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Summary

Kent's cavern

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010745: Kent's Cavern, Torquay

Other References/Statuses

• Torbay HER: MTO9709

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.300-8 (Article in Serial). SDV362708.

The Sloping Chamber

The thin layer of black mould yielded shells of cockle, limpet and pecten; two potsherds: one of black coarse clay, the other of finer brown clay; a flint chip and core; a spindle whorl of fine-grained micaceous clay with its external edges rounded off; and a bone awl, partially covered with a film of stalagmite.

In the granular stalagmite horse teeth and bones were found; a charcoal streak, a cockle shell and well-marked fern impressions were also found.

From the cave earth there were the usual bones and about 550 teeth; 52 flint implements, flakes and chips were also found, among which were some good lanceolate implements.

1. A light brown translucent flint, of modern aspect, nearly flat on one side, and carinated on the other was found with a few bones in February 1871 in the first foot-level.

2. One of white flint, longitudinally and transversely concave on one side, with a medial ridge on the other from which a second ridge proceeded was found in March 1871 in the second foot-level of cave earth with splinters of bone. It had a thin but uneven edge and was probably pointed at each end, though one end was broken.

3. One of white flint, irregular in form, but rudely lanceolate was slightly concave on one face and convex on the other. Found with the teeth of horse and hyena and bone fragments in the second foot-level.

4. A whitish flint, nearly uniform from end to end, slightly concave on one face, convex on the other was found with the teeth and bones of hyena in February 1871. there were three slight parallel longitudinal ridges, sharply truncated at both ends, thin at the sides.

5. A slightly mottled flint, white, flat at one face, strongly ridged at the other, abruptly truncated at one end, but thin everywhere else, and retaining its width almost to the opposite bluntly rounded end was found in March 1871 with part of a deer's jaw and bones in the third foot-level.

6. Another mottled flint, white prevailing, pointed at one end, nearly flat on one face, convex on the other, on which were two ridges, one sub-central and the other nearly marginal was found in February 1871 in the fourth foot-level with the teeth of horse and hyena.

7. A piece of calcareous spar, apparently used as a polishing stone, was found in March 1871 with the teeth of horse, hyena, rhinoceros, gnawed bones and a flint flake in the fourth foot-level of the cave earth. Nothing similar had been found before.

A piece of burnt bone was found with fragments of bone and faecal matter in the second foot-level of cave earth. The mass of excavated earth was taken out of the chamber for a more thorough examination. Hundreds of bones, antler fragments, elephant's tusk, teeth, some marine shells, fragments of black pottery, and thirteen flint implements and flakes were found, along with four small slabs with fern impressions.

[Mcenery's excavation methods proved to be unsatisfactory.]

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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