Castle Caldwell Marble

Notes:

A pale grey fossiliferous limestone, rich in disarticulated crinoidal debris. Crinoids are stalked members of the Phylum Echinodermata that also contains sea urchins and starfish, and although they are animals they are often called Sea-Lilies. Crinoid stems comprise stacks of circular or oval-shaped ossicles, and are mainly represented in this stone isolated, as white circular transverse sections, but some longitudinal sections of stems up to 3 cm in length are also visible. This is a grain-supported packstone with a micritic matrix. Similar crinoidal-rich decorative stone is also known from Clerhane, Co. Offaly and from North Wales and Derbyshire. The latter were known in the 18th century locally as "screwstones"on account of the crinoid stems.