264 



NOTES ON SOME HOLOCENE SHELLS FROM IGHTHAM. 

 By A. S. Kennard, F.G.S., and B. B. Woodwahd, F.L.S. 



Read Sth March, 1907. 



In 1902 an early interment was exposed in Stanley's Quarry, IgMham. 

 This quarry is situate on the opposite side of the valley of the Shade to 

 the quarry in which are situated the well-known Ightham fissures 

 that have yielded so many Pleistocene vertebrate remains. The 

 remains of three earthenware vessels and portions of a human skeleton 

 were found in the grave. The age of the interment is a little uncertain. 

 The pottery exhibits no traces of Roman influence whatever, and may 

 well be late Celtic or early Iron age. At the same time it must 

 be remembered that similar pottery is often found with Roman 

 remains, so that it is perhaps safer to consider the interment as of 

 early Komano-British age. The fragmentary remains of the human 

 skeleton probably belonged to a woman, but it is impossible to speak 

 definitely on this point. The skeleton was found about three feet 

 away from the pottery. There were no traces of any calcined bones. 



The grave had been formed by heaping up pieces of Kentish Bag 

 on the old surface soil to a height of about six feet. The moUuscan 

 remains were obtained from the old soil at the base of the grave. 

 The species are : — 



Vitrea cellaria {MuB..) Common. 



V. nitidula (Drap.). ... ... ... CommoE. 



V. cnjstallina (Miill.) Common. 



V. alUaria (Miill.) ... ... ... ... One example. 



Fyramidula rotimdata (Miill.) ... ... Common. 



Eygromia hispida [lAmx.) Common. 



H. rufescens (Penn.) ... ... ... Common. 



Selicella itala (Linn.) Five examples. 



Helix aspe}-sa, M.i\l\. ... ... ... Two examples. 



E . horfensis , MuW Three examples. 



jff. nemoralis, Linn Common. 



Helicigona arbiistorum (lAnn.) ... ... Two examples. 



H. lapicida {lu\nn.) Two examples. 



Cochlicopa lubrica {}i[\Sl.) ... ... ... One example. 



.Azeca tridens (Pult.) Two examples. 



Carychium minimum, Miill. ... ... Three examples. 



Clausilia laminafa (Mont.) Three examples. 



Ccecilioides acicula (Mull.) ... ... ... One example. 



Fomatias elegans (Mixll.) ... ... ... Common. 



It is not often that we are able to fix with anything approaching 

 accuracy the age of a holocene deposit. Hence the importance of 

 these shells. The close proximity of the Ightham fissures enables us 

 to make a comparison with the Pleistocene molluscan fauna of the 

 district. There are sixteen species which have apparently existed in 

 the district from Pleistocene times : — Vitrea cellaria, V. nitidula, 

 V. crystallina, V. alliaria, Hygrotnia hispida, H. rufescens, Fyrami- 

 dula rotundata, Helix yiemoralis, H. hortensis, Helicigona lapicida, 

 H. arhustorum, Cochlicopa luhrica, Carychium minimum, CceciUoides 

 acicula, Clausilia laminata, and Pomatias elegans. Of these Vitrea 

 nitidula is far more abundant in the tumulus and living than it was 



