Monument record MDR6601 - Dog Hole Cave, Creswell Crags, Hodthorpe and Belph
Type and Period (1)
- CAVE (Unknown date)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
SK 53287411 Dog Hole Cave. Extensive series of phreatic solution cavities. It was used as a pig-sty associated with a dwelling that occupied the talus area. There have been 3 excavations, but all material from these has been lost. Initial excavations were by Laing in 1889. Although fairly extensive, virtually no report was made except to note that it was similar to Pin Hole Cave. Armstrong excavated the cave in the 1940's, the only remaining record being a photograph of 1940, showing a small trench across the main entrance. Subsequent work was done by Collcutt in 1975, a small trench in the west area, showing greatly disturbed deposits. (1, 3-5)
Initial excavations were undertaken by Laing, though he failed to state where the cave was and discuss anything specifically from the Dog Hole Cave. (2)
Large fissure very similar to Pin Hole and in one recent (1978) survey was called 'West Pin Hole'. The site was first excavated by Laing (1889) and his brief reports say that the material was similar to Mello and Boyd Dawkins' from Pin Hole Cave. A notable exception is the report of leopard (Felis bervirostris) only previously evidenced from Robin Hood's Cave and pointing to the existence of a much earlier deposit. (6)
The lack of documentary material and surviving finds from Laing's or Armstrong's investigations severly restricts any interpretation of the site. We do not know if either of these excavations uncovered archaeological material. The proximity to Pin Hole and the rich archaeological sequence found there may give the assumption that Dog Hole was also used in the Ice Age. Recently a late Palaeolithic black flint was found in the cave entrance. The more recent excavation at Dog Hole Fissure found an important assemblage of bone indicating the presence of woodland animals such as lynx. (7)
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SDR8064 Monograph: Jenkinson, R. 1984. Creswell Crags: Late Pleistocene Sites in the East Midlands, British Archaeological Reports 122.
- <2> SDR8183 Bibliographic reference: Laing, R. 1889. On the Bone Caves of Creswell and the discovery of an extinct Pliocene Feline (Felis brevirastris) new to Great Britain.
- <3> SDR1633 Article in serial: Armstrong, A. 1940. 'Derbyshire Caves', British Association for the Advancement of Science. Volume.
- <4> SDR4000 Unpublished document: Collcutt, S (University of Edinburgh). The Stratigraphy of Creswell Crags.
- <5> SDR11483 Index: North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust (NDAT). North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust Index: 3606. 3606.
- <6> SDR23291 Bibliographic reference: Jenkinson, R. 1978. The archaeological caves and rock shelters in the Creswell Crags area, Creswell Crags Visitor Centre research report No. 1.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 5327 7411 (8m by 9m) (Approximate) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | HODTHORPE AND BELPH, BOLSOVER, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events/Activities (5)
- EDR3837
- EDR3853
- EDR234
- EDR273
- EDR162
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jun 12 2017 4:44PM