Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/149

 i2o THE HISTORY' Book I. ■ lane, flanting as this Hants to the left, and having the chain of the High-Knolls gradually approaching it on the right. And about two miles from the ftation it was dire&ly interfe&ed by them. This range of interfering hills is called the Stony-Knolls, and •confifts of three parallel ridges, that commence from the extre- mity of the High-Knolls on the eaft, and extend to the ftream of the Irwcll on the weft, Afcending the long flope of thefe Stony-Knolls in the narrow lane, we begin to fee the traces of the road again, and obferve the gravel of it very plainly diftin- guifhed from the natural fand, and appearing in great quanti- • ties along the lane. And thefe appearances increafe as we pro- • ceed. At the upper end of the lane, the road enters the inclo- fures which are the ridgy fummits of thefe hills, and which are . peculiarly denominated the Stony-Knolls ; and it is there popu- larly reported to be the effeft of fupernatural agency. In the • entrance of the firft inclofure the road appears at once in pretty • good confervation, being a ftrong thick gravel, three yards in width, and lying upon the natural bed of clay and marl. Rifing - up the fide of the ridge, it is four yards in width, but upon the creft is reduced again to three, and points in a right line and in equal confervation over the next inclofure or the Higher Stony- Knoll. Defcending the one in order to afcend the other, it winds a little on the right to the bottom, and then winds as much on the left to the top In this the fecond inclofure it firft di- lates into four yards in width, afterwards contra&s into three, • and has a fall from it on both fides, very gentle on the right, but two three and four yards in depth upon the left. Sloping from the fecond ridge, and leaving the fecond inclofure, it en- 1 ters a narrow lane, the line of ftrong gravel ftill continuing, • tefpecially on the left-hand fide of the lane, and the road ad- vancing up the third hill, the lefler knoll of the Broken-bank. At the extremity of the lane, the road iffues into the way that • leads from Broughton>Ford to Kerfall-moor, and inftantly be- comes invifible. But the line of the road is obliquely acrofs the above-mentioned way, obliquely down the fandy bank, then not broken