of taking
cold afterwards — for the degree of excitement produced
by the baths renders this unlikely, and of rare occurrence
— but it lessens the chance of undue excitement of the
system after the bath, and is therefore to be generally
and strongly advised in proportion to the relative
excitability. On the other hand, in exceptional cases,
the primary effect of the bath is depressing, aud followed
or accompanied by more or less chilliness. This, if not
sufficient to forbid the use of the bath, would justify
increased caution in its use, and probably indicate that
exercise should be taken immediately after. The ten-
dency to go to sleep after using the bath, which is often
great, should be resisted in all cases. Sleeping, until
some hours after using the baths, almost always deranges,
and excites, and adds to the risk of congestion, and
should be watchfully avoided.

Drinking these waters produces much the same effect
on the system, as is produced by the baths ; they are,
however, more immediately stimulating, and less eventu-
ally alterative in their effects. They act occasionally as
an aperient; but this is uncertain and unsatisfactory,
and rather indicates irritation than relief, suggesting
their discontinuance until some corrective medicine has
been made use of, such as may relieve the congestion or
moi’bid condition of the abdominal organs and secretions,
upon which this effect from the internal use of the waters
almost always depends. They ought to act upon the
kidneys ; and their value as a diuretic, aud corrective of
some morbid conditions of the urine is very great. They
ought not to occasion headache, or thirst, or loss of

236 RULES FOR DRINKING THE WATERS.

appetite, or broken or disturbed sleep, or feverishness?
but they ought, on tlie contrary, to promote appetite
and digestion. Their use is often of great value in such
cases as the baths would be prescribed for, but from
circumstances contra-indicating their use. The internal
use of the waters is eminently auxiliary to the effect of
the baths ; and they should always be taken in connection
with the use of the baths, when not contra-indicated. The
degree of excitement immediately occasioned, however,
makes it needful to forbid their use in many cases, in which
the baths may be used without any disadvantage. This
remark applies to a large number of cases of gout. The
waters should not be drunk either immediately before, or
immediately after the use of the bath. It is desirable
that the possibility of the twofold excitement, caused by
using the waters in both ways, without some interval of
time, should be avoided. If the bath is not used before
breakfast, the first glass of the waters, and in some cases
two glasses of the waters, may be taken before breakfast ;
and the second or third glass may be taken, when not
interfering with the time of the bath, three hours after
breakfast. Or the second, or third, or fourth glass of the
waters, may be taken two or three hours after the bath,
or an hour before dinner, or three hours after an early
dinner. It is seldom necessary to take more than two
half pints of the water every day. There are three
differently sized glasses at the St. Ann’s Well ; the one
containing a quarter of a pint, the second one-third of a
pint, and the largest half a pint. It is generally
advisable that the smallest glass should be. used at the
beginning of the course ; increasing the dose again and
again, at the interval of a day or two, if no contra-
indication should occur. The waters are so fully charged
with gas, and until the system has become accustomed to
its use, the gas is so apt to occasion some degree of

RULES FOR DRINKING THE WATERS. 237

giddiness or even headache, tliat it is prudent at first to
drink the water by sips, and even to hold the glass in the
hand a few seconds before beginning to drink it ; but
this seldom applies to more than the few first times of
drinking the waters ; and afterwards it is desirable, in
order to secure the whole of the gas, or as much of it as
may be, to drink the water as rapidly and immediately as
possible, after receiving it from the attendant at the well.
It is desirable, if possible, to walk after drinking the
water, in order to expedite its absorption from the
stomach. The amount of walking found to be desirable
on this account, varies from ten minutes to an hour, or
more. The expediency of remaining within doors, during
one or more hours after using the baths, and of walking
for some little time immediately after drinking the
waters, is an additional reason why the use of the baths
and the drinking of the waters should, if possible, be at
different times of the day. The water should seldom be
drunk later than four or five o’clock in the afternoon.
When more than two glasses of the waters during the
day are indicated, the additional quantities may be taken
from half an hour to an hour or more after the previous
glass, according to the readiness with which the waters
are found to be absorbed from the stomach. The internal
use of these waters is often extremely useful, in cases of
bronchial irritation and relaxation, urinary affections,
and irritation of the bladder, in which the use of the
baths may or may not be advisable.

CHAPTER VIII.

ANALYSIS, CHARACTER, AND USES OP THE CHALY-
BEATE WATER.

v||lD) ETWEEN the limestone and gritstone formations
at Buxton, tliere is a narrow bed of shale, con-
^"7*r taining a considerable proportion of iron; and
from this arises a very useful chalybeate spring. This
water has been long and extensively used and valued. It
is an excellent chalybeate ; fortunately, as nearly as may
be, free from alum. It is therefore as little astringent
in its effects as possible, and acts as a mild and efficacious
tonic, producing the usual effects of iron upon the con-
stitution ; and in the perfectly satisfactory way that only
chalybeate waters attain : being- more certain in the effect,
more secure of absorption, and less apt to heat the system,
or engorge the membranes or viscera, than any artificial
way of exhibiting iron medicinally. This water has a
distinct chalybeate taste, is colourless and inodorous, and
is of the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere. It
was analysed by Sir Lyon Playfair, in the year 1852,
with the following- results. The imperial gallon was
found to contain : —

1044

1160

Sulphate of lime

2-483

Sulphate of magnesia

Carbonate of magnesia

0-431

0-303

0-147

1-054

0-460

7-082

THE CHALYBEATE WATEE.

239

The value of such an excellent and simple chalybeate
water is necessarily very great, in a place which is
resorted to by such large numbers of invalids, for the
use of the baths of the tepid waters, or for the benefit of
the great and useful change of air, which the mountain
elevation, and the limestone and gritstone soils of the
Buxton district, afford to important classes of invalided
conditions. There are great numbers of invalids who
use the Buxton baths advantageously, in whose cases the
internal use of the tepid waters is not advantageous, and
in whom the internal use of the chalybeate water proves
to be eminently serviceable. There are many cases in
which the use of the tepid waters is not indicated, either
as baths or internally, that take the chalybeate water
with advantage ; and there are some cases, of not un-
frequent occurrence, in which the chalybeate and tepid
waters are mixed together, and so taken with much
benefit. It is curious that, when so mixed, they are often
found to have a laxative effect ; whereas the tendency of
the chalybeate water alone, and in some degree the
tendency of the tepid water, is to produce a constipated
rather than a laxative effect.

The chalybeate water should not be taken before
breakfast. When so taken, it is liable to induce head-
ache, and feverishness, and gastric disturbance, in cases
where it suits well when taken at other times. The best
times for drinking the chalybeate water are as soon as may
be after breakfast, after luncheon, and after dinner, when
two or more glasses, of larger or smaller size, may be taken
at intervals of one or two hours. The quantity taken at a
time may be from a quarter of a pint to half a pint. It
should not occasion headache or feverishness ; it should
promote appetite and digestion, and not interfere dis-
advantageous^ with either. If it should occasion thirst,

240

THE CHALYBEATE WATER.

or uneasiness, or sense of distension of stomach, it should
probably be discontinued. It is advisable, if possible, to
walk after drinking the water.

The chalybeate water is of much value as a collyrium,
in many cases of weakness and chronic irritation of the
eyes. It is of more use as an eye-water, than might have
been expected from a reference to its composition. It
should be applied by means of the usual eye-glass adapted
to this purpose, and it should be used freely.

The chalybeate water is extremely valuable as an
application, auxiliary to the baths and douches of the
tepid waters, for the relief of indolent swellings of the
joints, &c., so often left after the subsidence of rheumatic
conditions. When poured over the joints affected, in
directed and regulated quantities, once, or twice, or three
times a day, it has appeared to stimulate the absorbents
to a much greater degi’ee, than has been found to attend
the similar application of common water at the same
temperature. This success has led to its use by means of
sponging and friction, in similar cases, and with good
effect ; and this, to the use of the affusion of this water
down the spine, and to sponging and friction of the back
with it, in some forms of spinal weakness and irritation,
with good effect. In some paralytic conditions, likewise,
whether dependent on cerebral or spinal affection, the
use of the affusion of this water, or of sponging and
friction with it, over the head or down the back,
according to the nature of the case, has often been
attended with good effect.

CHAPTER IX.

the supply of gritstone water for domestic

AND ORDINARY PURPOSES.

tHERE are not many questions wliicli are of greater
importance in regard to tlie health of people in
different localities, or which have met with less
full and practical consideration, than the extent and the
character of the water supplied for domestic and ordinary
purposes. Use has been made of the advantageous
position of Buxton, in regard to this important particu-
lar. There is an abundant supply of remarkably pure
water. The water of calcareous districts generally is
more or less objectionable for domestic uses, inasmuch as,
according to its degree of hardness, the solvent power of
the water is lessened ; and all cleansing and washing
purposes so far interfered with, and the infusion of tea,
the boiling of vegetables, &c., so much less readily
completed. And, moreover, even persons who reside
habitually in calcareous districts are occasionally found
to suffer from the calcareous matters contained in the
water, and more especially from their astringent effect ;
and strangers, not accustomed to the use of such waters,
suffer much more frequently, and to a greater degree.
It is one of the valuable circumstances referable to the
gritstone formation which adjoins Buxton, that the water*
supply for domestic purposes is derived from it. The
water is brought from three sources : two, of higher
level, locally known as the cold springs, arising near to
Comb’s Moss, on the right of the Manchester road, about

242

THE GRITSTONE WATER.

a mile from Buxton ; the third, from a stream in the
Inwer grounds, nearly a mile to the west of this place.
The waters from these places were examined by Dr. Lyon
Playfair, with the following results : —

Buxton , ?>0th August, 1852.

“ Dear Dr. Robertson,

“ I have examined the water with which Buxton is
now supplied (for domestic and ordinary purposes), and find it to be
pure and soft, such as is indeed to be expected from a water flowing
from the millstone grit. Its hardness is of two degrees ; that is to
say, it is of the same hardness as would be given to one gallon of
distilled water, by dissolving in it two grains of chalk (carbonate of
lime).

“The water from the brook, which is intended to be used for the
further supply of Buxton, is 4'358 (4£ degrees) of hardness. This
is also a soft water, though twice as hard as the previous sample.

“ Perhaps you may judge better of the relative qualities of these
waters by contrasting them with the water of the river Thames,
which is about 13 degrees of hardness.

“ I am, very sincerely yours,

“LYON PLAYFAIR.”

A curious circumstance connected with tlie use of this
water by strangers is, that it is occasionally supposed to be
too pure. The taste of the water is considered to be
vapid by some, who have been accustomed to use waters
impregnated strongly with earthy or saline matters ; and
the change to the use of this water., from that of less
pure water has been known to produce some degree of
discomfort in very delicate and highly sensitive systems.
In such cases the water of the cold calcareous springs
has been desirably substituted for the gritstone water ;
and Buxton is variously and sufficiently supplied with
water of this kind from pumps and otherwise. The
brook which runs across the field from Wye Head, form-
ing the succession of ornamental ponds, is chiefly of this
kind of water. There are two pumps connected together

THE GRITSTONE WATER.

243

by an arch, opposite the west end of the Crescent. One
of these pumps is supplied with the tepid water, the
other with the cold calcareous water.

Occasionally, after heavy rain, the gritstone water
becomes more or less discoloured, from mixture with
surface water that has passed over the summits of Comb’s
Edge and Comb’s Moss. This might be rectified by
deposition tanks of sufficient depth, or by filtering beds.
The brightness of the water is readily restored by
filtration.

CHAPTER X.

HISTORY, PROGRESS, POSITION, AND USEFULNESS OF
THE DEVONSHIRE HOSPITAL AND BUXTON BATH
CHARITY.

tHE Buxton Bath Charity and Devonshire Hospital
is, under the former of these names, an institution
of considerable antiquity. It arose by degrees
from very small beginnings, to its present position of
extensive usefulness. It is recorded by Dr. Jones, in his
work so often cited, that Buxton was much resorted to
by poor afflicted persons, in the middle of the sixteenth
century ; and indeed the petition which has been pre-
viously mentioned, from the inhabitants of the adjoining
village of Fairfield, which was addressed to Queen
Elizabeth, in the year 1595, for a grant from the Royal
bounty for the maintenance of a chaplain, on the ground
that they were too much impoverished to do this for
themselves, by reason of the urgent and continual claims
for relief on the part of the many poor sufferers, resort-
ing to the Buxton baths, confirms the opinion that the
numbers of poor persons who then made use of the waters
must have been very considerable. It may be fairly
gathered from the various ancient writers on these waters
that these poor persons had been so far aided, from time
immemorial, as to have had the use of the baths allowed
to them gratuitously. Dr. Jones indeed speaks of “ the
treasury of the bath ” as being partly devoted “ to the
-use of the poor that only for help do come hither ; ” but
whether this is said in reference to a fund that had been

BATH CHARITY AND HOSPITAL.

245

already in existence, or only by way of suggestion for the
formation of sucli a fund, does not clearly appear. Dr.
Jones adds, however, an appeal that deserves to be quoted
in all works that may be written concerning the waters
of Buxton : — “ If any think this magisterial imposing on
people’s pockets, let them consider their abilities, and
the sick poor’s necessities, and think whether they do
not in idle pastimes throw away in vain twice as much
yearly ; it may entail the blessing of them that are ready
to perish upon you, and will afford a pleasant after
reflection. God has given yon physic for nothing; let
the poor and afflicted (it may be members of Christ) have
a little of your money; it may be the better for your
own health. Heaven might have put them in your room,,
and you in theirs ; then a supply would have been accep-
table to you.”

It would seem, then, that the invalided poor, resorting
to Buxton for the use of its baths and waters, had thus-
early met with aid as to their gratuitous use, and also
with a kindly solicitude and attention from medical men
in attendance at the baths ; for it would appear to have
been the custom in earlier times, as it is said to be even
now in some of the continental watering-places, that the
medical attendants were wont to afford their instructions
in the bath apartments, and personally superintend the
fulfilment of their directions. So much is left in obscu-
rity, as to periods of time less remote from our own than
that now referred to, that it is little wonder the early
history of Buxton should have left no more traces than
these of the origin of the Buxton Bath Charity ; and it
cannot but be regretted that the ancient records, which
appear to have been kept at the baths by the medical
attendant when he was present, and by the bath-keeper
in the absence of the physician, of the “ name, place of
abode, coming thither and departure, condition, calling,

246

BATH CHARITY AND HOSPITAL.

disease, and symptoms, and tie benefit received,” should
have been destroyed. A more curious and interesting
record than such an ancient register would now be, can-
not well be imagined, It is not, however, known at what
distant period of time baths were first provided at Buxton
for the gratuitous use of the poor ; nor is it even known
when baths were first provided for the separate and
exclusive use of the poor bathers.

There is in the Hospital a printed document, which
bears the date of 1785, in which it is stated that a pecuniary
fund for the assistance of poor bathers had originated in
the year 1779 ; and this paper is evidently a copy of an
annual report of this charity, which has probably been
issued regularly from that time to the present ; although
I have not been able to meet with any copies of these
reports between the years 1785 and 1818. It is not
known when “ the poor treasury,” if such really had
existed, ceased to be supplied with funds ; but enough
has been said to show that the Buxton Bath Charity may
claim to be one of the most ancient charitable institutions
in the kingdom. The fund which has, at all events since
the year 1779, been regularly provided by charitable
persons, for the assistance of poor bathers, must have
been at first of a very moderate amount, as the number
who were to receive pecuniary relief from it was limited
to “sixteen objects at one time,” and it was only given
during the six summer months. It was stated in my
work on “ Buxton and its Waters,” published in the year
1838, that of 14,906 patients admitted to the benefits of
the institution in the eighteen years previously, 12,608
were dismissed as cured or much relieved ; the remainder
having been either little relieved or no better at the time
of dismissal. From that time to the beginning of Sep-
tember, 1858, 23,319 patients were on the books of the
institution; and of these it may be gathered from the

BATH CHARITY AND HOSPITAL.

247

reports that 16,575 were cured or much relieved, 5,859
were only relieved in some degree, and 885 only were no
better when dismissed.

During the twenty years, 1859 to 1878, the patients
were most comfortably lodged and provided for in
the Devonshire Hospital. This building presents a
remarkable instance of the successful conversion of a
range of magnificent stables to the purposes of hospital
accommodation and requirement ; offering spacious, well-
warmed, and thoroughly ventilated dining hall, day
rooms, and dormitories, ample kitchen, &c., &c. — an
excellent master’s house, consulting rooms, dispensary,
house surgeon’s and dispenser’s rooms, &c. — accommoda-
tion for the servants of the establishment, and 150 beds
for patients — in addition to a ward for cases of accidental
injury. The central position of the building on a com-
manding eminence, close to the church, the Crescent, the
baths, and the wells — with a southern and western
exposure, presenting views from all the windows of the
park and walks, surrounded by its own grounds, and
with a costly colonnade and parterre in its centre — fur-
nishes an affecting evidence, as is recorded on a stone
over the door of the hospital, written, not long before his
death, by the late Sir Francis Darwin, formerly one of
the physicians, of “ the last munificent charity of
William Spencer, 6th Duke of Devonshire, K.G., who
allowed these buildings to be converted to the use of the
sick poor, January, a.d. 1858.”

In the 20 years the hospital had 26,106 patients under
treatment ; all the beds were occupied and the
admission of many applicants had to be refused or
deferred, during many weeks of those years ; the cases
of 22,690 were treated beneficially, only 3,416 of the
patients having derived no benefit during their stay ; and
2,971 of the patients, or about one eighth of the whole

248

BATH CHARITY AND HOSPITAL.

number, were not suffering from any of the forms of
rheumatism, but were such as are ordinarily met with in
hospitals, and required medical treatment accordingly.
On the average of the 20 years, the patients remained
under treatment 24'16 days ; and 23,135 cases of rheu-
matism— embracing every conceivable variety of this
distressing malady, and for the most part cases of severe
and obstinate character, were, in so short a time, and with
little aid from other means than the Buxton waters,
treated with such satisfactory results.

From the winter of 1862-3, the memorable winter of
the deplorable Cotton Famine, when 100 young women,
who most needed change of air, and food, and restorative
care, were received by the Hospital, and eventually
returned to their homes with renovated health and
strength, a kindly feeling had been entertained in regard
to the Hospital ; and this culminated in an arrangement,
by which a grant of £24,000 was made from the surplus
fund, collected for the relief of the sufferers, to obtain
the extension of the Hospital to the whole of the great
building of which it had occupied a part, and to obtain
its enlargement to the provision of a total number of
300 beds for patients, and an ample area of grounds and
buildings for all the accessories of a great medical
institution. This involved the entire re- construction of
the whole interior of the vast octagonal building ; and
necessitated the roofing of the unoccupied area in the
centre, by what has proved to be the largest dome that
has ever been erected. This dome covers half an acre of
ground, and canopies a single apartment, warmed by hot
water pipes as required, and renders the patients prac-
tically almost independent of season or weather. The
whole of this re-construction has involved the expenditure
of between £30,000 and £40,000, and has reduced very
seriously the investments of the funds of the Hospital,
which should be repaid by public benefaction. When

BATH CHAKITY AND HOSPITAL.

249

tlie re- construction was completed, the architectural
effect was unexpectedly great ; and it was scarcely a
surprise to find that the building had been copied from a
mediaaval palace, “ The Palace of Christian Kings, at
Granada,” in Spain, of which, with the exception of the
dome, it is an almost exact replica. The merit of the
thoughtful and kindly grant, from the Cotton Dis-
trict’s Convalescent Fund, is mainly due to the late Mr,
E. Ashworth, of Bolton, in Lancashire ; and the skilful
re-construction to Mr. E. E. Duke, Architect, of Buxton.

The patients are supplied with a liberal dietary, medical
advice, and medicines, and have the use of the baths and
waters. Annual subscribers are entitled to recommend a
patient, for three weeks, to the full benefit of the institu-
tion, for every guinea subscribed. Casual subscribers
have the same privilege, on the payment of forty shil-
lings. Life- subscribers have the same annual privilege
for every twenty guineas. Four out-patients may be
recommended, instead of one in-patient. Out-patients
receive medical advice, medicines, and the use of the
baths and waters. In addition to the subscriber’s recom-
mendation, the fitness of every patient, as an object of
charity, is expected to be satisfactorily certified by the
officiating- minister, or by the churchwardens or other
parochial officers. Letters respecting the admission of
patients are to be sent to the secretary, Mr. Joseph
Taylor, Devonshire Hospital, Buxton, Derbyshire. It ia
advisable to obtain notice of the day on which there will
be a vacancy in the hospital, before a patient is sent from
home. Donations, subscriptions, &c., should be made
payable to the treasurers, the Sheffield and Eotherham
Bank, Buxton, Derbyshire. It need only be added, in
support of the claims of the institution to a universal
sympathy, in addition to the statistical statement of the
curative results, that every patient costs the institution
from £2 5s. to £2 10s., notwithstanding the gratuitous

B

250 BATH CHARITY AND HOSPITAL.

services of tlie medical officers, and the most painstaking
and constant supervision.

Extending over so many years as from 1820 to 1886,
and embracing such large numbers of cases, the records
are ample enough to satisfy the most sceptical inquirer.
And as to the nature of the ailments, in regard to which
so great a degree of success has been obtained by the
skilled use of the Buxton waters, it should be stated that
a very large proportion of the cases have been those of
rheumatism — and of rheumatism, for the relief of which
hospital and dispensary appliances, and the efforts of the
private practitioner, have been tried in vain ; and, more-
over, that the results have been obtained, for the most
part, by the use of the Buxton baths and waters for
average periods of only from three to four weeks. The
chronic and obstinate character of the generality of these
cases is sufficiently explained, by the difficulty with which
poor people are enabled to leave their homes, and by the
fact that, notwithstanding- the assistance afforded by the
institution, and the provision of medical advice, medicines
and baths, few poor persons are enabled to defray the
cost of a journey to Buxton and back, at a less outlay
from their own resources, than from ten shillings to three
pounds sterling. This circumstance, moreover, causes
attempts to impose upon public liberality, on the part of
healthy persons, or of persons suffering from less severe
or less obstinate forms of ailment, to be too unprofitable
to be of frequent occurrence. That many much-
afflicted poor persons should, notwithstanding this
expenditure, from scanty funds, contrive to visit Buxton
every year, or almost every year, as the only means
which they find to be effectual, in warding off such a
degree of crippling of the limbs, as would prevent them
from pursuing the occupation by which they earn their
livelihood, may be regarded as supplying evidence of the
medicinal value of the baths and waters.

APPENDIX.

CATALOGUE OF PLANTS WHICH GROW IN THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD OP BUXTON, WITH A BOTANICAL
COMMENTARY.

HE following list was prepared previously to the

year 1854; and many of the plants have been

disturbed by the cuttings and embankments of
the railway. It is hoped, however, that most of them
will be found to be in or near their old localities : —

Proceeding along the road from Buxton to Bakewell,
the first plant worthy of particular notice is the Golden
Saxifrage (Chrysoplenium oppositifolium). It grows very
near the river, and flowers in May. Near the same place
may be found the Red and Black Currant (Ribes rubrum
and R. nigrum, and also the Gooseberry (Ribes grossu-
laria). But though it is natural for these shrubs to grow
in damp soil, near a river, it is possible that the spot
where these are found may be the remains of a former
garden.

A little farther, on the opposite side of the river, is a
Willow, not veiy common — the Sweet Bay-leaved Willow
(Salix pentandra), producing its blossoms in June or
July. Still farther, on the other side of the river, and
nearly opposite to the Lover’s Leap, is a beautiful shrub,
the Bird Cherry (Prunus padus), putting out its elegant
spray of white blossoms in May. The ground beneath
is covered with bright blue patches of the Great Water

BY THE LATE MISS HAWKINS.

252

BOTANICAL COMMENTARY.

Scoipion-grass (Myosotis palustris), flowering from June
till August, and the WEite Wood Anemone (Anemone
nemorosa), which flowers in April and May.

At the Lover’s Leap, following the bed of the little
stream which runs between high rocks, there will be
found, in May and June, a great quantity of Broad-
leaved Gai’lick (Allium ursinum) ; and at the upper end
of the rocky bed of the rivulet, it is overhung by a beau-
tiful deep pink Rose (Rosa villosa). This rose grows
also in many places on the opposite bank of the river
Wye, together with the Common Dog Rose (Rosa
canina), and the White Trailing Dog Rose (Rosa
arvensis).

In all the plantations on each side of the road, may
be found the wild Raspberry (Rubus idmus).

Passing the Lover's Leap, on the rocks' on the right
hand, is a plant not found in any other place in England
except near Malham Cove, in Yorkshire, the Blue Jacob’s
Ladder, or Greek Valerian (Polemonium caaruleum),
flowering in June. Other plants on the side of the road
are common everywhere. Smooth Speedwell (Veronica
serpyllifolia), Germander Speedwell( Veronica channedrys).
Procumbent Speedwell (Veronica agrestis), Wall Speed-
well (Veronica arvensis), Ivy-leaved Speedwell (Veronica
hederifolia), all flowering from April till June, or even
later ; the Round-leaved Bell-flower (Campanula rotundi-
folia), flowering in July and August ; the Field Scabious
(Scabiosa arvensis), flowering in July; Small Scabious
(Scabiosa columbaria), which is much more rare than the
former, and flowers from June till August. Cuckoo-
flower (Cardamine pratensis), flowers in April and May.
Herb Robert, or Stinging Cranesbill (Geranium Rober-
tianum), Shining Cranesbill (Geranium lucidum), Doves-
foot Cranesbill (Geranium molle), all flowering from May

BOTANICAL COMMENTARY.

253

to August. Near the river, the Butterbur (Tussilago
petasites) grows in profusion, producing larger leaves
than any indigenous plant in great Britain.

Beyond the mill, on the left hand of the road, the
bridge leads to a bushy bank of small extent, skirting a
footpath leading to Fairfield; on which bank, besides the
Prunus spinosa (Blackthorn or Sloe), flowering in April
or May, the Raspberry (Rubus idoeus), Common Black-
berry (Rubus fruticosus), also flowering in April or May ;
the Dog’s Violet (Viola canina), and Common Cowslip
(Primula veris), and some rarer plants are to be found.
Here are the Green Hellebore (Helleborus viridis), flow-
ering in April or May ; Clustered Bell-flower (Campanula
glomerata), Bloody Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum),
flowering from July to September; Hairy Violet (Viola
hirta), flowering in April ; Common Dwarf Cistus
(Cistus helianthemum), and Hairy St. John’s Wort
(Hypericum hirsutum), both flowering- in July and
August. Bushes of a very beautiful deep pink or red
Rose (Rosa tomentosa), also grow on this bank. Close
to the river, a little farther on the opposite side, is the
Common Dame’s Violet (Hesperis matronalis) flowering
in May and June.

Between the bridge and the turnpike, are found on the
rocks, on the right hand — as also in many of the pastures
— the Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris), flowering
in September and October; Ivy-leaved Wall Lettuce
(Prenanthes muralis), flowering in July ; Common Wall
Cress (Arabis Thaliana), flowering in April; Hairy Wall
Cress (Arabis hirsuta), flowering in May ; the Notting-
ham Catchfly (Silene nutans) used te grow on this bank ;
but in taking materials for repairing the road, it seems
to have been destroyed. It grows in the end of Miller’s
Dale, and in Dove Dale.

254

BOTANICAL COMMENTARY.

Beyond the turnpike, in the wet ground on the left
hand, are the Common Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
floweiing in March and April; Common Water Cress
(Nasturtium officinale), flowering in June and July ; and
by the road side, chiefly on the inner side of the wall, is
the Blue Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pratense), flower-
ing in June and July. Still farther, past the bend of
the road, are Small Marsh Valerian (Valeriana dioica),
flowering in J une ; Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris),
flowering in July ; Great Hairy Willow-herb (Epilobium
hirsutum), flowering in July. This last plant grows on
the bank dividing the fishpond from a small branch of
the river, mixed with large patches of Blue Scorpion-
grass, the Common Cow Parsnip (Heracleum sphondy-
lium), flowering in July. On the right hand of the road*
before reaching this bend of the road, are the Small-
flowered Hoary Willow-herb (Epilobium parviflorum),
flowering1 in July ; Brooklime (Veronica Beccabunga),
Mouse-ear Chickweed (Cerastium vulgatum), and Silver-
weed, or Wild Tansy (Potentilla anserina), all flowering
from May to July.

On approaching the third milestone from Buxton, the
limestone is interrupted by toadstone, and as far as this
extends, a beautiful little plant grows in the crevices of
the stones, the Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vul-
garis), flowering in May and June. In many parts of
the river grows the White Floating Crowfoot (Ranunculus
aquatilis), showing its white flowers in May. On the
rocks on the right hand, going up the hill called Topley
Pike, grows a sweet-scented plant, the Common Kidney
Vetch, or Ladies’ Finger (Anthyllis vulneraria), flower-
ing in June and July; and higher up on those rocks,
the Stone Bramble (Rubus saxatile), flowering in June.
In the valley below the road, on rocks close to the river,
there are a few plants of the White Beam Tree (Pyrus

BOTANICAL COMMENTARY.

255

Aria), flowering in May. The Giant Bellflower (Cam-
panula latifolia) grows near the road, going on to
Ashford.

The plants to be found near Buxton, farther from the
public road, are the Common Privet (Ligustrum vulgare),
growing on rocks in a dale near the bottom of Topley
Pike, flowering in May and June; where may also be
found the Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus),
flowering in May and June. And in a dale leading to
Chelmorton, the Burnet-leaved Rose (Rosa spinosissima)
grows amongst the loose stones on the side of a hill.

Amongst the rocks and shrubs in other places are two
plants which used to be considered doubtful natives o£
Britain — the Cinnamon Rose (Rosa Cinnamomea) and the
Mountain Globeflower (Trollius Europmus) — both flower-
ing in May and June. Other more common plants are
to be found in almost every meadow and road side. Such,
are the Common Corn Salad, or Lamb’s Lettuce (Fedia
olitoria), flowering from April to June; Devil’s-bit
Scabious (Scabiosa succisa), flowering from August to
October; Cross Wort Bedstraw (Galium cruciatum),
flowering in May; Smooth Head Bedstraw (Galium
saxatile), flowering from June to August ; Yellow Bed.
straw (Galium verum), flowering in July and August ■
Cleavers, or Goosegrass (Galium Aparine), flowering all
the summer ; Greater Plantain (Plantago major), Hoary
Plantain (Plantago media), having a very pleasant scent,
and flowering from June to August; Great Burnet (San-
guisorba officinalis), flowering in June and July; Com-
mon Wall Pellitory (Parietaria officinalis), flowering from
June till September ; Common Ladies’ Mantle (Al-
chemilla vulgaris), flowering from June to August ;
Field Ladies’ Mantle, or Parsley Piert ( Alchemilla
arvensis), flowering from May to October; Procumbent
Pearlwort (Sagina procumbens), flowering from May to

256

BOTANICAL COMMENTARY.

October ; Annual Small-flowered Pearlwort (Sagina
apetala), flowering in May or June.

Common Primrose (Primula vulgaris), flowering in
April; Autumnal Gentian (Gentianaamarella), flowering
in August ; Perennial Blue Flax (Linum perenne),
flowering in June and July; Mill mountain (Linum
catharticum), flowering from June to August; Smooth.
Cow Parsley (Chasrophyllum sylvestre), flowering in
May ; Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata), flowering in May,
not very common ; Common Earth, or Pignut (Bunium
flexuosum), flowering in May or June ; Common Gout-
weed (iEgopodium podagi’aria), flowering in June ;
Sheep’s Sorrel (Rumex acetosella), flowering in June
and July ; Broad Smooth-leaved Willow-herb (Epilobium
montanum), flowering in July ; Bilberry, or Black
Whortleberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), flowering in May ;
Common Ling (Calluna vulgaris), flowering in June and
July ; Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix), flowering in
July and August; Fine-leaved Heath (Erica cinerea),
flowering from July to October; White Meadow Saxi-
frage (Saxifraga granulata), flowering in June; Rue-
leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga tridactylites), flowering in
May ; Mossy Saxifrage, or Ladies’ Cushion (Saxifraga
hypnoides), flowering in June ; Common Chickweed, or
Stitchwort (Stellaria media), flowering all the year;
Vernal Sandwort (Arenaria verna), flowering from May
to August: Orpine, or Livelong (Sedum telephium),
flowering in August ; Biting Stonecrop, or Wall Pepper
(Sedum acre), flowering in June ; Common Wood Sorrel
(Oxalis acetosella), flowering in April and May ; Corn
Cockle (Agrostemma githago), flowering in June and
July ; Meadow Lychnis, or Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos
cuculi), flowering in June; Red Campion (Lychnis dioica),
flowering in May and June; Common Houseleek (Sem-
pervivum tectorum), flowering in July; Meadow Sweet

BOTANICAL COMMENTARY.

257

(Spiraea ulmaria), flowering in June and July; Spring
Cinquefoil (Potentilla verna), flowering in April and
May; Strawberry-leaved Cinquefoil (Potentilla fragari-
astrum), flowering in April ; Water Avens (Geum rivale),
flowering in June and July ; Dwarf Cistus (Cistus
lielianthemum), flowering in July and August ; Lesser
Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), flowering in April ;
Bulbous Crowfoot (Ranunculus bulbosus), flowering in
May ; Creeping Crowfoot (Ranunculus repens), flowering
from June to August ; Common Bugle (Ajuga reptans),
flowering in May ; Common Ground Ivy (Glechoma
hederacea), flowering in April and May ; Red Dead
Nettle, or Archangel (Lamium purpureum), flowering in
May; Common Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), flowering
in July and August ; Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum),
flowering in July and August ; Common Self-heal
(Prunella vulgaris), flowering July and August ; Common
Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus cristagalli), flowering in
June; Common Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis), flower-
ing from June to September ; Knotty-rooted Figwort
(Scrophularia nodosa), flowering in July ; Purple Fox-
glove (Digitalis purpurea,) flowering in June and July;
Common Whitlow-grass (Draba verna), flowering in
March and April ; Speedwell-leaved Whitlow- grass
(Draba muralis), flowering in April and May; this is
considered rather a rare plant ; Rock Hutchinsia
(Hutchinsia petraaa), flowering in April ; Common
Shepherd’s Purse (Thlaspi bursa pastoris), flowering all
the summer ; Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris),
flowering in June and July, in a variety of colours — blue,
white, and lilac; Common Furse, or Gorse (Ulex
Europaeus), flowering in May ; Common Bitter Vetch
(Orobus tuberosus), flowering in May and June ; Tufted
Vetch (Vicia cracca), flowering in July and August;
Lesser Yellow Trefoil (Trifolium minus), flowering in

258

BOTANICAL COMMENTARY.

June and July ; Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus
comiculatus), flowering- from June to September; Greater
Bird s-foot Trefoil (Lotus major) flowering1 in July;
Common Perforated St. John’s Wort (Hypericum per-
foratum), and Imperforate St. John’s Wort (Hypericum
dubium), both flowering in July and August ; Hairy St.
John’s Wort (Hypericum hirsutum), flowering in June
and July ; Yellow Goat’s Beard (Tragopogon pratensis),
flowering in June; Corn Sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis),
flowering in August; Rough Hawkbit (Apargia hispida),
flowering in July; Common Mouse-ear Hawk Weed
(Hieracium pilosella), flowering in June; Musk Thistle
(Carduus nutans), flowering in July and August; Spear
Plume Thistle (Cnicus lanceolatus), flowering from June
to September ; Marsh Plume Thistle (Cnicus palustris),
flowering in July and August ; Meadow Plume Thistle
(Cnicus pratensis), flowering in June; Woolly-headed
Plume Thistle (Cnicus eriophorus), flowering in August ;
Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), flowering in March and
Apx-il ; Common Rag Wort (Senecio Jacob sea), flowering
in July and August ; Moon Daisy (Chrysanthemum
leucanthemum), flowering in July; Common Yarrow, or
Milfoil (Achillea millefolium), flowering in July ; Black
Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), flowering from June to
August ; Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa), flower-
ing in July and August ; Common Salad Burnet (Poterium
sanguisorba), flowering in July ; Perennial Mercury
(Mercurialis perennis), flowering in April and May ;
Rough Hawksbeard (Crepis biennis), flowering in July;
Spotted Cat’s-ear (Hypochseris maculata), flowering in
July.

On Axe Edge are found, besides the three common
heaths (Calluna vulgaris, Erica tetralix, and Erica
cinerea), the Black Crowbeny, or Crakeberry (Empetrum
nigrum), a plant in appearance very like a heath, but of

BOTANICAL COMMENTARY.

259

a very different class, as it bears the blossoms and the
fruit on separate plants ; the former appearing in May,
and the latter, which is a black berry, like a small black
currant, ripe about August. It is said, that in former
times a sort of wine was made from this fruit in Iceland
and Norway. The Bilberry (Yaccinium myrtillus) grows
there in abundance, and also the Cowberry, or Whortle-
berry (Yaccinium vitis idma), flowering in June, bearing
a red berry. Cranberry, or Marsh Whortleberry (Yac-
cinium oxycoccus), flowering in June; the fruit of which
is, in an early state, pale coloured with red spots ; but
when fully ripe of a deep red. The Mountain Bramble,
or Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), which in June bears
one very elegant white flower, on a slender stalk ; the
fruit resembles a small white raspberry. The Wild
Rosemary, or Marsh Andromeda (Andromeda polifolia)
flowering in June.

The plants of the Orchis tribe, near Buxton, are the
Early purple Orchis (Orchis mascula), flowering in April
and May; Spotted Palmate Orchis (Orchis maculata ,
flowering in June and July ; Aromatic Palmate Orchis
(Orchis conopsea), flowering in June ; Prog Orchis
(Orchis viridis), on the high ground above the hospital at
Buxton, and flowering in June and July ; Green Man
Orchis (Aceras anthropophera ) , flowering in June ;
Common Twayblade (Listera ovata), flowering in June.

Plants of the Pern tribe, immediately near Buxton,
are the Common Polypody (Polypodium vulgare), Rigid
Three-branched Polypody (Polypodium calcareum); Male
Shield Fem (Aspidium filix mas). Broad Sharp-toothed
Shield F ern (Aspidium dilatatum) ; Female Shield Fern
(Aspidium filix foemina) ; Brittle Bladder Fern (Cyathea
fragilis) ; Common Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium
trichomanes) ; Green Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium
viride) , much more rare than the Common Spleenwort ;

260

BOTANICAL COMMENTARY.

Wall Rue Spleenwort (Asplenium ruta muraria) ; Common
Hart’s Tongue (Scolopendrium vulgare) ; Northern Hard
Fern (Blechnum boreale) ; Common Ovate Adder’s
Tongue (Ophioglossum vulgatum). Common Moon
Wort is said to grow near Corbar Wood.

The Common Brake (Pteris aquilina) grows in
abundance near Ashford, and the grounds at Chatsworth.

CLASSIFIED LIST OF PLANTS.

f LASSIFICATION of Plants, wliicli grow in the
neighbourhood of Buxton; and most of which
grow within the district immediately around the
Town : —

Diandria.— Monogynia.

Ligustrum vulgare
Fraxinus excelsior
Veronica serpyllifolia
,, beccabunga
„ anagallis
,, officinalis
,, chamtedrys
,, agrestis
„ arvensis
,, hederifolia
Pingnicnla vnlgaris

Common Privet
Common Ash
Smooth Speedwell
Brooklime
Water Speedwell
Common Speedwell
Germander Speedwell
Procumbent Field Speedwell
Wall Speedwell
Ivy-leaved Speedwell
Common Butterwort *

Triandria. — Monogynia.

Valeriana dioica . . . Marsh Valerian

Fedia vulgaris . . . Common Lamb’s Lettuce

Tetra:

Scabiosa succisa .

,, arvensis
,, columbaria

Galium cruciatum
,, saxatile .

,, pusillum .

„ verum
„ aparine .

Plantago major .

,, media .

Sanguisorba officinalis .

Cornus sanguinea

Parietaria officinalis .

Alchemilla vulgaris
„ arvensis

ia. — Monogynia.

. Devil’s-bit Scabious
. Field Scabious
. Small Scabious
. Cross Wort Bedstraw
. Smooth Heath Bedstraw
. Least Mountain Bedstraw
. Yellow Bedstraw
. Goosegrass
. Greater Plantain
. Hoary Plantain
. Great Burnet
. Wild Cornet Tree
. Wall Pellitory
. Common Ladles’ Mantle
. Field Ladies’ mantle

262

CLASSIFIED LIST OF PLANTS.

Tetrandria. — Tetragy nia.

Sagina procumbens . . Procumbent Pearl wort

ti apetala . . . Small-flowered Pearl Wort

Pentandria. — Monogynia.

Myosotis palustris
,, sylvatica
Cynoglossum officinale
Symphytum officinale
Primula veris
„ vulgaris .
Polemonium cserulum
Campanula rotundifolia
,, latifolia

,, trachelium

,, glomerata

Viola hirta .

„ canina .

„ lutea .

Rhamnus cathartious
Ribes rubrum
„ alpinum
„ oigrum
„ grossularia .
Hedera helix

Water Scorpiongrass
Upright Wood Scorpiongrass
Common Hound’s Tongue
Common Comfrey
Common Cowslip
Common Primrose
Greek Valerian
Round-leaved Bellflower
Giant Bellflower
Nettle-leaved Bellflower
Clustered Bellflower
Hairy Violet
Dog’s Violet
Yellow Mountain Violet
Common Buckthorn
Common Currant
Tasteless Mountain Currant
Black Currant
Common Gooseberry
Common Ivy

Pentandria. — Digynia.

Chenopodium Bonus Henricus
Gentiana amarella
„ campestris
Chserophyllum sylvestre
Myrrhis odorata
Bunium flexuosum
^Egopodium podagraria
Angelica sylvestris
Heracleum sphondylium
Pimpinella magna

Mercury Goosefoot
Autumnal Gentian
Field Gentian
Wild Chervil
Sweet Cicely
Common Earthnut
Common Goutweed
Wild Angelica
Common Cow Parsnep
Greater Burnet Saxifrage

Pen tandria. — - Tetr agynia.

Parnassia paluBtris . . Common Grass of Parnassus

Linum perenne . . . Perennial Blue Flax

catharticum . . Mill Mountain

CLASSIFIED LIST OF PLANTS.

263

Hexandria.— Monogynia.

Allium ursinum . . . Broad-leaved Garlick

„ vineale . . . Crow Garlick

Juncus lampocarpus . . Shining Jointed Rush

Hexandria. — Trigynia.

Rumex sanguineus . . Bloody-veined Dock

„ acetosa . . . Common Sorrell

,, acetosella . . . Sheep’s Sorrell

Octandria. — Monogynia.

Epilobium hirsutum

„ augustifolium
„ parviflorum .

„ montanum .

Vaccinium myrtillus
,, vitis idfea .

,, oxycoccus .

Calluna vulgaris .

Erica tetralix
,, cinerea

. Hairy Willowherb
. Rose-bay Willowherb
. Small Willowherb
. Broad Smooth Willowherb
. Bilberry
. Red Wortleberry
. Cranberry
. Common Ling
. Cross-leaved Heath
. Fine-leaved Heath

Octandria. — Tetragynia.

Paris quadrifolia . . . Common Herb Paris

Decandria. — Monogynia.

Andromeda polifolia . . Marsh Andromeda

Decandria Digynia.

Chrysoplenium alternifolium Alternate-leaved Golden Saxi-
frage

„ oppositifolium Opposite-leaved Golden Saxi-
frage

Saxifraga granulata . . Meadow Saxifrage

,, tridactylites . . Rue-leaved Saxifrage

i) hypnoides . . Mossy Saxifrage

Decandria. — Trigynia.

Silene nutans . . . Nottingham Catchfly

Stellaria media . . . Common Chickweed

Arenaria verna , . . Vernal Sandwort

264

CLASSIFIED LIST OF PLANTS.

Decandria. — Pentagynia.

Sedum telephium
,, acre

Oxalis acetosella .
Lychnis flos cuculi
,, dioica

Ceraatium vulgatum
Bpergula nodosa .

. Orpine Livelong
. Biting Stonecrop
. Common Wood Sorrel
. Meadow Lychnis
. Red or White Campion
. Mouse-ear Chickweed
. Knotted Spurrey

Dodecandria. — Dodecagynia.
Sempervivum tectorum . Houseleek

Icosandria. — Monogynia
Prunus padus . . . Bird Cherry

„ spinosa . . . Sloe Blackthorn

Icosandria. —

Mespilus oxyacantha
Pyrus aucuparia .

,, aria

Spiraea filipendula
„ ulmaria .

Di-Pentagynia.

. Hawthorn
. Mountain Ash
. White Beam Tree
. Common Dropwort
. Meadow Sweet

Icosandria. — Polygynia.

Rosa cinnamomea
,, spinosissima
„ villosa
,, canina
,, arvensis
Rubua fruticosus .

„ idaeus
„ corylifolius
,, saxatilis
,, chamaemorus
Pontentilla anserina
,, verna

,, fragariastrum

Geum urbanum .

„ rivale

Cinnamon Rose
Burnet Rose
Soft-leaved Rose
Common Dog Rose
White- trailing Rose
Blackberry
Raspberry

Hazel-leafed Bramble
Stone Bramble
Cloudberry
Silverweed
Spring Cinquefoil
Strawberry-leaved Cinquefoil
Common Avens
Water Avens

Polyandria. — Monogynia.
Cistus helianthemum . . Common Cistus

CLASSIFIED LIST OF PLANTS.

265

Polyandria.— Pentagynia.
Aqnilegia vulgaris . . Columbine

Polyandria.— Polygynia.

Anemone nemorosa
Ranunculus ficaria
„ bulbosus

„ repens

Trollius Europteus
Helleborus viridis .

„ fcetidus
Caltha palustris .

Wood Anemone
Crowfoot

Bulbous Crowfoot
Creeping Crowfoot
Mountain Globe Company
Green Hellebore
Stinking Hellebore
Marsh Marigold

Didynamia. — Gymnospermia.

Ajugareptans
Glechoma hederacea
Lamium purpureum
Origanum vulgare
Thymus serpyllum
) ) acmos •
Prunella vulgaris .

Common Bugle
Ground Ivy
Red Dead Nettle
Common Marjoram
Common Thyme
Basil Thyme
Self-heal

Didynamia.— Angiospermia

Rhidanthus oristagalli .
Euphrasia officinalis
Scrophularia nodosa
Digitalis purpurea

Yellow Rattle
Eyebright
Knotty Figwort
Purple Foxglove

Tetradynamia.— Siliculosa.

Draba verna .

,, incana
,, muralis
Hutchinsia petrasa
Thlaspi bursa pastoris

Common Whitlowgrass
Twisted-podded Whitlowgrass
Speedwell-leaved Whitlowgrass
Rock Hutchinsia
Shepherd’s Purse

Tetradynamia. — Siliquosa.

Cardamine impatiens
Cardamine pratensis
Nasturtium officinale
Hesperia matronalis
Arabia thaliana .

„ hirsuta

Ladies’ Smock
Cuokoo Flower
Watercress
Dame’s Violet
Wall Cress
Hairy Wall Cress

S

266

CLASSIFIED LIST OF PLANTS.

Monodelphia.— Decandria.

Geranium pratense
Geranium Robertianum
„ lucidum
„ molle .

„ sanguineum

Blue Cranesbill
Herb Robert
Shining Cranesbill
Dovesfoot Cranesbill
Bloody Cranesbill

Diadelphia. — Octandria.

Polygala vulgaris . . . Common Milkwort

Diadelphia.— Decandria.

Ulex Europffius
Anthyllis vulneraria
Orobus tuberosus .
Vicia sylvatica
Vicia cracca .
Hippocrepis comosa
Trifolium minus .
Lotus corniculatus
„ major .

Common Furze
Kidney Vetch
Common Bitter Vetch
Wood Vetch
Tufted Vetch
Horseshoe Vetch
Lesser Yellow Trefoil
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Greater Birdsfoot Trefoil

Polydelphia.— Polyandria.

Hypericum perforatum
,, dubium

,, montanum

„ hirsutum

Perforated St. John’s Wort
Imperforated St. John’s Wort
Mountain St. John’s Wort
Hairy St. John’s Wort

Syngenesia.—

Polygamia sequalis.

Tragopogon pratense
Picris hieracioides
Sonchus arvensis .
Prenanthes muralis
Leontodon taraxacum
Apargia hispida
Hieracium pilosella
„ murorum

„ umbellatum

Serratula tinctoria
Carduus nutans .

,, "racanthoides
Cnicus lanceolatus
„ fpalustris .

Yellow Goatsbeard
Hawkweed Ox Tongue
Corn Sow Thistle
Ivy-leaved Wall Lettuce
Dandelion
Rough Hawkbit
Mouse-ear Hawkweed
Broad-leaved Wall Hawkweed
Narrow-leaved Hawkweed
Common Saw Wort
Musk Thistle
Welted Thistle
Spear Plume Thistle
Marsh Plume Thistle

CLASSIFIED LIST OF PLANTS.

267

Syngenesia.— Polygamia jequalis.

Cnicus eriophorus.

„ heterophyllus .
Carlina vulgaris .
Eupatorium cannabinum

Woolly-headed Plume Thistle
Melancholy Plume Thistle
Carline Thistle
Hemp Agrimony

Syngenesia.— Polygamia superflua.

Tussilago farfara .

,, petasites
Senecio vulgaris .

Jacobtea ...

„ tenuifolius
Solidago virgaurea
Beilis perennis

Chrysanthemum leucanthe- )
mum . . . . J

Achillea millifolium

Coltsfoot

Butterbur

Common Groundsel
Common Bag Wort
Hoary Bag Wort
Common Golden Bod
Common Daisy

Ox-eye Daisy

Milfoil

Syngenesia. — Polygamia frustranea.

Ceniaurea nigra . . . Black Knapweed

„ scabiosa . . Greater Knapweed

Gynandria.— Monandria.

OrchiB bifolia
„ pyramidalis
„ mascula
„ viridis
„ maculata
,, conopsea
Aceras anthropophera
Listera ovata

Butterfly Orchis
Pyramidal Orchis
Early Purple Orchis
Frog Orchis

Spotted Palmate Orchis
Aromatic Palmate Orchis
Green Man Orchis
Common Twayblade

Monsecia. — Tetandria.
Urtica dioica . . . Great Nettle

Monaecia. — Pentandria.

Bryonia dioica . . . Bed-berried Bryony

Monsecia. — Polyandria.

Arum maculatum . . . Cuckoo Pint

Poterium sanguisorba . . Salad Burnet

Corylus Avellana . . . Common Hazel Nut

268

CLASSIFIED LIST OF PLANTS.

Difficia. — Diandria-

Salix pentandra . . . Bay-leaved Willow

»> caprea , . . Round-leaved Willow

» alba .... Common White Willow

Ditecia — Triandria.

Empetrum nigrum . . Black Crowberry

Difficia.— Enneandria.

Mercurialis perennis . . Perennial Mercury

Dhecia.— Monadelphia.
Taxus baccata . . . Common Yew

FERNS.

Crypotogamia.— Filices.

Polypodium vulgare

„ calcareum .
Aspidium Filix mas
,, aculeatum
„ lobatum
,, dilatatum
„ Filix foemina
Cystea fragilis

if dentata . . .

Asplenium Trichomanes
„ viride

,, ruta muraria

,, Adiantum nigrum

Scolopendrimn vulgare
Blechnum boreale
Pteris aquilina
Botrychium lunaria
Ophioglossum vulgatum
Equisetum limosum

Common Polybody
Rigid Three-branched Polybody
Male Shield Fern
Prickly Shield Fern
Close-leaved Prickly Shield Fern
Sharp-toothed Shield Fern
Female Shield Fern
Brittle Bladder Fern
Toothed Bladder Fern
Spleenwort

Green Maiden-hair Spleenwort
Wall- tree Spleenwort
Black Maiden-hair Spleenwort
Common Hartstongue
Northern Hard Ferns
Common Brakes
Moonwort
Adder’s Tongue
Smooth Naked Horsetail

APPENDIX.

Letter from Sir Robert Rawlinson, C.B., Chief
Engineer-Inspector of the Local Government Board,
to the Chairman op the Buxton Local Board.

The important letter, which has been kindly and
opportunely granted for publication, by the Chairman of
the Buxton Local Board, with the permission of Sir
Robert Rawlinson, C.B., Chief Engineer-Inspector of
the Local Government Board, is thankfully published,
as an appendix to this work, at the moment of its issue
from the press, in fullest corroboration of all that has
been advanced, in the preface and body of the work, as
to the sewerage of Buxton. It must be highly gratifying
to Dr. Thresh, and Mr. Hague, and to the Chairman
and Members of the Buxton Local Board, to have
received such signal approval, from the highest Public
Authority, of the great work, which they have, in so
spirited and satisfactory a manner, devised and achieved.
It must, moreover, be a singular gratification to Sir
Robert Rawlinson, to find that the sewage works, which
he instituted a quarter of a century ago, by the wish of
the late Mr. E. Woollett Wilmot, at that time Chairman
of the Buxton Local Board, and the local Agent for His
Grace the Duke of Devonshire, has been carried to such
a successful issue, by the present Local Board of Buxton,
with the advice and plans of Dr. Thresh and Mr. Hague,
and that the works are visited by the Authorities of other
Urban Populations, with the expectation that sanitary
works, on the same or similar lines to those of Buxton,

270 LETTER PROM SIR ROBERT RAWLINSON.

may be carried out, with the same happy results else-
where, for the health and life-expectation of the people.

It should be added, that, during many intervening
years, Captain E. L. Darwin filled the position of Chair-
man of the Buxton Local Board, and gave much time,
and great engineering ability, to the works in question.

The reader is specially referred to the Preface, and to
pages 34, 35, and 36, in the body of the work, as to the
detailed particulars of the sewerage works of Buxton.

The Crescent Hotel, Buxton,
20th July, 1886.

To E. C. Milligan, Esquire,

Chairman of the Local Board.

Dear Sib,

I have for short time to-day, with your Surveyor, Mr.
Joseph Hague, visited and inspected your sewage works,
and have been very pleased with their arrangement,
appearance, and efficiency. They are the cleanest-look-
ing works I have seen, and send out a well-clarified
effluent. I naturally take some interest in Buxton, as I
designed and executed the main sewers, as Engineer for
their Commissioners ; but it is so long since that I forget
the name of the Duke’s agent, and of the members of the
Commission. Buxton was, however, one of the first
towns sewered on the new lines I at that time had laid
down — namely, manholes, and right lines with true
gradients. The site of the town is for the most part
limestone, gunpowder having to be used in forming the
main sewer trenches. This involved great care and extra
cost. Then I was under the strictest injunctions not to
risk any injury to the hot and other springs ; and from
what I have learned as to the action of the sewers, and
have seen of the sewage works, I can say that no town is
more perfect in its sanitary arrangements, and this is

LETTER FROM SIR ROBERT RAWLINSON. 271

certified by your low death-rate. Mr. Hague informs me
that the sewer ventilators do not cause nuisance, and
that the delivery of sewage from 9 o’clock p.m. to 6
o’clock a.m. is almost pure water, indicating that there
is no deposit in the sewers, as also that the outflow from
the drains and sewers is continuous. I don’t suppose
any human excreta remain within the area of the town
one hour, but all is delivered in a fresh state at the sewage
works. Herein consists the efficacy of the system and
works, which are alike efficient for the ordinary resident
population, and also for your season population, up to, say,
20,000. This is an important feature in your works.

I must compliment you on your gas-works, which,
under your continued good management, ought, and no
doubt soon will, free you from any rate in aid.

I have the honour to be,

Hear Sir,

Yours very truly,

Robert Rawlinson.

P-S. Will you please to kindly make my respects to
your clerk and to the several members of your Local
Board ?

INDEX TO CONTENTS

:o:

Amount of Flow of the Tepid Waters

• •

PAGE

208

Analyses of Buxton Tepid Waters

• •

174

Ancient roads near Buxton

6

Ancient wells and baths at Buxton

1

Ancient Tumuli, contents of

125

Appendix

269

Arbor Low . .

120

Archaeology of the High Peak . .

120

Arrangement of baths, &c., at Buxton . .

215

Ashwood Dale

72

Axe-edge

101

Bakewell

80

Baslow . . . . . .

89

BathamGate..

57

Bathing, Exercise and Friction while

210

Bathing, Cutaneous Absorption while . .

211

Bathing, Local Effects of the Baths and Douches

212

Bathing, effects of, in Buxton waters

163

Barrows, ancient

122

Beche, Sir H. de la, on Geology of Derbyshire

49

Beresford Dale . . . .

99

Botanical commentary . .

251

Buoyancy of waters in Buxton Baths

162

Buxton Baths

17, 205

Buxton Bath Charity . .

244

Buxton churches and chapels . »

127

Buxton Lime Works . .

108

Buxton Park . .

104

Buxton season

140

Buxton, temp. Queen Elizabeth

10

Buxton, temp, the Reformation . .

14

Buxton in 17th Century

15

Buxton in 18th Century

19

Buxton 75 years since . .

23

Buxton a.d. 1851 to 1856

26

Buxton a.d. 1856 to 1872

27

Buxton Tepid Waters, Primary, Secondary, and Alterative
Effects of

163

Buxton Improvements Company

29

INDEX TO CONTENTS.

Buxton Waters, general properties of
n ,, Secondary Effects of

it „ Dr. Jones’ Speculative Inferences

„ Dr. Lister’s, Dr. Leigh’s, and Dr. Shor
Investigations
„ „ Drs. Hunter, Percival, and Higgin

Analyses

,, „ Dr. Pearson’s Analysis . .

„ ,, ,, Summary of Observations

„ ,, ,, Experiments

,, ,, Analysis by Sir Charles Scudamore and M

Garden

„ ,, Sir Lyon Playfair’s Analysis

„ ,, Dr. Sheridan Muspratt’s Analysis

„ ,, M. Otto Hehner’s Analysis

,, ,, Dr. Thresh’s Analyses . .

,, ,, Comparison of the recent Analyses

,, ,, Saline Constituents

„ „ Results and Inferences from Analyses

,, ,, Estimate of an Ammoniacal Hypothesis

Castle rocks . .

Castleton and its Caverns
Cavendish, Mr. Henry . .

Caverns in Derbyshire limestone . . . . 47

Chalybeate water of Buxton
Change of air, effect of
Chapel-en-le-Frith
Chatsworth . .

Chee Tor and Dale
Chelmerton . .

Circles, ancient
Classified List of Plants
Climate of the High Peak
Comb’s Moss . .

Conditions Contra-indicating the Baths
Corbar Wood Walks
Cressbrook
Crescent, the . .

Crescent Walks
Darley Dale . .

Davis, Rev. D. P., on Buxton, a.d. 1811
Derby

Devonshire Hospital and Buxton Bath Charity, their
History, Progress, and Usefulness
Diseases Relievable by Buxton Baths
Douches in the Baths at Buxton
Dove Dale
Dove Holes . .

PAGE

160

166

168

168, 169

171

172

173

174

175

176
180
181
182
189
188
192
202
117

60

86

62, 100
238
143
102
87
73
95
123
261
131, 137

58
228
104

75

204

103

89

23

93

244

228

212

99

59

INDEX TO CONTENTS.

Drainage, sanitary effect of
Drives near Buxton
Dropping Loach

Early Resort of Impotent Poor to Buxton
Ebbing and Flowing Well
Ecton Mines . .

Edale
Edensor

Effects of Baths at Buxton
Eildon Hole . .

Elevations, &c., near Buxton, estimated by Aneroid Barometer
Elevations, sanitary effect of
Erection of the Crescent
Errwood (or Goyt), valley of
Eyam
Fairfield
Flash

Fossils, limestone, &c . .

Gaseous constituents of Buxton Waters
Geological position of Buxton Thermal Springs
Geology of Castleton . .

Goyt, Yale of . .

Gritstone water at Buxton
Haddon Hall
Hartington
Hassop Hall
Hathersage

Heat of Buxton Springs, cause of
High Wheeldon
History of Buxton Baths
History of Analyses of Buxton Waters
Baths at Buxton . . . . . . . . 207

Igneous Rocks
Introduction . .

Jones, Dr., on Buxton, and inferences as to ingredients
Buxton Waters
Kinder Scout . .

Leek

Leigh, Dr., on Buxton, and Analysis of Buxton Waters
Limestone and Gritstone Formations
Limestone, effect of, on Atmosphere
Limestone Fossils
Limestone Springs, their scarcity
Lister, Dr., on Buxton Waters
Longnor
Longstone Edge
Ludchurch
Lyme Hall

PAGE

136
112
73
12
66
114
60
83
163
58
43

134

22

55

67

57

116
51, 62

192

151
61
55

241
83, 99
99
78
64

152
98, 116

3

167

211, 222
48
xrv.

of

5, 168
60
101
4, 169
130
139
52, 62

97
168

98
77

118

102

INDEX TO CONTENTS.

Macclesfield . .

Mam Tor

Manifold, the river
Marvel Stones

Mary Queen of Scots, lier visits to Buxton
Matlock Bath. .

Millers Dale . .

Millstone Grit

Monsal Dale . . • • •

Mountain Limestone Formation
Mrs. Stapylton’s Letter

Muspratt’s, Dr. Sheridan, Analysis of Buxton Wate
Natives, Eminent, of Derbyshire
Natural Baths at Buxton
Nitrogen, Uses and Importance of
Origin and Cause of Heat of Buxton Waters
Paxton, the late Sir Joseph
Peak of Derbyshire
Peak Cavern, at Castleton
Peak Forest ..

Pearson’s, Dr., Analysis of Buxton Waters
Physical character, itinerary, archaeology of Buxton and
the Peak of Derbyshire
Physical properties of Buxton Waters
Pilkington, Mr., on Buxton
Playfair, Sir Lyon, Analysis of Buxton Waters
Plague, the, at Eyam . .

Plants, classified list of
Poole’s Cavern
Population, statistics of
Preface, &c. . .

Railway Extensions to Buxton. .

Railway Detours
Railway advantages
Railway Itineraries
Railway Facilities for Travellers
Rainfall at Buxton
Rhedagua at Whaley Bridge
Roads, ancient, near Buxton
Roches, the . .

Rocking Stones

Roman Milestone found at Buxton
Rowsley

Rules for Bathing at Buxton . .

Rules for drinking Buxton Tepid Water
Saline constituents of Buxton Waters
Sanatary value of Derbyshire Uplands
Sanitary Character of the Buxton District

PAGE
101
61, 65
114
58
10
90
75
53

77, 119
46
20
180
39
205
193
146
85

2, 60
62
58
171

41

161

5

176

68

250

110

33

v.

IX.

XI.

XII.

XIII.

IX.

37

126

6

118

123

6

83

230

235

187

xv.

133

INDEX TO CONTENTS.

Sanitary Effect of Elevation

PAGE

135

Sanitary Effect of Drainage

137

Scudamore’s, Sir C., and Mr. Garden’s Analysis of Buxton
Waters . .

175

Seasons, the, in the High Peak

139

Serpentine Walks at Buxton

104

Sherbrook Dell

71

Short, Dr., on Buxton, and his Analysis of Buxton

Waters 17, 169

Source of Derbyshire Rivers

97

Stimulating Effect of Buxton Waters

164

Stony Middleton

71

Taddington . .

79

Temperature at Buxton

38

Thor's Cave . .

114

Tideswell

67

Tissington

96

Tomb of the late Duke of Devonshire

84

Tourists’ Railway Tickets

XX.

Valley of Buxton

42

Valley of Chapel-en-le-Frith

56

Valley of Darley

89

Valley of Goyt

55

Valley of Haddon

82

Valley of Taddington . .

79

Via Gellia

91

Walks near Buxton

106

Warslow

113

Water Fever, the

165

Water Swallows in Derbyshire Limestone

58

Well Dressings in Derbyshire . .

96

Wetton Cave and Hill . .

114

Willersley

92

Winnats at Castleton . .

66

Wye, Derbyshire River

71

Youlgreave

79

Botanical Commentary and Classified List of Plants

. .

251

C. F. WARDLEY, PRINTER, "ADVERTISER'' OFFICE, BUXTON.

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