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Summary

Kent's cavern. The south sally port. Honeycombed with fox holes. Ancient and modern bones, unpolished flint implements and rude pottery found mixed together. Cave earth disturbed by burrowing animals. Fine specimens of all the common cave animals found here, with a large number of mammoth teeth. Ten flint and chert implements found: three on the surface, one in the first foot level, three in the second, two in the third, and one site uncertain. A. Heart-shaped chert implement found on the surface of the cave earth, beneath an overhanging ledge of limestone on the west side of the sally port. Made from a pebble from the supracretaceous gravel of milber down. No other implement like it found in the cavern. Well made. B. Of fine-grained silver-grey flint, symmetrically canoe-shaped. Flat on one side, somewhat rounded on the other, worked to an edge all round the margin, and considerably chipped or dressed on both surfaces. Found on the cave earth. C. Formed of coarse white cherty flint, flat on the inner surface, carinated on the outer, not highly finished. Found in the second foot level of the undisturbed cave earth. D. Strongly carinated on the outer face, the inner vary concave long- itudinally and slightly convex transversely. Has a square tang at one end as if for being hafted. The opposite end was rounded, while the lateral margins were fined off to an edge. Found near the entrance of the sally port in a small mass of cave earth which had slipped off the face of the section. E. Of white flint, lanceolate, in the third foot level of undisturbed cave earth. F. Found in the fourth foot level of cave earth, with teeth of horse and rhinoceros and a coprolite. Of white flint, lanceolate, strongly carinated on one face, slightly concave longitudinally on the other where a crowd of facets indicated the dislodgement of numerous small chips. Point lost. The best tool of its type found in the cavern. Charcoal and a few burnt bones were found plentifully on the surface of the cave earth along with a few marine shells. More flint implements and flakes were found on continuing the excavation making twenty-one in all. Part of a gnawed antler was also found in the third foot level of cave earth.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010745: Kent's Cavern, Torquay

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX96SW/4/23

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CAVE DEPOSIT (Palaeolithic - 698000 BC to 8001 BC (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV316948.

Kent's cavern. The south sally port. Honeycombed with fox holes. Ancient and modern bones, unpolished flint implements and rude pottery found mixed together. Cave earth disturbed by burrowing animals. Fine specimens of all the common cave animals found here, with a large number of mammoth teeth. Ten flint and chert implements found: three on the surface, one in the first foot level, three in the second, two in the third, and one site uncertain. A. Heart-shaped chert implement found on the surface of the cave earth, beneath an overhanging ledge of limestone on the west side of the sally port. Made from a pebble from the supracretaceous gravel of milber down. No other implement like it found in the cavern. Well made. B. Of fine-grained silver-grey flint, symmetrically canoe-shaped. Flat on one side, somewhat rounded on the other, worked to an edge all round the margin, and considerably chipped or dressed on both surfaces. Found on the cave earth. C. Formed of coarse white cherty flint, flat on the inner surface, carinated on the outer, not highly finished. Found in the second foot level of the undisturbed cave earth. D. Strongly carinated on the outer face, the inner vary concave long- itudinally and slightly convex transversely. Has a square tang at one end as if for being hafted. The opposite end was rounded, while the lateral margins were fined off to an edge. Found near the entrance of the sally port in a small mass of cave earth which had slipped off the face of the section. E. Of white flint, lanceolate, in the third foot level of undisturbed cave earth. F. Found in the fourth foot level of cave earth, with teeth of horse and rhinoceros and a coprolite. Of white flint, lanceolate, strongly carinated on one face, slightly concave longitudinally on the other where a crowd of facets indicated the dislodgement of numerous small chips. Point lost. The best tool of its type found in the cavern. Charcoal and a few burnt bones were found plentifully on the surface of the cave earth along with a few marine shells. More flint implements and flakes were found on continuing the excavation making twenty-one in all. Part of a gnawed antler was also found in the third foot level of cave earth.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV316949.

Pengelly, w. /tda/16(1884)266-280/the literature of kent's cavern, part 5.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV316950.

Evans, j. /ancient stone implements/(1872)448,fig.388.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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