DISCOVERY OF AN ANCIENT STONE IMPLEMENT 

 EMBEDDED IN CLAY AT ST. MARTIN'S. 



BY MESSRS. T. DOMAILLE AND G. T. DERRICK. 



While digging at a depth of about 3 ft. 6 in. underneath 

 a greenhouse on the premises of Mr. P. Domaille, at 

 Roque Hamclin, Rue Caches, St. Martin's, the workmen 

 found in the apparently undisturbed clay a stone about 14 in. 

 long by 7 in. by 7 in. It was lying face uppermost, and had 

 at its foot four small pieces of stone which may perhaps at 

 one time have served to support the principal stone. The 

 clay was as usual in a mass with occasional streaks, according 

 to the greater or less proportion of sand it contained, and free 

 from stones or pieces of rock ; but about 6 ft. N.W. of this 

 spot at about the same depth was found a piece of sand-stone, 

 which appears to have been used as a sharpener, also three or 

 four flint chips. These last and the large one specially 

 referred to are all foreign stones, i.e., no rock from which they 

 could have been broken is found in Guernsey. The nearest 

 places of origin are Alderney and France. 



The large implement was formed from a pebble or 

 boulder of coarse sand-stone : one end of it was broken off to 

 a desired shape, i.e., a concave curve, and then the fractured 

 surface rubbed down smooth. Across the face of this pre- 

 pared surface are grooves, from which it is concluded that 

 it was intended to be used as a mealing stone, that is, for 

 rubbing down grain. 



Consulting Evans' " Ancient Stone-implements of Great 

 Britain," a somewhat similar stone is figured on p. 225. The 

 author says : " Such stones are used among the Kaffirs and in 

 W. Africa ... in Abyssinia and in S. America. They have 

 occasionally been found in Great Britain ; the figure shows a 

 pair found in a hut-circle at Ty Mawr in Anglesea. . . . The 

 name Saddle-quern has been given to this form of grinding 



