button to main menu  Clarke's Survey of the Lakes, 1787

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Page 82:-
Judging from the contents list of book 2, chapter 3 should be started somewhere about here, but there is no chapter heading for it.
in sheets of foam; now it leaves the more perpendicular rock, and forms a chrystal arch; and now it runs almost invisible among pointed, broken projections. During a flood, this, like every other cascade, appears with redoubled magnificence. The stream now almost entirely leaves the rock, and pours down, in one-continued sheet, 200 feet high. Should it accidentally catch the point of some projecting cliff, the water is dashed on all sides with inconceivable violence; the noise and roaring of this impetuous torrent is beyond description, and may be heard at several miles distance.
  Grange, Borrowdale
Next, travel past High-low Door to Borrowdale Grainge, over a bad stone bridge, built in 1678. The river is navigable hither, when the water is pretty high, for boats, which carry down blue slate, wood, charcoal, oak, bark, lead-ore, &c. to Crow Park, or Transhag-End.
We next arrive at Grainge, a pretty well-built village. Mr Gray speaks with raptures of this little place, and after describing his hospitable and kingly feast that was given him, says "‡ And she brought me butter on a lordly dish, which Sisera himself would have envied me the eating."
Behind the house of Mr Ab. Banks is a delightful view; for here the river runs close to your feet, and the different objects are disposed in an extremely beautiful and picturesque manner.
  Bowder Stone
Many travellers go to see a prodigious large stone further up Borrowdale, called Bowder-Stone, Powder-Stone, or Bounder-Stone. It is a loose stone laid upon a rock, and is almost in the form of an egg; some have compared it to a ship lying upon her keel. It measures thirty-one yards in length, and eight yards perpendicular height; it must, therefore, weigh upwards of six hundred ton, and is said to be the largest ‖ self-stone in England.
  Castle Rock
Upon the spiral rock behind Grainge, called Castle, is the appearance of a fort, castle, watch-tower, or other building. It does not, however, appear that it has been a building of any great magnitude, and the difficult ascent rather confirms it; there have been dug out here freestone like tomb-stones, pieces of brick, an iron pott, &c. It is worth the traveller's while to go upon it for the view's sake, though it does not exceed the view from behind Barrow before described. There is a back view of Borrowdale from it, which is such, that a stranger would imagine he saw the world's-end, and that no person could travel further. Beyond here, about two miles, are the black-lead mines; the value and use of this mineral I need not here mention, as they are so well known throughout the whole world.
  copper ore
The species of mundie, or marcasite, formerly was made no use of by the inhabitants but for marking their sheep, (unless it was by the Dutch;) I am led to this opinion because many of the Dutch miners lived upon Vicar's Island, St Herbert's Island, &c.; and in digging the foundation of Mr Pocklington's house, ploughing the ground, and on the shore, several pieces have been found amongst the earth.
  black lead
Since the discovery of its several uses in medicine, dying, glazing of crucible, keeping iron from rust, combs for fair-haired ladies, &c. it has been sold as high as 30s. a pound weight. The Borrowdale black lead is the most valuable of any in the world: they boast of having it in Scotland, Gibraltar, Russia, &c. but all are inferior to it; all are, however, sold for Borrowdale lead, by which many people have been deceived, and have been the cause of many actions at law, as few purchasers are real judges of it till they make trial of it.
By
‡ See Gray's Journal.
Self-Stones, those which do not appear ever to have been connected with general strata.
gazetteer links
button -- (black lead mine, Seathwaite)
button -- "Bowder Stone" -- Bowder Stone
button -- Grange Bridge
button -- "Grainge" -- Grange
button -- "Cataract of Low Door" -- Lodore Falls
button -- (settlement, Borrowdale)
button -- "Transhag End" -- Strandshag Bay
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