DRKPDALR CAVE. 8 I 



domestic purposes from time to time from some neighbouring 

 smelting place. 



It was remarked above, that, in consequence of their greater 

 character and number, the Romano-British finds had, so to speak, 

 crowded out of view any earlier or later occupancy of the cave. 

 The relics of pre- and post-Roman times do not, as a rule, tell 

 their own history. A few flint implements and broken flakes and 

 fragments of hand-made pottery were found. These tnay be pre- 

 Roman, or they may be British of Roman times. The only safe 

 means of determining the relative age of such objects is to care- 

 fully note their stratigraphical position, but so far this cave has 

 not been excavated with that precision which modern science 

 requires.* 



* Through an oversight the conchiding paragraphs of this paper were 

 appended to another paper, " Romano- British Objects from Deepdale, 

 Autumn, 1891," in last year's vohime, the present paper being intended for 

 the same vohime, but was held over through want of space. 



6 



