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Summary

Kent's cavern. The bear's den. A vast boss of stalagmite was covered with inscriptions. The earliest was inscribed in 1571 by william petre. Macenery had found a number of bear skeletons here. Teeth, bones, coprolites and a few bits of coarse pottery were found in the excavated material macenery had thrown aside. More teeth, bones and coprolites were found along with eleven flints.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1010745: Kent's Cavern, Torquay

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX96SW/4/43

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV316866.

Kent's cavern. The bear's den. A vast boss of stalagmite was covered with inscriptions. The earliest was inscribed in 1571 by william petre. Macenery had found a number of bear skeletons here. Teeth, bones, coprolites and a few bits of coarse pottery were found in the excavated material macenery had thrown aside. More teeth, bones and coprolites were found along with eleven flints. A. A small delicately-proportioned white flake tool. Both ends were blunt, but the edges were sharp. The inner face was almost flat, and the outer strongly ridged. It was found with six bear teeth and one of mammoth in the cave earth on 1st november 1876. B. An irregular rolled flint nodule. Two flakes had been dislodged from it. It was found in the fourth foot level of the breccia in november 1876. C. A white flake implement. It was broadest at one end, from which it gradually tapered towards the other. It was scimitar-shaped, but the point was lost. It was nearly flat on one side, strongly ridged on the other, and the lateral margins were thin and sharp. It was found with the relics of bear, elephant and hyena in the first foot level of the cave earth. D. A white flake. It was a parallelogram in outline, slightly convex on the inner face, doubly ridged on the outer. It was quite thin at the lateral margins, one of them being somewhat notched, and thick at each end. It was probably the central portion of a tool of greater length. It was found with the teeth of bear and hyena in the first foot level of the cave earth in december 1876. E. A cherty flint nodule-implement. It was a sharply-pointed, rudely heart-shaped tool, retaining some of its original surface. It was found in the second foot level of the breccia in january 1877. F. A rough specimen of chert. It retained the remnants of the original surface of the nodule. It was found in the first foot level of the breccia in march 1877. G. A flint implement. It was irregularly convex on each face, pointed at one end, and rounded at the other. It retained traces of the original surface of the nodule. It was found in the second foot level of the breccia in march 1877.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV316867.

Pengelly, w. /tda/16(1884)396-403/the literature of kent's cavern, part 5.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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