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HER Number: | MDV124190 |
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Name: | Kent's Cavern: The Cave of Inscriptions |
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Summary
Kent's cavern
Location
Grid Reference: | SX 934 641 |
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Map Sheet: | SX96SW |
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Admin Area | Torbay |
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Civil Parish | Torbay |
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District | Torbay |
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Ecclesiastical Parish | ST.MARYCHURCH |
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Protected Status
Other References/Statuses
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.362-7; 375-382 (Article in Serial). SDV362708.
The Cave of Inscriptions. The area near the westernmost entrance was excavated in1874; the cave earth yielded the usual teeth, burnt bone, and a quantity of coprolitic matter; and the following specimens of flint and chert:-
1. A mottled grey, angular flake of chert, very concave on the inner face; several flakes had been struck off the outer face but there was little evidence of it having been used. It was found with elephant molars, bear teeth, gnawed bones, one burnt bone, and five lumps of coprolite in the first foot-level of cave earth in March 1874.
2. A small grey flint flake or chip with a bulb of percussion strongly marked. It was found with the teeth of bear and eleven balls of coprolite in the first foot-level beneath a cake of stalagmite in March 1874.
3. A rudely lanceolate flake of grey flint, slightly concave on the inner face, reduced to an edge on both lateral margins, and having two ridges extending the entire length of the outer face. Little used, if at all, it was found with bear teeth, bone fragments, and a coprolite in the first foot-level of cave earth in March 1874.
4. A small flint flake, slightly concave in both directions on the inner face, and strongly carinated on the other, was sharply truncated at each end, and reduced to an edge on the lateral margins, one of which was broken or jagged. It was of a light drab colour on the surface, retaining its original black colour at the centre. Found with the tooth of bear, two fragments of burnt bone, and four lumps of coprolite in the first foot-level of cave earth in March 1874.
5. A near-white flint of fine texture, sharply truncated at the butt end, round-pointed and blunt at the other; it was sharp and unworn at the lateral margins, longitudinally concave on the inner face with a strong central ridge on the other, extending from the butt end nearly two thirds of its length where it bifurcated in consequence of the dislodgement of a small flake. A portion of the original surface was retained on one of the slopes at the butt end, with the bulb of percussion well developed near the point. It was found with two bone fragments and coprolite in the first foot-level of cave earth on 1 April 1874.
6. A grey flake sharply truncated at one end, round-pointed and blunt at the other, which had a bulb of percussion, may have been used as a scraper. It had on its outer face near the middle of its length, a central ridge which bifurcated towards each end.It was found in the first foot-level in May 1874.
Nothing was found in the crystalline stalagmite.
The breccia yielded the remains of cave bear and the following specimens of flint and chert:-
1. A large rude flake of a very rough flint nodule, quadrilateral with the angles rounded off. The inner face displayed the bulb of percussion near the truncated butt end, with elsewhere a tendency to flatness; the outer face retained a large portion of the original surface of the nodule. It was found in the fourth foot-level of the breccia with bear teeth and a flint pebble in March 1874.
2. A bluish-grey flint of somewhat coarse texture, truncated at the butt end and pointed at the other, was slightly concave on one face and very strongly ridged on the other. It was found with the teeth and bones of bear in the second foot-level in March 1874.
3. An irregularly shaped flake or chip of pinkish drab chert was found in the third foot-level in March 1874.
4. A sub-triangular flake of coarse chert, nearly flat on one face with a strong curvilinear ridge on the other; it was found with bone fragments in the first foot-level in March 1874.
5. A small specimen of chert, broken in excavation, was found in the fourth foot-level in June 1874.
Excavations resumed in December 1874; from the granular stalagmitic floor came some bones, bits of charcoal and coprolite.
From the cave earth there were four teeth of hyena, a few gnawed bones, coprolites and a flint flake.
At or near the junction of the cave earth and the breccia, more teeth of hyena and bear, the jaw of fox and numerous bones were found along with a flint flake.
The breccia yielded 82 teeth of bear, two of lion, numerous bones and thirteen implements, flakes and chips of flint and chert; among them:
1. A chert implement made of a well-rolled chert nodule, semi-lunar in form, broader at one end than the other. A considerable amount of chipping had reduced it to an irregular edge along the greater part of its perimeter; it was comparatively thin at the narrower end and was unequally convex on both faces, both of which had a central ridge. It retained the original surface of the nodule over the whole of its butt end. It was found in February 1875 near the hedges boss in the first foot-level of the breccia.
2. A chert implement, its extremity probably broken off in the making, was very convex on both sides, with none of the original surface of the nodule remaining. It was reduced to an edge all round the circumference, and this edge was neither keen nor regular. It was found in April 1875 in the second foot-level of the breccia.
3. A flint flake of a warm yellow colour struck from a rolled nodule, rounded at one end truncated at the other, and reduced to an edge along both lateral margins; the inner surface was very irregular the outer one having three longitudinal facets. The lateral margins were sharp but slightly jagged as if from use, both ends were blunt, and the butt retained the original surface of the nodule. It was found on 29 May 1875 in the second foot-level of the breccia. The material thrown to one side from the earlier excavation was re-examined and revealed more teeth, bones, coprolites, a fragment of a marine shell, and six flakes and chips of flint.
Sources / Further Reading
SDV361984 | SMR record: Torbay HER record. |
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SDV362708 | Article in Serial: Pengelly, W.. 1884. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. . 16. p.362-7; 375-382. |
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Associated Monuments
MDV124153 | Part of: Kent's Cavern, Ilsham Road, Torquay (Monument) |
MDV9720 | Related to: CAVE DEPOSIT in the Parish of (Monument) |
Associated Finds: none recorded
Associated Events: none recorded
Date Last Edited: | Feb 26 2019 7:09PM |
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