A HISTORY OF SURREY 



hills running roughly in the direction of east and west and known as the 

 North Downs. These hills, which attain an altitude in some places of 

 considerably over 800 feet above the sea level, form the northern boun- 

 dary of the Weald and the southern crest of the chalk plateau. From 

 them the chalk dips gently down to the Thames valley in a northern 

 direction and terminates more abruptly at the margin of the Weald on 

 the south. 



The North Downs in Surrey are however not without cross-valleys. 

 At Guildford there is a valley of this kind through which the river 

 Wey finds its course. Near Dorking is another, through which the 

 river Mole flows. A little to the north of Merstham is a third valley 

 cutting through the chalk hills, but this is now dry and its bottom 

 is considerably above the surface of the adjacent gault valley of the 

 Weald. It is the bed of the old Wandle, a river which owing to 

 important modifications of its drainage area now commences its course 

 at Croydon and ends it at Wandsworth, where it joins the Thames. 



Numerous discoveries of paheo- 

 lithic implements have been made 

 in West Surrey, particularly in the 

 valley of the river Wey near Farn- 

 ham. Sir John Evans l records 

 the discovery of one palaeolithic 

 implement, about the year 1842, 

 at Peasemarsh, between Guildford 

 and Godalming. It was found by 

 Mr. Richard Whitbourn, F.S.A., 

 about 5 feet deep in a bed of 

 gravel, and is now in the collec- 

 tion of Sir John Evans, K.C.B. 



About the year 1 887 a fine pa- 

 laeolithic implement was found by 

 a labourer at Worplesdon in some 

 ballast which had been brought 

 from Farnham. The Farnham gravel was thereupon carefully examined 

 by Mr. Frank Lasham 2 of Guildford, who in the space of less than five 

 years succeeded in procuring therefrom more than 300 implements. 

 Some of these are now exhibited in the Museum of the Charterhouse 

 School at Godalming and in Guildford Museum. 



It is a curious fact, and also remarkable as showing the intelligent 

 interest which some workmen now take in matters of this kind, that in 

 1887, the same year in which the implement was found at Worplesdon, 

 another fine specimen was found by another labourer on the railway 

 between Guildford and Farnham. The specimen was shown to the 

 Rev. G. S. Davies, one of the curators of the Charterhouse School 

 Museum, who recognized its importance. It would appear however 



1 indent Stone Implements, ed. 2, p. 594 ; Archtfohgia, xxxix. 72. 

 * Surrey Archeeobffcal Collections, xi. 25-6. 



230 



PALAEOLITHIC IMPLEMENT, PEASEMARSH, 

 NEAR GUILDFORD. 



