116 Mr. Lovett on t/(e 



The method by which the flmt is obtained is one of the most 

 remarkable features of the whole industry. One man and a boy 

 is the usual staff to a pit. No rope, chain, ladder, basket, wind- 

 lass, or plank is used, and yet masses of flint of the great weight 

 already mentioned are raised to the surface from this depth of 

 fifty feet. In short, the method pursued to-day is in all proba- 

 bility identical with that followed by palseolithic man, and I will 

 now endeavour to describe it. First of all a pit is dug on the 

 surface, about six feet long, by three feet wide, by three feet deep; 

 then a second pit is sunk of the same length and width, but six 

 feet in depth ; this second sinking includes half the first area, 

 but is excavated at right angles to obtain its full size ; below 

 this, again, a third is sunk at right angles to the second (still 

 excavating), and so on, leaving a step or stage each time, so that 

 when the floor stone is reached, about six or seven steps, of six 

 to eight feet each, are formed, and the bottom of the shaft is some 

 twelve feet from the perpendicular of the top opening, and at an 

 angle of 45° to the angle of the mouth of the pit. When the 

 bottom is reached tunnels are cut, and the good flint brought to 

 the foot of the shaft and lifted on to the first step ; to this step 

 the man ascends by means of notches cut in the sides of the 

 shaft. The blocks of flint are then lifted to the next step, the 

 man following as before, until the top is reached, when the flint 

 is stacked in one-horse loads, called "jags." These stacks of 

 flint I observed were covered with branches of Scotch fir, which 

 I was told was very necessary to protect the flint from the 

 influence of sun, rain, &c., as the surface of the flint was much 

 altered thereby, and the flint itself was not so good for use. 

 This fact I consider of great interest, as much importance is 

 always attached by collectors to the glassy and smooth or 

 whitened surface of flint implements as a conclusive proof 

 of their great age and genuineness. This test I consider much 

 weakened by what I saw of the rapid alteration in exposed flints 

 at Brandon Heath. When a pit has been worked a considerable 

 length, the workman commences to fill in, working away the 

 sides as he ascends, and otaining the wall and top stone, or 

 inferior flints, which are used as building-flints. When the sur- 

 face is reached the pit is filled up as far as possible with the top 

 rubbish, but as flint has been taken out a hollow is left, and the 

 heath is covered with the depression of these used-up workings. 

 The flint being dug, it is carted down to workshops. 



The places in which the gun-flints are made are small sheds 

 situated at the back of a house or cottage, and the piece of 

 ground adjoining is generally used to deposit the waste chippings 

 upon. The shed we inspected accommodated three workmen, 

 but as trade was dull only one was at work at the time. The 

 three work-benches were really three stumps of trees, like 



