Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Five Palaeolithic handaxes from vicinity of St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Swanscombe, some of them found in situ during grave digging. The handaxes are held in NMW Cardiff as part of the Stopes collection. (location accurate to the nearest 50m based on available information)

Monument Types

• OCCUPATION SITE (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)

Associated Finds

• HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 150001 BC)

Full description

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Five Palaeolithic handaxes from vicinity of St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, Swanscombe, some of them found in situ during grave digging, including one dug in 1898 for the antiquarian (and local butcher) George Clinch. The handaxes are held in NMW Cardiff as part of the Stopes collection (1). They are mostly in very fresh condition, suggesting presnce of an undisturbed ocupation area. They seem to have come from deposits between c. 34m and 36m OD, which would broadly equate to Upper Middle Gravel or Upper Loam of the Barnfield Pit sequence. Bearing in mind the rarity of material from these higher horizons, this could be an important area for further investigation.

<1> Wenban-Smith F. F., March 2004, The Stopes Palaeolithic Project: Final Report, # 687 (Unpublished document). SWX12877.

Sources and further reading