| Summary : A fissure cave comprising a rock-blocked entrance, a 6 metre long passage which slopes downwards, and a 7.6 metre passage which slopes down more steeply before rising up sharply. Excavation of sorts was undertaken 1927-35 by the Reverend GH Wilson of the Brotherhood of the Pick and Shovel. Discoveries include a Neolithic polished axe, Beaker pottery, Bronze Age "hearths", amber beads, and flints. Iron Age and Roman material includes pottery, an ear-ring and a brooch. A ring is suggested by Brannigan and Dearne to be "Anglo-Viking", while they also note that one of the Roman potsherds attributed to the cave joins with a sherd from Elderbush Cave (SK 05 SE 2), which would seem to place the odd question mark against some of the finds. Skeletal remains of at least 4 adults and two children are probably post-Neolithic, but otherwise undated. Animal remains are undated, although some Pleistocene species were apparently present. The site was visited in 1989 by RCHME and Trent and Peak Archaeological Trust as part of the Manifold Valley Caves Project but was not surveyed. |
More information : (SK 099 550) Thor's Fissure Cavern
This Cave was excavated in the period from 1927 to 1935 by the
Reverand G.H.Wilson of the Brotherhood of the Pick and Shovel. Finds
included flint flakes, one of which would appear to be of
Palaeolithic type, and pottery of Bronze Age, Iron Age, Neolithic
and Romano-British types, as well as an early medieval ring.
A typical section through the cave represents a 4ft barren clay base,
covered by loose breccia containing Late Pleistocene fauna. On top of
this is a bed of hard stalagmite, which in turn was covered by clay
containing stream wash. Next there was a red cave earth with Bronze
Age Hearths, Beaker pottery, amber beads, flints etc. Small polished
celt could be Neolithic or Bronze Age. Finally there is a mixed
topsoil containing Romano-British and Early Iron Age artefacts. The
human remains are found in shallow, rough graves. The excavation also
unearthed bones of human, dolphin, bear, reindeer, dog, wolf, small
ox, ox, sheep, goats, polecat, brown bear, birds, water vole, bank
vole, field vole, field mouse, fox, pig, frog, hare, and cat.(1a)
The human bones were examined at the institute of anatomy, University
Collage of London, they felt that the individual was a maximum of 30
years of age and around 5'6" in height. The lowest excavated layers
of fauna represent a long wet period, followed by a drier period,
indicated by breccia, tundra, and steppe fauna. There followed a
layer of stalagmite which may represent a return to damp conditions,
although it may be due to a change in cave drainage. This was
followed by stream conditions and probably typical Bronze-Age
assemblage, replaced by Iron Age fauna of sheep, goat and ox.(1b)
This site was visited during the RCHME/Trent and Peak Archaeological
Trust: Manifold Valley Caves Survey, but was not surveyed.(1) |