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Monument details
| HER Number: | TQ 67 SW 1 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Clabberlabber/clapper-napper's hole |
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Summary
Collapsed cave (not an antiquity). A small quarry-like feature on the east side of Swanscombe Wood. The origin of the name is unclear, although connections with robbers and rabbits (separately) have been mentioned. On the 1909 Ordnance Survey 6" map the site appeared as "Caerberlarber (British Village)". This was quickly recognised as a piece of fiction, though the source for it is unknown. Ordnance Survey field investigation in 1964 noted that, like it's history, the site is partly filled with rubbish.
Location accurate to 10m based on available information
| Grid Reference: | TQ 6054 7280 |
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| Map Sheet: | TQ67SW |
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| Parish: | SWANSCOMBE AND GREENHITHE, DARTFORD, KENT |
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Monument Types
- CAVE (CAVE, Unknown date)
Full description
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[TQ.60547281] Site of Caerberlarber [OE] (British Village) (1) Clabberlabber's Hole (TI) (2) Site of Caerberlarber (British Village). This name is a fiction. It is simply an attempt to give a 'celtic' appearance to 'Clabberlabber', and it does not occur in ancient documents - omit from next revision. (3) The well-known Clapper-napper's hole is partly fallen in. It is on the east side of Swanscombe Wood. The cave is now outside the wood(a). It was once supposed to communicate with another four miles distant. The name clapper-napper is hard to explain. Napper, or nabber, is a robber; and a robber is mentioned as occupying it(b), though the tradition seems very old... A clapper or coney-clapper is the 16th c. word for a rabbit burrow(c) (4) Clabberlabber's Hole is a small quarry-like feature heavily overgrown and partly filled with rubbish. (5) No change. (6)
Location accurate to 10m based on available information
<1> O.S.6" 1909 (OS Card Reference). SKE47844.
<2> O.S.6" 1938 (OS Card Reference). SKE47846.
<3> Rev. O.N.B. 1938. p.38 (O.G.S. Crawford Udtd) (OS Card Reference). SKE49220.
<4> Gent's Mag. May 1803 (OS Card Reference). SKE43604.
<5> Journey etc., p.32(L.Fussell) (OS Card Reference). SKE45029.
<6> Prof. W. W. Skeat (OS Card Reference). SKE48738.
<7> Arch.1 vol.38. 1881. p.399 (F.C.J. Spurrell) (OS Card Reference). SKE37173.
<8> RCHME Recorder A.Clarke 22-SEP-59 (OS Card Reference). SKE49004.
<9> F1 ASP 10-NOV-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42036.
<10> Field report for monument TQ 67 SW 1 - November, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3627.
Sources and further reading
| Cross-ref.
| Source description | | <1> | OS Card Reference: O.S.6" 1909. |
| <2> | OS Card Reference: O.S.6" 1938. |
| <3> | OS Card Reference: Rev. O.N.B. 1938. p.38 (O.G.S. Crawford Udtd). |
| <4> | OS Card Reference: Gent's Mag. May 1803. |
| <5> | OS Card Reference: Journey etc., p.32(L.Fussell). |
| <6> | OS Card Reference: Prof. W. W. Skeat. |
| <7> | OS Card Reference: Arch.1 vol.38. 1881. p.399 (F.C.J. Spurrell). |
| <8> | OS Card Reference: RCHME Recorder A.Clarke 22-SEP-59. |
| <9> | OS Card Reference: F1 ASP 10-NOV-64. |
| <10>XY | Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 67 SW 1 - November, 1964. [Mapped feature: #16761 quarry, ] |
