Page:Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, vol. 31.djvu/328

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238

R. PENNINGTON ON THE CASTLETON BONE-CAVES.

16. On the Bone-Caves in the neighbourhood of Castleton, Derbyshire. By Rooke Pennington, Esq., LL.B. (Read February 10, 1875.)

(Communicated by Professor Boyd Dawkins, F.R.S., F.G.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.

  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.
  R. Rock.

of a low opening, about 111/2 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.