Monument record MDR6415 - Markland and Hollinhill Grips, Elmton

SK 5120 7215 Markland Grips, Caves and Fissures. A series of caves and fissures in Markland Grips investigated between 11-Jun-1924 and 18-Jun -1924 by A. L. Armstrong. The field note books are held in Sheffield City Museum. (1) Dr R Jenkinson, ranger at Creswell Crags, suggests that there are more caves in the Grips. (2) Markland Grips, together with Hollinhill Grips, is a large valley with three arms which meet at the north-east corner of the complex. The longest arm runs east from the centre of Clowne, where it was known as Clowne Grips, before turning into Hollinhill Grips. This is over 2km long in total. The other two arms are both known as Markland Grips. The first of these runs south-west to north-east and joins to the long arm of Hollinhill Grips at its east end near Upper Mill Farm. This arm is almost 2km long. The final arm runs approximately south to north, for about 0.75km, and joins the main Markland Grips arm just south-west of its intersection with Hollinhill Grips. The general pattern is for the valley bottom to be pasture with wooded valley sides. However, in many areas the fields in the valley bottom are no longer being grazed and have become overgrown. In the main arm of Markland Grips the south-west end is open and grazed while the north-east half is overgrown, with some land managed as a wildlife sanctuary. The second arm of Markland Grips is overgrown, with ponds at the north end of the arm. The valley sides contain rock faces which range from continuous tall, 15m high rock faces, mainly in the central sections of the grips, to small, 1m high outcrops, generally towards the end of the valleys. A survey of caves, rock shelters and fissures within the rock faces has identified a total of 12 caves, all in Hollinhill Grips or towards the north-west end of the main arm of Markland Grips, a total of 41 possible rock shelters ranging in size from 3m to 30m long, and numerous fissures, although only a couple of these are thought to have archaeological or palaeontological potential. The valley bottom is generally flat and streams run along all the valley bottoms. These will have deposited an unknown depth of alluvial sediment in the valley bottom. The presence of a pond at the north end of the south arm of Markland Grips, as well as abandoned and silted up ponds at the south end of Markland Grips and the east ends of Markland and Hollinhill Grips demonstrates that various water management regimes have operated over the years, possibly resulting in the deposition of significant depths of alluvial material. (3)