﻿TA.LJEOLITHIC 
  FLINT 
  IMPLEMENTS 
  IN 
  KENT. 
  279 
  

  

  ground 
  waters, 
  that 
  they 
  burst 
  out 
  at 
  unusually 
  high 
  levels 
  on 
  

   the 
  lower 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Chalk-escarpment 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  other 
  old 
  

   watercourses 
  now 
  dry. 
  

  

  A 
  remarkable 
  instance 
  of 
  this 
  occurred 
  during 
  the 
  heavy 
  rainfall 
  of 
  

   the 
  31st 
  July, 
  1888. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  an 
  old 
  farm-road 
  had 
  been 
  carried 
  

   up 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  downs 
  near 
  St. 
  Clere 
  to 
  Drain 
  Farm 
  on 
  

   the 
  top, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  f 
  mile. 
  Along 
  and 
  under 
  this 
  road 
  was 
  what 
  

   proved 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  old 
  watercourse, 
  filled 
  with 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  angular 
  flints. 
  

   The 
  rush 
  of 
  water 
  which 
  escaped 
  from 
  the 
  Chalk 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  

   the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  230 
  yards 
  was 
  torn 
  up, 
  

   and 
  a 
  narrow 
  rent 
  formed 
  along 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  that 
  distance 
  from 
  

   from 
  3 
  to 
  5 
  feet 
  deep 
  through 
  this 
  flint-rubble*. 
  Cart-loads 
  of 
  the 
  

   flints, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  size, 
  were 
  carried 
  down 
  and 
  

   thrown 
  across 
  the 
  road 
  (the 
  old 
  Pilgrim's 
  Way) 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  

   2 
  to 
  3 
  feet, 
  and 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  opposite 
  field. 
  We 
  may 
  suppose, 
  therefore, 
  

   that 
  towards 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  Glacial 
  period, 
  what 
  with 
  the 
  melting 
  

   of 
  the 
  snow 
  and 
  ice, 
  and 
  possibly 
  a 
  heavier 
  rainfall, 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chalk 
  Downs 
  were 
  scored 
  at 
  places 
  by 
  watercourses 
  such 
  as 
  this, 
  and 
  

   that 
  ultimately, 
  as 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  decreased, 
  these 
  old 
  

   channels 
  became 
  blocked 
  up 
  and 
  levelled 
  by 
  the 
  flints 
  brought 
  down 
  

   from 
  the 
  higher 
  ground. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  the 
  Shode, 
  during 
  its 
  earlier 
  

   stages, 
  may 
  have 
  received 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  flint 
  and 
  Tertiary 
  flint-pebble 
  

   debris 
  found 
  in 
  its 
  drift-beds. 
  

  

  There 
  are, 
  however, 
  other 
  component 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Shode 
  drift- 
  

   gravels, 
  for 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  must 
  look 
  elsewhere. 
  Amongst 
  

   these 
  are 
  some 
  large 
  angular 
  broken 
  Chalk-flints, 
  weathered 
  white, 
  

   and 
  often 
  pitted 
  or 
  pock-marked 
  in 
  a 
  peculiar 
  manner, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  

   edges 
  slightly 
  worn. 
  These 
  differ 
  materially 
  in 
  aspect 
  from 
  the 
  bulk 
  

   of 
  the 
  other 
  flints, 
  and 
  are 
  derived 
  apparently 
  from 
  an 
  old 
  unstratified 
  

   gravel 
  that 
  frequently 
  overlies 
  the 
  Gault 
  in 
  the 
  Yale 
  of 
  Holmesdale, 
  

   and 
  of 
  which 
  a 
  patch 
  before 
  mentioned 
  caps 
  the 
  watershed 
  at 
  Park- 
  

   Farm 
  brick-kiln. 
  I 
  have 
  reason 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  this 
  gravel 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  

   Glacial-period 
  origin 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  can 
  be 
  shown 
  better 
  in 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  

   Darent 
  basin, 
  which 
  I 
  hope 
  to 
  describe 
  on 
  a 
  future 
  occasion. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  marked 
  variety 
  of 
  subangular 
  flints 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  character, 
  not 
  unfrequent 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  drift-gravels 
  of 
  the 
  

   district. 
  These 
  flints 
  are 
  easily 
  recognized 
  by 
  the 
  extreme 
  wear 
  of 
  

   their 
  edges 
  due 
  to 
  long 
  abrasion 
  before 
  they 
  became 
  imbedded 
  in 
  their 
  

   present 
  positions. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  deeply 
  and 
  uniformly 
  stained 
  a 
  

   warm 
  brown 
  colour, 
  in 
  marked 
  contrast 
  with 
  their 
  surroundings. 
  For 
  

   the 
  first 
  source 
  of 
  these 
  stained 
  flints 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  account; 
  they 
  

   have 
  evidently 
  been 
  derived 
  originally 
  from 
  some 
  very 
  old 
  drift, 
  which 
  

   I 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  found 
  in 
  situ. 
  They 
  may 
  be 
  traced 
  from 
  the 
  Shode 
  

   river-drift 
  to 
  the 
  older 
  hill-drifts 
  of 
  Cop 
  Hall 
  and 
  Highlands, 
  and 
  from 
  

   these 
  ag^lu 
  to 
  the 
  Chalk-plateau, 
  where 
  they 
  predominate 
  in 
  places 
  

   on 
  the 
  Hed 
  Clay 
  with 
  flints 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  carry 
  them 
  quite 
  home. 
  

  

  * 
  Equally 
  remarkable, 
  I 
  am 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Harrison, 
  was 
  the 
  rush 
  of 
  

   water 
  down 
  the 
  dry 
  Chalk 
  valley 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  or 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  Drain 
  Farm. 
  It 
  

   re-excavated 
  old 
  channels, 
  swept 
  down 
  hedges, 
  and 
  spread 
  over 
  fields. 
  At 
  one 
  

   place 
  a 
  hole 
  was 
  left 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  hold 
  a 
  waggon. 
  

  

  