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Summary

Kent's cavern

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010745: Kent's Cavern, Torquay

Other References/Statuses

• Torbay HER: MTO9695

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CAVE (Lower Palaeolithic to Roman - 500000 BC to 409 AD)

Full description

Torbay HER record (SMR record). SDV361984.

Imported from Torbay HER

Pengelly, W., 1884, Transactions of the Devonshire Association, p.229-35 (Article in Serial). SDV362708.

The lecture hall contained deposits of black mould, granular stalagmitic floor, and cave earth.

In the black mould was found: part of a small pottery vase, a small red earthenware pan, a spindle whorl, a roughly shaped piece of new red sandstone, a portion of a bone comb, marine shells, a piece of smelted copper, the lower jaw and skull of a badger, part of a human upper jaw with eight teeth, and the internal cast of a fossil shell. Most of the potsherds were of coarse black clay mixed with small stones, some of them ornamented, others plain. The earthenware pan was of a flowerpot type, and was modern. The spindle whorl was of clay slate, ornamented with a series of lines on both the curved and flat sides. The piece of red sandstone may have been a spindle whorl damaged in the making. The bone comb was a portion of the shaft, both ends having been broken off. It was ornamented with well-drilled, small, circular punctures traversing the shaft obliquely in two parallel series, the direction of one set being at right angles to the other. The marine shells were of oyster, cockle and pecten. The human jaw and teeth may be comparatively modern.

Iin the granular stalagmite: the bones of rhinoceros tichorhinus and a premolar of hyena speleoa were found along with some charred wood.

In the cave earth: fragments of grit, rounded pieces of quartz and flint, and a small piece of crystalline schist from the start-bolt area were found along with the teeth of horse, rhinoceros, hyena, bear, fox and deer.

In the crystalline stalagmite: the teeth and bones of bear were found.

In the breccia: the remains of bear were found.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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