﻿PALEOLITHIC 
  FLINT 
  IMPLEMENTS 
  IN 
  KEST. 
  . 
  273 
  

  

  distance 
  of 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  stream 
  (the 
  

   Shode). 
  Nos. 
  2, 
  3, 
  and 
  4 
  follow 
  in 
  succession 
  in 
  descending 
  the 
  

   valley 
  at 
  distances 
  of 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  1| 
  mile 
  apart. 
  No. 
  4 
  is 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   junction 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  Shode 
  with 
  the 
  old 
  Med 
  way 
  valley. 
  The 
  height 
  

   at 
  which 
  the 
  Shode 
  flowed 
  at 
  its 
  earlier 
  stage 
  is 
  regulated 
  by 
  the 
  

   height 
  of 
  its 
  watershed, 
  and 
  is 
  marked 
  by 
  the 
  horizontal 
  broken 
  lines. 
  

   These 
  are 
  slightly 
  too 
  low 
  in 
  figs. 
  1 
  and 
  3, 
  and 
  too 
  high 
  in 
  fig. 
  2. 
  

  

  This 
  small 
  stream 
  is 
  ten 
  miles 
  long 
  from 
  its 
  source 
  above 
  Ightham 
  

   to 
  its 
  junction 
  with 
  the 
  Medway 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  old 
  stream, 
  when 
  both 
  

   rivers 
  flowed 
  at 
  a 
  higher 
  level, 
  was 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  six 
  miles 
  in 
  

   length, 
  with 
  a 
  breadth 
  of 
  channel 
  seemingly 
  of 
  from 
  J 
  to 
  1| 
  mile 
  ; 
  

   while 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Medway, 
  at 
  Tunbridge, 
  could 
  scarcely 
  have 
  been 
  

   less 
  than 
  five 
  miles 
  in 
  width. 
  Since 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  

   Medway 
  has 
  been 
  lowered 
  220 
  feet 
  or 
  more, 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Shode 
  

   in 
  proportion 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  high-level 
  (275 
  feet) 
  river-drift 
  of 
  the 
  

   Medway 
  at 
  Little 
  Park 
  * 
  is 
  three 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  Tunbridge, 
  and 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  hills 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Medway, 
  which 
  are 
  high 
  enough 
  to 
  have 
  

   formed 
  the 
  southern 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  river, 
  are 
  at 
  least 
  five 
  miles 
  

   distant 
  from 
  this 
  point 
  (see 
  fig. 
  4, 
  p. 
  272). 
  

  

  The 
  spring 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  fountain-head 
  of 
  the 
  Shode 
  is 
  thrown 
  

   out 
  by 
  the 
  Chalk 
  Marl 
  or 
  Gault 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Downs 
  on 
  

   Newhouse 
  Farm, 
  near 
  Wrotham, 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  380 
  feet 
  above 
  

   ordnance 
  datum, 
  but 
  after 
  heavy 
  rains 
  it 
  issues 
  | 
  mile 
  further 
  north, 
  

   at 
  the 
  higher 
  level 
  of 
  400 
  feet 
  or 
  more. 
  

  

  The 
  lowest 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  watersheds 
  which 
  at 
  present 
  separate 
  the 
  

   Shode 
  from 
  the 
  basins 
  of 
  the 
  Darent 
  and 
  Leybourne 
  is 
  not 
  more 
  

   than 
  about 
  320 
  feet 
  above 
  O.D. 
  ; 
  but 
  judging 
  from 
  a 
  patch 
  of 
  older 
  

   gravel 
  at 
  Park-Parm 
  brick-pit, 
  which 
  there 
  caps 
  the 
  Gault 
  at 
  a 
  

   rather 
  higher 
  level, 
  they 
  may 
  originally 
  have 
  been 
  about 
  340 
  feet. 
  

  

  Consequently 
  the 
  Shode 
  could 
  not, 
  since 
  these 
  hydrographical 
  

   basins 
  have 
  assumed 
  their 
  present 
  contours, 
  have 
  flowed 
  at 
  a 
  higher 
  

   level 
  than 
  about 
  340 
  feet 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  height 
  to 
  which 
  its 
  highest 
  

   terraces 
  must 
  be 
  limited 
  in 
  its 
  upper 
  reaches; 
  while, 
  allowing 
  for 
  

   the 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  60 
  feet 
  less 
  in 
  the 
  

   lower 
  reaches. 
  All 
  those 
  drifts 
  which 
  exceed 
  these 
  heights 
  will 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  assigned 
  to 
  causes 
  other 
  than 
  those 
  depending 
  upon 
  

   the 
  regime 
  of 
  the 
  existing 
  streams, 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  date 
  anterior 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  River-Drifts 
  of 
  the 
  Shode. 
  — 
  These, 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  expected, 
  are 
  

   small 
  in 
  quantity 
  and 
  scattered 
  very 
  sparsely 
  at 
  a 
  few 
  levels. 
  Their 
  

   thickest 
  spread 
  is 
  near 
  Ightham. 
  Above 
  the 
  village 
  there 
  are 
  thin 
  

   patches 
  of 
  gravel 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  slope 
  of 
  Pane 
  Hill 
  and 
  Bayshaw, 
  

   near 
  Oldbury, 
  and 
  at 
  Coney 
  Pield 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  

   stream, 
  at 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  from 
  300 
  to 
  330 
  feet, 
  and 
  apparently 
  from 
  

   2 
  to 
  4 
  feet 
  thick 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  pits 
  now 
  open 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  exact 
  

   thickness 
  t. 
  These 
  gravels 
  consist 
  essentially 
  of 
  white, 
  angular 
  and 
  

  

  * 
  There 
  is 
  another 
  outlier 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Topley 
  at 
  Starvecrow, 
  one 
  mile 
  

   to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  this, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  253 
  feet, 
  consisting, 
  like 
  that 
  at 
  

   Little 
  Park, 
  of 
  subangular 
  flints 
  and 
  chert, 
  with 
  Tertiary 
  flint-pebbles 
  and 
  

   Wealden 
  debris. 
  (Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Weald, 
  p. 
  185.) 
  

  

  t 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Weald, 
  p. 
  185. 
  

  

  x2 
  

  

  