p. 544), were formed by the Ancient Britons for sacred purposes. This is more particularly the case with those on Broad Bank and Hellclough Hill, two marked prominences on opposite sides of Thorsden Valley. The name of the clough" and hill just mentioned suggests sepulchral rites, and the existence of tumuli in the immediate vicinity renders the conjecture at least not improbable.

But these are not the only instances in the neighbourhood of Burnley where traces of Druidical worship may be found. Dr. Borlase, in his Antiquities of Cornwall, notices the existence of ROCK BASINS, which appear to have been scooped out of the granite rocks and boulders which lie on the tops of the hills in that county. Several such cavities are found on Brimham Rocks, near Knaresborough. They are also instanced by Messrs. Britton and Brayley as occurring on Stanton Moor in Derbyshire. Allen, in his History of Yorkshire, vol. iii, pp. 421-425, notices their existence at Plumpton and Rigton; and I have now the pleasure of announcing to this Society that they are found in considerable numbers around Boulsworth, Gorple, Todmorden, and on the hills which separate Lancashire from Yorkshire between these places.

If we commence our enumeration of the groups of boulders &c., containing rock basins, with the slopes of Boulsworth, about seven miles from Burnley, we have first the Standing Stones, which are mostly single blocks of millstone grit, situated at short distances from each other on the northwestern side of the hill. One of these is locally termed the Buttock Stone, and near it is a block which has a circular cavity scooped out on its flat upper surface. Not far from these are the Joiner Stones, the Abbot Stone, the Weather Stones, and Lad Law Stones. The last name is certainly suggestive of the religious rites of the Ancient Druids, (Sammes's Britannia Antiqua, p. 126); for Lad may mean.

"Llad" (British), and if so, it points towards the sacrifices, offered by the ancient Britons on these rugged mountain tops, to Taram, the equivalent to the Scandinavian Thor. Their situation, too, so near Thorsden Valley, adds another item in favour of the probability.

We come next to the Great and Little Saucer Stones, so named from the cavities scooped out upon them. One of these may be noticed in passing, as it is of an oval form and large dimensions. This basin is now imperfect; for the oscillations of the water in the cavity, produced by strong winds, or some other causes, appear to have worn away the lip, so that the water now flows over the edge of the stone at a lower level than when the contour was complete. This appears to be the case with many others; and in some instances the cavities have been completely filled up by the encroaching soil and heather. The Little Chair Stones, the Fox Stones, and the Broad Head Stones, lie at no great distance, each group containing numerous cavities similar in character to those just described. Several of these groups of boulders have evidently obtained their local designations from a supposed resemblance they have to the animals, or other objects, whose names they bear. The Grey Stones, and the Steeple Stones, on Barn Hill, are examples in point; and the whole of one spur of Boulsworth is termed Wycoller Ark, from its fancied resemblance to a farmer's chest, or to the ordinary pictures of Noah's capacious ship.

There are several groups of natural rocks and boulders on Warcock Hill, which are locally termed Dave or Dew Stones by the resident inhabitants. These contain a considerable number of rock basins; and, although the blocks on which they are found occupy conspicuous positions, they do not seem to be arranged in any definite order. If the Druids have really used them for devotional purposes, they have evidently been satisfied with the simple order of nature. On

the surface of one immense Dave Stone boulder, whose extremity is buried far beneath the heather, there is a perfect hemispherical cavity, ten inches in diameter. The surface of another contains an oblong basin of larger dimensions, with a long grooved channel leading from its curved contour towards the edge of the stone. On a third there are four circular cavities of varying dimensions both in breadth and depth. The largest occupies the centre of the stone, and the three others are somewhat circularly disposed around it; but none of these is more than a few inches in diameter.* This is by no means a solitary instance of several cavities having been excavated on the same stone; for, at the Bride Stones, near Todmorden, I counted no fewer than thirteen on one block, and eleven on another. It is also worthy of remark that the whole of the basins both here and elsewhere are formed on the flat surfaces of the blocks on which they occur. Their upper surfaces are always parallel with the lamination of the stone. I have met with only one instance where this is apparently not the case; and, even in this doubtful exception, the cavity has been formed on a flat portion of the stone where three converging ridges meet. Not a single basin is found on those blocks which have been placed with their lines of cleavage in a vertical position.

Proceeding along Widdop Moor we find the Grey Stones, the Fold Hole Stones, the Clattering Stones, and the Rigging Stones. The last mentioned have obviously obtained their name from the circumstance of their occupying the " rig," or ridge of the hills in this locality. Many of these groups contain rock basins of a similar character to those previously described; but they possess no peculiarities of construction to require a more particular notice. Among the Bride Stones, however, there is an immense mass of rock which, with very

I owe my knowledge of the existence of these to Mr. Joseph Whitaker of Burnley.

"Llad" (British), and if so, it points towards the sacrifices, offered by the ancient Britons on these rugged mountain tops, to Taram, the equivalent to the Scandinavian Thor. Their situation, too, so near Thorsden Valley, adds another item in favour of the probability.

We come next to the Great and Little Saucer Stones, so named from the cavities scooped out upon them. One of these may be noticed in passing, as it is of an oval form and large dimensions. This basin is now imperfect; for the oscillations of the water in the cavity, produced by strong winds, or some other causes, appear to have worn away the lip, so that the water now flows over the edge of the stone at a lower level than when the contour was complete. This appears to be the case with many others; and in some instances the cavities have been completely filled up by the encroaching soil and heather. The Little Chair Stones, the Fox Stones, and the Broad Head Stones, lie at no great distance, each group containing numerous cavities similar in character to those just described. Several of these groups of boulders have evidently obtained their local designations from a supposed resemblance they have to the animals, or other objects, whose names they bear. The Grey Stones, and the Steeple Stones, on Barn Hill, are examples in point; and the whole of one spur of Boulsworth is termed Wycoller Ark, from its fancied resemblance to a farmer's chest, or to the ordinary pictures of Noah's capacious ship.

There are several groups of natural rocks and boulders on Warcock Hill, which are locally termed Dave or Dew Stones by the resident inhabitants. These contain a considerable number of rock basins; and, although the blocks on which they are found occupy conspicuous positions, they do not seem to be arranged in any definite order. If the Druids have really used them for devotional purposes, they have evidently been satisfied with the simple order of nature.

On

the surface of one immense Dave Stone boulder, whose extremity is buried far beneath the heather, there is a perfect hemispherical cavity, ten inches in diameter. The surface of another contains an oblong basin of larger dimensions, with a long grooved channel leading from its curved contour towards the edge of the stone. On a third there are four circular cavities of varying dimensions both in breadth and depth. The largest occupies the centre of the stone, and the three others are somewhat circularly disposed around it; but none of these is more than a few inches in diameter.* This is by no means a solitary instance of several cavities having been excavated on the same stone; for, at the Bride Stones, near Todmorden, I counted no fewer than thirteen on one block, and eleven on another. It is also worthy

of remark that the whole of the basins both here and elsewhere are formed on the flat surfaces of the blocks on which they occur. Their upper surfaces are always parallel with the lamination of the stone. I have met with only one instance where this is apparently not the case; and, even in this doubtful exception, the cavity has been formed on a flat portion of the stone where three converging ridges meet. Not a single basin is found on those blocks which have been placed with their lines of cleavage in a vertical position.

Proceeding along Widdop Moor we find the Grey Stones, the Fold Hole Stones, the Clattering Stones, and the Rigging Stones. The last mentioned have obviously obtained their name from the circumstance of their occupying the "rig," or ridge of the hills in this locality. Many of these groups contain rock basins of a similar character to those previously described; but they possess no peculiarities of construction to require a more particular notice. Among the Bride Stones, however, there is an immense mass of rock which, with very

I owe my knowledge of the existence of these to Mr. Joseph Whitaker of Burnley.