ending at the late Mr. IIenry Steeple's wall, where the parish of Whiteford begins. Above the weft end ftands the Grange, which was called Feilebrock (and alfo Fulibrock.) The Grange ftill remains a farm-house in a most ruinous condition. It is the property of Sir Pyers Moftyn, but formerly belonged to the abby of Bafingwerk, having been granted to them by Meredeth Wawor, of which Dugdale, (i. 721) gives the following account, in the charter of David ap Llewelyn, prince of North Wales: Terram • etiam quam Meredit Wawor in villa de Haliwell et extra villam ⚫ habuit et terram quam Huttredus frater ejus fecum excambiavit ' in ipfa villa pro fua parte terræ in Quitfordia et grangiam illorum quæ appellatur Feilebroc cum omnibus pertinentiis et afia⚫ mentis fuis et communitatem pafturæ montium cum cæteris.' THE Holywell level was begun in 1774, under leafes granted by Sir Pyers Moftyn, baronet, myfelf, Peter Parry, efquire, Ed. ward Jones, efquire, and Mrs. Mary Williams, of Trelunniau. I and my two fons made the voyage of this important venture on September 21st, 1795, and took boat, or rather punt, at the entrance into the work in Coed Cae Dentir, a field belonging to Sir Pyers, on the north fide of a finall dingle opening into the road oppofite to the great cotton factory. Under the pilotage of the honeft Thomas Edwards, agent to the mine, we entered the mouth, lighted by candles, ftuck on each side of our veffel. The first forty yards of our way was arched with ftone, and fo low as to oblige us to ftoop. When the arch ceafed, the roof was the natural rock, of that fpecies called bale. The height begins now to be fix feet; the breadth four; the depth of the water, included in the height, is two and a half. After paffing in the fhaley ftratum about two hundred and twenty-fix yards, we find it is fucceeded

LEVEL.

SHALF

CHERT.

by that of chert, at which fpot the level enters my ground, in the field called Coed Cae porfa. There the height to the furface is eighteen yards. Several shafts have been funk for air between this place and the mouth of the level. In a field of mine, called Cadlas bir, was early difcovered, at the depth of thirty-one yards, a strong string of ore, which raised the hopes of the adventurers to the highest degree; and the mineral ftock rofe in proportion. But alas in a little time, both fpirits and stock fell; for the promifing profpect fuddenly vanished, an accident too frequent with miners to occafion furprize. The chert continues to a little beyond the turnpike-road, when we again enter the land of Sir Pyers Moftyn, in a field called Brocknallt, where it ftops. Hitherto the level has LIME STONE. preferved a ftrait courfe: but in this field (where the lime-ftone

ftratum begins, and is continued to the end of the prefent working, above five hundred yards) it takes a bend parallel to the road, and fo continues as far as Brocknallt-pella, and then makes another curvature, and near a finall but pretty cave croffes A CAVE. obliquely the turnpike-road. The cave is furnished with a table and benches, at which the vifitants never fail experiencing the hospitality of their worthy conductor. Out of this cave is. a paffage, or fump, or fhort fhaft, funk for the purpose both of fearching for ore, and also for conveying of air, which began to be wanted, into the level. This fump communicates with feveral others, till it reaches a fhaft. The action of the air is various, fometimes it defcends through the fhaft; at other times rufhes up the mouth of the level; but in each cafe paffes into the mouth of a fquare wooden conductor, which enters the lower part of the fump, and is continued on one fide of the level, almoft to the end of the prefent working.

VENTILATOR.

IN

CASCADE.

RANEOUS WA

1ERS.

IN proceeding farther we were alarmed with the awful found of a cataract. On arriving at the spot from whence it iffued, the noise seemed to have derived its greateft force from the confined arch of the level; for we difcovered it to proceed from a fmall but elegant cascade, which, in our fight, tumbled down a small hollow, and ferved to augment the water of the level, which was also increased by feveral ftrong fprings rifing from the fides and bottom with ftrong ebullitions. Similar noifes are faid to have OTHER SUBTERbeen heard in Coetiau'r Odyn. It is poffible that this fubterraneous water may be one of the feeds of St. Wenefrede's well, as the field is nearly in a defcending line with it. I have also heard, on good authority, of another large ftream of water running through a great fubterraneous cavern, in working Portaway mine, in Pantafa, in the parish of Whiteford, but its difcharge has never been yet difcovered.-But to return. After paffing this fall, we reached the end of our voyage, at the length of 1167 yards from the mouth, and at the place where two miners were purfuing the working of the level, and had got within ten yards of the fhaft in which the miners are working in the rich vein, beneath the field called Coed Cae Plwm, or the wood or field of lead. The height from the fole of the level to the furface at this place is ninety-three yards and a half; the depth of the fhaft, which is now fo flattering to our hopes, is fifty yards; so that there are forty-three yards and a half from its fole to that of the level, which all the way is found to be filled with ore !!! BUT we have more than one fring to our bow. Coetiau'r Odyn vein runs entirely from Coetiau-mawr fields through my ground, as does Maes Whiteford, giving Mr. Jones of Wepre a small

OTHER VEINS.

CONTINUANCE OF.

FERTILE TRACT.

PEN-Y-BAL
ROAD.

chance in our mineral lottery. Then comes True Blue, which is fhared between Sir Pyers Mofyn and myself; and the once rich vein of Brocknallt is entirely his. All these run north and south, and have in general been very productive, but efpecially thofe belonging to the house of Trelacre.

LET me obferve that in the depth of the level we faw the defcending courfe of all these veins (excepting Coetiau'r Odyn) some of them which were tried at that depth proved barren. How far lower the veins defcended, may probably ever remain fecret, unles fome bold adventurers fhould have the spirit to attempt a level from the marsh, which we (at p. 218) proved to have, from the well, a fall of 202 feet.

THE whole tract below the eaft fide of this road, is a most fertile and well cultivated bottom, floping on each fide. Its rural œconomy may vie in excellence with the most boasted of our ifland. The profpect is charming, of the whole length of the Chefter channel, bounded on the oppofite by Wiral, and a distant view of part of Lancashire.

FROM the other fide of the road the ground rifes steeply; on the fummit is a tract of inclosed land, backed by the mountain or

common.

I RETURN into the town, and at the end of Whiteford-ftreet afcend the steep road called Pen-y-Bal, of very laborious ascent. I remember it the only coach approach on this fide. The prefent fine road, then with great propriety called Holloway, was too narrow for any carriage beyond the then wretched carts of the country. I well remember that whenever our family wanted to vifit Holywell, it was obliged to be dragged up to. Pen-y-fordd

waen

when, to cross the mountain, and with locked wheels, and with

great peril, go down the almoft precipitous way.

FROM the fummit of Pen y-Bal, to the weft, is a narrow tract of CALCOED, commen. A little beyond, in a final wood, stands Calcot or Calcoed, in the townfhip of the fame name. In the Doomsday Book, it is called Caldecote, and is there united with Meretone and tertia parte de Widford. The founder of this houfe was Henry Mofton, doctor of civil law, fecond fon of Pyers Mofton, of Trelacre. He purchased Caulcot, as it was then fpelt, of George and Thomas Manley, of Chester, in the year 1595, for the fum of 4671. After four generations, the fucceflion ended in the male line in Samuel Moftyn, efquire, who died May 16th, 1760, aged 79, and was buried at Northop on the 19th: who fettled his eftate on his nephew Mr. John Ellis, who affumed the furname of Moftyn.

On the mountain to the east of the common way to Calcoed, NAID-Y-MARCH are two stones, about three feet high, and about twenty-two feet diftant from each other. They are called Naid-y-March, or the horfe's leap, from a vulgar notion of the derivation of the name. They are of the very antient British origin, and probably the place of interment of fome hero whofe body was depofited between ftone and stone. The distance might be intended to give an idea of his mighty fize; as Alexander is fuppofed, on his return out of India, to have buried various fuits of armor, of gigantic dimenfions, to impose on future times an exalted notion of the troops he had led to this diftant country.

I DESCEND again into Holywell, and at the fouth end of the High Street turn to the right, up the road which leads to Halkin and Brynford; the latter branches from that to Halkin on the right.

Above

HALKIN AND BRYNFORD ROAD