Editing Excursion to Burlescombe, Chard, Ham Hill, Bradford Abbas, etc. Whitsuntide, Friday, June 2nd, to Wednesday, June 7th, 1911 - Geologists' Association excursion

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== Geologists' Association Circular No. 133. Session 1910–1911. p. 3–7 ==
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== Link to Album and Photograph index ==

'''To view photograph album (T.W. Reader calls this the "Taunton Excursion"):'''

[http://pubs.bgs.ac.uk/publications.html?pubID=GA005#v=d&z=2&n=5&i=P802893.jp2&y=320&x=369 Geologists' Association Carreck Archive. T W Reader geological photographs long excursions 1911 and 1912]

'''To view detailed index of photographs taken on this excursion:'''

[[T W Reader geological photographs, long excursions 1913 - index, GA 'Carreck Archive'#Nottingham Excursion, May, 1913|T W Reader geological photographs, long excursions 1913 - index, GA 'Carreck Archive']]


== Excursion to Burlescombe, Chard, Ham Hill, Bradford Abbas, etc. Whitsuntide, Friday, June 2nd, to Wednesday, June 7th, 1911 (Transcription from: GA Circular No. 133. Session 1910–1911. p. 3–7) ==

'''DIRECTORS''': THE PRESIDENT, Rev. H. H. WINWOOD, M.A., F.G.S., L. RICHARDSON, F.G.S., AND W. A. E. USSHER, F.G.S.

'''EXCURSION SECRETARY''': W. P. D. STEBBING, 78a, Lexham Gardens, London, W. Telephone 1445 Kensington.

RAILWAY ARRANGEMENTS.—Special return tickets from Paddington to Taunton, via Bristol, allowing break of journey at Dunball, and returning to London, with break of journey at Yeovil, at a fare of 16s. 6d., will be obtainable from the Secretary at Paddington. The tickets will be available to return direct to London either on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning, the 8th.

HOTEL ARRANGEMENTS.—Headquarters: The Ashton Temperance Hotel, Taunton (Mrs. Boalch), 3 minutes from the station: Tariff for dinner, bed, breakfast, sandwiches and attendance, 8s. 6d. per day.

Members should make early application for rooms, stating that they belong to the Geologists' Association party. It may be necessary for a few members to share rooms, as accommodation may be limited. Those not staying the whole time must state the days for which they require accommodation.

Members should also give notice to Mr. Stebbing at the same time of their intention to join the excui sion, and on what days they desire to be included in any arrangements for railway journeys, drives, teas, etc., and enclose a stamped addressed postcard for reply.: 
==Friday, June 2nd.==

'''Director:'''  W. A. E. USSHER.

Meet and obtain special return tickets from Mr. Stebbing not later than 12.45. Leave Paddington (G.W.R.) at 1.0 by train due at Bristol 3.0. Depart Bristol 3.20, arrive Dunball 4.35. Lunch can be obtained on the train.

The party will be able to see here nearly 2,000 ft. of New Red (Keuper, Bunter, and Permian) boring cores in possession of Mr. Greenhill, of Puriton Manor. Afterwards visit quarries in Lower Lias Cement Stones, and, if in good enough condition, the Rhaetics shown in the railway cutting.

It is essential to recall the succession of the New Red Rocks as seen on the South Devon Coast in order to appreciate the full significance of the Dunball boring. The descending sequence is as follows:—
# Keuper Marls exceeding 1,200 ft. in thickness.
# Upper Sandstones (Keuper and Bunter), 500 ft. thinning northward.
# Pebble Beds (Bunter) passing into Conglomerate near Thorn St. Margaret's, 70 to 100 ft.
# Lower Marls (Permian). Locally associated with sandstone masses in lower part, which may denote dovetailing between this series and the underlying sandstones and breccias. 800 ft. attenuating northward.
# Permian Sandstones, brecciated in upper part (Lower Sandstones). Below this horizon (represented between Exmouth and Teignmouth) the boulder breccias and Watcombe Clays so well represented on the South Coast are rapidly overlapped as we proceed northward and not represented to the north of Exeter.

Leave Dunball 5.44. or 8.13. Arrive Taunton 6.25 or 8.48.

Supper at 9 p.m.

==Saturday, June 3rd.==

'''Director'': W. A. E. USSHER.

Breakfast 8.0. Take lunch. Leave the station at 9.6, arrive Wellington 9.27. Take return tickets, price is. 4d.

Walk to Westford through Rockwell Greens fine Upper Sandstone road cutting. Thence to Hollywell Lake and on to Bunter Conglomerate quarry near Thorn St. Margaret's. Walk to Ridge Farm and from there to Gamlin's, Greenham quarry in Culm Limestone. Afterwards visit Whipcoats quarry. Continue to Canonsleigh Bridge by canal, where Culm Limestones are faulted against Permian Sandstones. Walk on to the Westleigh quarries and thence to Burlescombe Station. Take 4.5 train to Wellington, arriving 4.16. Fare 3½d.

Concerning the Culm Measures, excellent exposures of the limestones of the Lower Culm with intercalated, even Posidonomya-shales in places, and bands and segregations of chert will he seen in numerous quarries, beginning with Greenham quarry and going on to Binnager Bridge, Whipcoats, and the Westleigh quarries; but otherwise the succession of Lower Culm and its relations to Upper Devonian (of Kittifoni on N.) are most unsatisfactory. The chert beds proper, which in normal sequence underlie the limestones, are here either absent or overlapped and faulted out. Each limestone quarry has its special contortions..

From Wellington walk to Nynehead for section's in Keuper and thence to the Poole Brick Pits in the lower beds of the Keuper Marls. Return to Wellington. Leave Wellington Station 7.3, arrive Taunton 7.20. Total walking distance about 9 miles from Wellington to Burlescombe, and about 5 miles Wellington to Nynehead, Poole, and back.

The latter part of the time can be spent, if thought desirable, at Burlescombe seeing the Culm Measures instead of the sections near Wellington.

Dinner 7.45.

==Monday, June 5th.==

'''Directors''': THE PRESIDENT and L. RICHARDSON.

Breakfast 8.15. Take lunch. At 9.30 meet at Taunton Castle and visit the Museum of the Somerset Archmological and N. H. Society under the direction of Mr. H. St. George Gray, the curator.

Proceed to station and take 11.15 train to Ilminster, arriving 11.43. Take single tickets, price 11d.

The Ilminster district has been rendered classic by the writings of Charles Moore, which recorded his detailed woik in the Middle and Upper Lias of the neighbourhood. The Marlstone is rich in fossils, and the Upper Lias Fish-beds are of worldwide renown. It is proposed visiting such sections as will give the best idea of these interesting beds. Thence drive to Snowden Hill (5 miles), Exposures in the Lower Chalk and Upper Greensand with intermediate very fossiliferous Chloritic Marl or Basement Chalk (see Woodward's "Geology of England and Wales," pp. 418 and 392).

The Excursion on this day may be subject to alteration.

Return Chard 7.55; Taunton 8.30. Tickets, price 1s 3d.

Total walking distance 4 miles.

Cost of drive about 2s. a head. Dinner 8.45.

==Tuesday, June 6th.==

'''Directors''': Rev. H. H. WINWOOD and L, RICHARDSON.

Breakfast 8.15. Take lunch. Leave Taunton by the 9.43 train for Montacute, arriving 10.44. Take return tickets, price 3s. 6d.

Walk to Montacute Church. Leave it on the left and follow path through the fields, with Montacute Old Manor House on right. Turn up a lane after crossing the fields and ascend through a fine section of the sands to the top of Ham Hill, which is capped by the base of the Inferior Oolite Limestone. Cross the hill to a fine quarry section of these limestones. Thence descend to the Marlstone quarries near West Stoke and Stoke-under-Hamden.

Total walking distance 6 miles.

Return train Montacute 6.1; Taunton 6.50.

Dinner 7.30.

==Wednesday, June 7th.==

'''Director''': L. RICHARDSON.

Breakfast 8.15. Take lunch. have luggage ready by 9.15 for conveyance to station. The luggage of those joining this excursion and going on in the evening to London will have to be deposited in the cloakroom at Yeovil (Pen Mill), and picked up again before leaving'by the 5.25 train for Paddington.

Leave Taunton (G.W.R.) at 9.43, arriving Yeovil Town at 10.56 and Pen Mill, 11.12.

At Pen Mill brakes will be awaiting the party.

The main object of this day's excursion will be to obtain an idea of the development of the beds between the Marlstone of the Middle Lias and the Forest Marble that obtains in the neighbourhood of Yeovil. The Upper Lias is practically all sand ("Yeovil Sands"); the Inferior Oolite is very differently developed from what it is in the Cotteswold Hills or in the Bath-Doulting district; and there is no Great Oolite present in the district—Fullers' Earth Clay, With a median band of Fuller's Earth Rock, alone parts the Inferior Oolite from the Forest Marble.

From Pen Mill drive to the foot of Babylon Hill and walk up a shady lane deeply cut in the Yeovil Sands. Thence drive to Half-way House and visit the three quarries there—the Limekiln, Chapel, and Rock-house Quarries. All three present very similar sections. At the bottom is the hard, usually well-bored, waterworn and oyster-covered top-bed of the Sands, and at the bottom of the Top-beds the readily recognised ''Astarte-obliqua-Bed ''of about ''garantianӕ,'' date.Between these two horizons come all that remains to represent the deposits that were made during the ''murchisonӕ, bradfordensis, concavi—and discitӕ ''hemerӕ—at the Limekiln Quarry, 4 feet 3 inches in thickness. Many fossils may be collected here and at Louse Hill Quarry, which is quite close to Half-way House.

From Half-way House drive to Bradford Abbas, view all that remains of the celebrated East Hill Quarry and the good exposure of the Top-Beds in that near the Vicarage, and thence proceed to the quarry in the Fuller's Earth Rock at Troll. Here the usual ammonites can be obtained and many specimens of ''Pholadomya.''

The drive will be continued via Yetminster and Ryme to Closeworth, where there is an excellent section of Cornbrash, here extremely fossiliferous.

The return drive to Yeovil will be by way of Stoford, in order that the Members may see the highly instructive sections there, which show the sequence from the Lower Fuller's Earth (with ''Ostrea knorri) ''to the Yeovil Sands. Cost of drive 2/- each. Leave Yeovil (Pen Mill) for London 5.25. arrive Paddington 8.20.

There may be opportunities of visiting the Black Downs or the Quantocks during the excursion.

==References==

Geological Survey Map, Sheets xviii (Old Survey), and 295, 311 (New Survey) colour printed.

Geological Survey Index Map, Sheets II, four miles to one inch. Price 2/6. One inch Ordnance Survey Maps, Sheets 295, 311, 312. Price 1/- each.

1867. MOORE, C.—"On the Middle and Upper Lias of the South-West of England." ''Proc. Somerset Arch. and Nat. Hist. Soc.'', vol. xiii, pp. 119–244.

1876. USSHER, W. A. E.—" On the Triassic Rocks of Somerset and Devon." ''Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc.'', vol. xxxii, pp. 367–394.

1878. DOWNES, Rev. W.—"The Fossils of the Culm Measure Limestones around Holcombe Rogus." ''Trans. Devon. Assoc.''

1879. DOWNES, Rev. W.—"The Limestones of Westleigh and Holcombe Rogue." ''Trans. Devon. Assoc.''

1889. BUCKMAN, S. S.—"On the Cotteswold, Midford, and Yeovil Sands." ''Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc.'', vol. xlv, p. 440.

1893. BUCKMAN, S. S.—"The Bajocian of the Sherborne District: its Relation to Subjacent and Superjacent Strata." ''Ibid., vol. ''xlix, pp. 479–522.

1894.. WOODWARD, H. B.—"Jurassic Rocks of Britain (For Ham Hill)," vol. iv, pp. 72. 475.

1906. USSHER, W. A. E.—"Geology of the Country between Wellington and Chard" (with contributions by H..B. Woodward and A. J. Jukes-Browne). ''Mem. Geol. Survey. ''Price 1s. 3d.

1908. USSHER, W. A. E.—"Geology of the Quantock Hills and of Taunton and Bridgwater." ''Mem. Geol. Survey.''

1910. HUDLESTON, W. H.—"Dorset—Inland." ''Geology in the Field, ''p. 365.

1911. RICHARDSON. L.—"The Rhӕtic and Contiguous Deposits of West, Mid, and part of East Somerset." Ibid., vol. lxvii, pp. 1–74 [Puriton, pp. 32-36.]
[[Category:Geologists' Association excursions]]