﻿PALiEOLITHIC 
  FLINT 
  IMPLEMENTS 
  IN 
  KENT. 
  271 
  

  

  the 
  conclusions 
  which 
  I 
  now 
  beg 
  to 
  bring 
  before 
  the 
  Society. 
  

   Although 
  long 
  acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  ground 
  generally, 
  it 
  was 
  evident 
  

   that 
  this 
  inquiry 
  needed 
  a 
  more 
  special 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  drift-beds 
  and 
  phy- 
  

   siography 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  *. 
  For 
  this 
  purpose 
  I 
  have 
  visited 
  with 
  Mr. 
  

   Harrison, 
  who 
  possesses 
  an 
  intimate 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  every 
  

   locality 
  where 
  traces 
  of 
  drift 
  and 
  flint 
  implements 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  f 
  . 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Harrison's 
  attention 
  was 
  first 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  about 
  

   the 
  year 
  1863, 
  when 
  he 
  found 
  on 
  a 
  heap 
  of 
  stones 
  gathered 
  off 
  a 
  

   field 
  to 
  the 
  S.E. 
  of 
  Eose 
  Wood, 
  near 
  Ightham, 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  

   475 
  feet 
  above 
  O.D. 
  and 
  300 
  above 
  the 
  valley, 
  a 
  large, 
  massive, 
  

   pointed, 
  flint 
  implement. 
  He 
  subsequently 
  found 
  a 
  few 
  others 
  on 
  

   the 
  surface 
  of 
  adjacent 
  fields, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  begin 
  a 
  systematic 
  search 
  

   until 
  1879. 
  Since 
  then 
  he 
  has 
  found 
  within 
  a 
  radius 
  of 
  five 
  

   miles 
  around 
  Ightham 
  above 
  400 
  specimens. 
  These 
  were, 
  with 
  

   very 
  few 
  exceptions, 
  all 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  at 
  all 
  

   levels, 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  present 
  streams 
  to 
  nearly 
  the 
  

   summit 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  hills 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  rightly 
  collected 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  

   well-marked 
  specimens 
  but 
  also 
  the 
  more 
  obscure 
  forms, 
  amongst 
  

   which 
  are 
  some 
  that 
  seem 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  earliest 
  implements 
  

   fashioned 
  by 
  primitive 
  man 
  in 
  England. 
  

  

  Local 
  Topography. 
  — 
  The 
  topography 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  is 
  somewhat 
  

   exceptional. 
  Ightham 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  Folkestone 
  Beds 
  of 
  the 
  

   Lower 
  Greensand. 
  One 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  stream 
  + 
  which 
  flows 
  

   through 
  it 
  southward 
  to 
  the 
  Wealden 
  area 
  rises 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chalk 
  Downs 
  1^- 
  mile 
  above 
  the 
  village, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  turns 
  round 
  

   westward 
  to 
  springs 
  on 
  the 
  slope 
  of 
  Oldbury 
  Hill. 
  On 
  either 
  side, 
  

   and 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  these 
  head- 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  Shode,' 
  the 
  surface-waters 
  run 
  — 
  in 
  one 
  direction 
  westward 
  into 
  a 
  

   tributary 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Darent 
  (a 
  river 
  flowing 
  northward 
  into 
  the 
  

   Thames), 
  and 
  in 
  another 
  direction 
  eastward 
  into 
  the 
  small 
  stream 
  

   which 
  flows 
  past 
  Mailing 
  and 
  Leybourne 
  into 
  the 
  lower 
  Medway 
  

   (see 
  fig. 
  1, 
  p. 
  272). 
  The 
  watersheds 
  which 
  part 
  the 
  Shode 
  from 
  

   these 
  other 
  two 
  streams 
  consist 
  of 
  low 
  ridges 
  of 
  Gault 
  and 
  Lower 
  

   Chalk, 
  rising 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  waters 
  of 
  

   these 
  streams. 
  But 
  as 
  the 
  Shode 
  flows 
  south 
  through 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  

   the 
  Lower 
  Greensand, 
  high 
  hills 
  rise 
  boldly 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  forming 
  

   a 
  deep 
  and 
  picturesque 
  valley 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Shode 
  

   with 
  the 
  broad 
  Medway 
  valley 
  in 
  the 
  Wealden 
  area, 
  near 
  Hadlow 
  

   (see 
  Map, 
  PL 
  IX.). 
  

  

  Sections 
  of 
  the 
  Ightham 
  Valley. 
  — 
  Section 
  No. 
  1 
  is 
  taken 
  at 
  a 
  

  

  * 
  Mr. 
  Topley 
  gives 
  a 
  general 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  drift 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  in 
  his 
  

  

  • 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Weald 
  ' 
  (Mem. 
  Greol. 
  Survey, 
  1875) 
  ; 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  

   open 
  pits, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  small 
  size 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  patches, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   drift-gravels 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  escape 
  notice 
  unless 
  observed 
  by 
  some 
  one 
  residing 
  in 
  

   the 
  district, 
  and 
  who 
  has 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  working 
  over 
  the 
  freshly 
  ploughed 
  

   fields, 
  and 
  taking 
  advantage 
  of 
  every 
  chance 
  opening. 
  

  

  t 
  His 
  manuscript 
  lists 
  give 
  the 
  locality 
  and 
  height 
  above 
  sea-level 
  of 
  every 
  

   specimen, 
  and 
  their 
  general 
  character 
  and 
  form. 
  

  

  X 
  On 
  the 
  Ordnance 
  Maps 
  no 
  name 
  is 
  attached 
  to 
  this 
  stream. 
  Mr. 
  Harrison 
  

   informs 
  me 
  that 
  on 
  Symondson's 
  old 
  map 
  of 
  Kent 
  it 
  is 
  called 
  the 
  ' 
  Shode,' 
  but 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  at 
  present 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  Busty 
  or 
  Buster. 
  

  

  Q.J.G.S. 
  No. 
  178. 
  x 
  

  

  