Page:Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1867).djvu/115

Rh The Derwent takes its rise by two branches, both of which begin a short distance east of Allenheads. The northern one is called the Beldon Burn, the southern one the Knucton Burn. After a course of 5 miles each they join at Hunstanworth, and the river takes the name of Derwent, and, flowing in a north-eastern direction, forms for nearly 20 miles the boundary between the counties. The hills of the upper part consist of undulated heathery fells of the ordinary gritstone character. Redburn Edge, in a line with Stangend Rigg, at the head of the Knucton Burn, is 1833 feet in elevation, and a ridge of high moor extends from this several miles due east to Bolt's Law (1772 feet), and Stanhope Common (1712 feet). Between the two burns the ridge is called Knucton Fell, and attains 1561 feet. A small stream from Bolt's Law, called Bolt's Bum, joins the main one at Bay Bridge, below Hunstanworth: the Burnhope Burn, a larger one from the same direction, drains the hollow between Edmundbyres and Muggleswick; and a third, the Hysehope Burn, takes its rise in the fells 3 miles south of the former village, and, after being joined by the Horsley Hope Burn, falls into the Derwent a little lower down. In different parts of the higher moorlands are to be seen, in situ, the remains of ancient birch-forests, the stumps of the fallen trees appearing above the peat; whilst the trunks of peat-buried oaks, of considerable size, give evidence of an ancient sylvan vegetation much superior to any in existence now. The Fell Top limestone first shows itself in the bed of a tributary of the Burnhope Burn, and below Muggleswick the Great Limestone appears in the bed of the Derwent, which winds very much in this part of its course through a picturesque wooded country. Then the stream turns north and leaves the great mass of moorland behind. At Cold Rowley the watershed ridge has declined in level to 900 feet, the stream at Allansford Bridge being just 500 feet below the top of the moor. Still, for several miles further, the steeply-sloping bank, on the east side of the stream, studded over with coal-mines and iron-works, keeps up a height of from 800 to 700 feet. At Shotley