Monument record MDR6323 - Langwith Bassett Cave or Langwith Cave, Langwith, Scarcliffe
Type and Period (3)
- CAVE (Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 10001 BC)
- SETTLEMENT ? (Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 10001 BC)
- BURIAL ? (Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 10001 BC)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
SK 51796949. Langwith Bassett Cave. Flint implements found A.D. 1903. (1)
The cave was explored between 1903 and 1912 by the Rev. E. H. Mullins. The deposits of the cave consisted of three horizons, not always clearly separated. The upper horizon contained modern bones and occaisonal fragments of limestone, the middle horizon contained fragments of woolly rhinoceros and cave-bear, both gnawed by the hyaena, and the lower horizon appeared to contain undisturbed flint implements and traces of hearths. Pleistocene bones, including reindeer, were found in the lower horizon. Of the shells, one species (Pyramidula ruderata) had been extinct in England since the Pleistocene. (2)
The cave of Langwith is situated at the base of a low scarp of limestone near the summit of the hill on the northern side of the valley of the Poulter just behind the rectory of Langwith Bassett. It was discovered in 1903 and excavated between 1903 and 1912 when a scanty flint industry, considered by Breuil to be Upper Aurignacian, was found with Pleistocene fauna and a human skull considered by Sir Arthur Keith to be Palaeolithic. Further excavation in 1927. The flints include an unretouched flake or blade, and a scraper and another worked piece. (3-4, 8)
Scheduled. (5)
Published survey correct (25"). (6)
Sources/Archives (8)
- <1> SDR12080 Map: Ordnance Survey (OS). 1955. 6".
- <2> SDR15294 Bibliographic reference: Garrod, D. 1926. The Upper Palaeolithic Age in Britain.
- <3> SDR990 Bibliographic reference: Keith, A. 1929. Antiquity of Man.
- <4> SDR7932 Article in serial: Mullins, E. 1913. 'The Ossiferous Cave at Langwith', Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. Volume 35. p 137-158, illus.
- <5> SDR694 Scheduling record: English Heritage. Scheduling Notification. 13239.
- <6> SDR6357 Personal Observation: F1 JB 09-JUN-66.
- <7> SDR8643 Bibliographic reference: Marsden, B. 1977. The Burial Mounds of Derbyshire. p 113.
- <8> SDR11073 Index: North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust (NDAT). North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust Index: 1746. 1746.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 5180 6949 (26m by 29m) Centre |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | LANGWITH, BOLSOVER, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR924
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jan 16 2024 5:56PM