ANCIENT WORKINGS FOR FLINT. 85 



one of which has recently, by the kind permission of Mr. 

 Angerstein, been explored by Mr. Green well;* who has shown 

 them to be excavations made in the chalk for the purpose of 

 obtaining flint. They are depressions, 254 in number, vary- 

 ing in diameter from 20 to 60 feet, placed irregularly, gene- 

 rally about 25 feet apart, and occupying rather more than 20 

 acres. Although they are now comparatively shallow, Mr. 

 Greenwell has proved that the pits originally went down to 

 a depth of 39 feet, when they branch out into passages, 

 often communicating with one another. On the east side is 

 a mound, apparently consisting of chalk taken from the first 

 pit ; after which it would seem that when a new pit was dug, 

 most of the material was thrown down the old shafts, which 

 were thus filled in, to within a few feet of the surface. As 

 usual in the Upper Chalk, the flint is disposed in layers, 

 which differ in quality, while maintaining the same character 

 over considerable areas. It may be remarked that, as Mr. 

 Flower has well pointed out,-)- Brandon, " though situated in 

 a bleak and barren district, has evidently been a place of 

 considerable resort from a very remote period a circum- 

 stance which can only be attributed to the abundance and 

 good quality of the flint found there." Palaeolithic imple- 

 ments abound in the drift gravels ; the surface is strewn with 

 flint flakes and fragments of flint implements; and at the 

 present time is the only place in England where gun-flints 

 are still made. For this purpose, one particular layer of 

 flint is found to be peculiarly well adapted, on account of its 

 hardness and fineness of grain ; while another layer, less 

 suitable for gun-flints, is known as " wall-stone," being much 

 used for building purposes. Now it is interesting to find 

 that, even in very early times, the merits of the gun -flint 

 layer were well known and appreciated; for although there 

 is abundance of flint on the surface, the ancient flint -men 

 * Trans. Ethn. Soc. 1870, p. 419. f Ibid. p. 437. 



