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B. PENNINGTON ON THE GASTLETON BONE-CAVES. 



16. On ^Bone-Caves in the neighbourhood o/Castleton, Derbyshire. 

 By Eooke Pennington, Esq., LL.B. (Read February 10, 1875.) 



(Communicated by Professor Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S., F.Gr.S.) 



Having expended some leisure time since 1869 on the exploration of 

 the prehistoric tumuli in the northern part of the Peak of Derbyshire, 

 I have lately turned my attention to a few of the numerous caves 

 and fissures existing in the Mountain-limestone district of that tract 

 of country. 



The results, together with a notice of a Staffordshire fissure (really 

 in the same range), are contained in the following essay. 



I. Prehistoric Caves. 



Cave-Dale Cave. — In the romantic glen of Cave Dale, close to 

 Castleton and just underneath the keep of the Peveril Castle, is a 

 small cave (fig. 1). When first I knew it, it presented the appearance 



Fig. 1. — Section of Cave-Dale Cave at entrance. 



TDK 



A. Black earth. 



B. Yellowish earth, with limestone fragments. 

 AB. Blackish earth, with limestone fragments. 



C. Stalagmite. 



D. Black earth, with limestone fragments. 



E. Yellow earth, with limestone fragments. 

 E. Rock. 



of a low opening, about 1-J foot in height and 6 feet in length, so that 

 we had to lie down flat in order to wriggle into it, and it extended 

 about 11 feet inwards. 



On our first visit we found inside, in the surface soil, a shilling of 

 the time of Elizabeth. On examination of the surface of the floor, 

 several bones were turned up, and we accordingly resolved to dig it 

 out. This we did, with the following results. 



