ON THE OCCURRENCE OF FLINT FLA-KEls, AND SMALL 

 STONE IMPLEMENTS, IN CORNWALL. 



By FRANCIS BRENT, F.S.A. 



Possibly there are but few localities on the moor lands of 

 Cornwall, or along the coasts where (on diligent search) the 

 traces of a primitive occupation might not be met with, in the 

 occurrence of the early implements of a stone-using people, yet 

 such search has never been systematically carried out, and hence 

 the records are not numerous of the finding of flint Implements 

 in any quantity. It may therefore be of value that some of the 

 localities should be noticed, without referring to the grave -finds 

 recorded by Mr. W. C. Borlase, in Nmnia Cornuhm. 



On the sea beaches along the coasts, flint in the form of 

 water-worn pebbles, or of fractured pieces, is frequently met 

 with ; — this is probably either the remains from ballast of ships 

 that have been driven ashore ; or has been brought by the sea 

 from the Chalk cliffs of Seaton and Sidmouth, or from the 

 Greensand of Haldon above Dawlish. 



Where flint is met with, in most other cases, it usually con- 

 sists of flakes, &c., more or less perfect, and fragments, all indi- 

 cating, to a certain degree, that they have been manipulated by 

 man, and, consequently, that they are either his ancient weapons 

 or implements, or are the waste pieces that have been struck off 

 by the artificer during their manufacture, and abandoned as 

 useless on the sites of old villages or camps. 



Some of these, from long exposure on the waste lands, where 

 the soil is thin, are much weathered and nearly white, presenting 

 almost the appearance of porcelain ; others, from similar causes, 

 have lost all traces of freshly quarried flint, and look like crackle 

 china, whilst they are so decayed that they crumble under the 

 touch like rotten chert. Others again are as bright and trans- 

 lucent as on the day when they first left the hands of the 

 artificer. These latter are rarely to be met with, except in the 

 deep bog-lands, where they have been buried in wet peat from 

 the time when they were lost, and have consequently been 

 retained in the condition of flint as originally deposited in the 

 Cretaceous rocks. 



