he appearance of the whole place a century ago. The "King's Head" Inn and
the house adjoining it, in which the notorious Duke of Buckingham died,
are two of the oldest buildings of any size that now remain. An inn, a
little lower down the street has a picturesque porch supported by carved
posts, bearing the name "William Wood," and the date 1632. Kirby Moorside
has preserved, in common with two or three other villages in the
neighbourhood, its Christmastide mummers and waits. The mummers, who go
their rounds in daytime, are men dressed as women. They carry a small doll
in a box ornamented with pieces of evergreen and chant doggerel rhymes.

The beautiful scenery of Farndale and Kirkdale comes as a surprise to
those who visit Kirby Moorside for the first time, for the approach by
road in all directions, except from the north, does not lead one to
suspect the presence of such impressive landscapes, and from some points
Farndale has quite a mountainous aspect. The moors no longer reach the
confines of Kirby Moorside, as its name would suggest, for cultivation has
pushed back the waste lands for two or three miles to the north; but from
that point northwards all the way to Guisborough the wild brown moorland
is broken only in a few places by the fitful cultivation of the dales. The
church of Kirkdale, and what quarrying has left of the famous cave, stand
just at the point where the Hodge Beck leaves its confined course and
flows out into the flat levels of the Vale of Pickering. It is only,
however, after very heavy rains that the stony course of the stream at
this point shows any sign of water, for in ordinary weather the stream
finds its way through underground fissures in the limestone and does not
appear above the ground for a considerable distance. The little church of
Kirkdale, remarkable for its Saxon sun-dial and other pre-Norman remains,
is surrounded by masses of foliage, and the walk up the dale from this
point to the romantically situated Cauldron Mill is one of remarkable
beauty. As one follows the course of the beck higher and higher towards it
source north of Bransdale, the densely wooded sides become bare, and wide
expanses and the invigorating moorland air are exchanged for the rich land
scents and the limited views.

[Illustration: The "Black Hole" of Thornton-le-Dale. An underground cell
beneath some cottages which was formerly the village prison.]

The village of Lastingham is surrounded by beautiful hil