!i I ! .JmuiiitJiiiiimiJitfiili ir\T, 'i^iiSBb^ u THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES i^nf^:':X ?<s-; <'J r' fr X ' ' ' .'f,<. 1; ..,^.fv>.*..'.1 NEOLITHIC MAN IN NORTH-EAST SURREY BY WALTER JOHNSON AND WILLIAM WRIGHT Mitb a (Ibapter on Jflint BV .B. C. POLKINGHORNE, B.Sc, F.C.S. WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS BY SYDNEY HARROWING and FRANK PERCY SMITH LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.G. 1903 776. -^ PREFACE These chapters attempt to give the results of some years of observation and research respecting a famihar branch of archaeologx', so far as it concerns the North-East corner of the most beautiful of the home counties. The district explored lies close to the wilderness of London. In the exploration, difficulty has been the twin-brother of desire, for whilst it seemed well to examine the area nearest our feet, it was plain that this must be done speedily, for bricks and mortar are spreading apace. The supposed barrow at Bedford Hill is demolished and built over ; vandals have partly destroyed the barrows on Banstead Downs ; and the crumbling fortilications at Car- dinal's Cap, already barely discernible, are in private grounds, or they might soon be merged in the formation of a stronghold of more modern type. Beddington, IMitcham. Ewell, and other villages, are fast losing their rural features, Within the last two or three years the builder has spoiled some of the haunts of Neolithic man described in these pages. There were two further difficulties to be met. [Much of the North Downs is covered with the compact turf of ages, which thus conceals ancient remains. On the other hand, in some localities the soil is so highly culti\-ated as to be practically inaccessible to the rambler. The latter part of the book has some approach to unique- ness, and is, we trust, a real contribution to archaeology. It deals largely with surface discoveries, which hitherto have been much neglected, if not despised. That there is sense in such in\-estigations is admitted b}^ no less an authority than Lord Avebury. He says, ' Stone implements are fre- quently found on the surface of the ground, or are dug up in agricultural or other operations. But those found singly in it this manner have comparatively little scientific value : is when they occur in considerable numbers, and especially when associated with other remains, that lliey serve to throw [ ^• ] 632334 vi PREFACE. much light on the manners and customs of ancient times.' {" Pre-historic Times,' 6th ed., 1900,. p. 95.) This paragraph might indeed serve as our motto. The general introduction to the story of Neolithic man is the epitome of much stud\' on this fascinating subject. We believe that the statements are accurate. In order that the reader may verify and extend the information, full references are given, and, that the text may not be encumbered, these are collected in a separate chapter. It is believed that this list, with the occasional references throughout the book, will furnish a useful bibliography. The area investigated is limited Northwards by the Thames ; the Southern boundary runs from Box Hill to Oxted. The parallelogram thus enclosed measures roughly 144^ X 13 miles. Part of this area is occupied by London ; as an offset, occasional allusions are made to places l5ang be3''ond the border. The maps and the drawings of implements liave been prepared specially for this volume ; the latter are taken entirely from our own collection. Our best thanks are gratefully accorded to Mr. Frank Percy Smith and Mr. Sydney Harrowing for their painstaking and effective labours in this department. The section written by Mr. B. C. Polkinghorne should prove extremely useful. The subject treated therein has, we believe, never been adequately dealt with previously, even in standard works, and the amount of misconception and error which prevails is surprising. Where we have ventured to leave demonstrable fact to offer suggestions, it is trusted that these are neither wild nor unreasonable. Ideas of this kind must, at any rate, serve as the basis of discussion. Wliether standing in a prehistoric excavation to eat lunch on a bitter, frosty day, or examining a barrow amid February sleet, or prospecting the Surrey corner field by field, or scraping oft' clay from the, boots during a high gale, the scores of hours spent in North-East Surrey have been pleasantly spent. Whether they have been profitably spent, the reader will doubtless decide for himself. CONTENTS I. THE SEQUENCE OF RACES IN BRITAIN - - - I II. THE NEOLITHIC AND BRONZE-USING RACES OF BRITAIN lO III. NEOLITHIC ENGLAND AND NEOLITHIC SURREY- - 22 IV. THE NEOLITHIC HOMES OF THE SURREY CORNER - 30 V. THE NEOLITHIC PEOPLE OF SURREY AT WORK - 43 VI. NEOLITHIC FOOD AND COOKING - - "52 VII. BURIALS AND BARROWS OF THE SURREY CORNER - 60 VIII. PREHISTORIC CAMPS OF THE SURREY CORNER - 72 IX. THE PREHISTORIC TRACKWAYS OF NORTH-EAST SURREY 86 X. CONNECTING-LINKS WITH NEOLITHIC SURREY - - 95 XI. MISCELLANEOUS CONNECTING-LINKS - - - I06 XII. THE NEOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS OF THE SURREY CORNER : (1) THE ALLUVIAL FLATS - - - - I18 XIII. THE NEOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS OF THE SURREY CORNER : (2) SAND^' AND GRAVELLY SITES - - - 1 24 XIV. THE NEOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS OF THE SURREY CORNER : (3) THE NORTH DOWNS : RIDDLESDOWN AND WOOD- COTE - - - - - - 138 XV. THE NEOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS OF THE SURREY CORNER : THE NORTH DOWNS {continued) : WOODMANSTERNE, HEADLEY, AND BANSTEAD - - - "149 XVI. THE LESS FAMILIAR TYPES OF XKOLirillC IMIM.KM ENTS 163 ' XVII. THE PLEASURES OF ' FEINTING - - - 168 XVIII. THE CONSTITUTION AND ALTERATIONS OF FLINT, WITH REFERENCE TO THE SUBJECT OF FLINT IMPLEMENTS, liV B. C. POLKINGHORNE, B.SC, F.C.S. - - 1 78 APPENDIX : LIST LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 1. ROUND HARROW Al' BANSTEAD - - - FrOtlHspiece 2. IDKAL RESTORATION OF PIT-DWELLINGS ON WORMS HEATH 37 3. AN ANCIENT THAMES-SIDE HAMLET. (IMAGINARY RESTORA- TION) - - - - - - - 42 4. 'pot-koiler' (ewell) - - - - - 56 5. ASHTEAD CHURCH AND ITS YEW-TREE (fROM THE SOUIH- EAST) ------- 108 6. HAMMER-STONE (tEDI)IN(;TON) - - - - 122 7. HORIZONTAL SECTION OF HAMMER-STONE- - - 122 8. SCRAPER (wIMBLEDON) - - - - - 1 26 9. ARROW-HEAD (wIMBLEDON) - - - - 1 26 10. KNIFE (wiMBLEDON) - - - - - 1 28 J I. FABRICATOR, OR TRIMMING IMPLEMENT (aDDINGTOx) - 131 12. HAMMER-STONE, OR POUNDER (rIDDLESDOVYn) - - 140 13. OYAL KNIFE (RIDDLESDOWN) - - - . j^i 14. FABRICATOR, OR TRIMMING IMPLEMENT (rIDDLESDOWN) - T4I 15. ARROW-HEAD (wOODCOTE) - - - "144 16. FABRICATOR (wOODCOTe) ----- 145 17. ARROW-FLAKER (wOODCOTE) - - . i^g 18. POINTED IMPLEMENT ? MESOLITHIC (wOODCOTe) - 146 19. CELT (WOODCOTE) - - - - . i^y 20. JAVELIN-HEAD (wOODMANSTERNe) - - - I5I 2 1. TRIANGULAR KNIFE (wOODMANSTERNE) - - ' 'S^ 2 2. CELT (wOODMANSTERNE) - - - - ' ^5^ 23. CELT, HOE, • OR OTHER AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT (hEADLEY) ----- £^2 24. SUGGESTED MODE OF SHAFTING HOE - - 155 25. AXE (hEADLEY) - - - - - - 156 26. SCRAPER (hf:ai)ley) - - - - "157 - 27. KNIFE (hEADLEY) - - - - - 1 58 28. SINGLE-BARBED ARROW-HEAD (hEADLEY) - - - 158 29. CHISEL-CELT, FRONT VIEW (bANSTEAD) - - - 160 30. THE SAME, BACK VIEW ----- 160 31. CORE, OR NUCLEUS (bANSTEAD) - - - - 161 32. URN (restored) OF COARSE EARTHENWARE (hEADLEy) - 162 MAPS .MAP TO ILLUSTRATE THE PREHISTORIC REMAINS OF WORMS HEATH - - - - '33 MAP OF NORTH-EAST SURREY [ viii ] ^ CHAPTER I. THE SEQUENCE OF RACES IN BRITAIN. In order to render the following pages more interesting to the general reader, it may be well briefly to summarise our present knowledge concerning the succession of races in Great Britain. Such knowledge is based upon an examina- tion of human relics of various ages, and upon social and ethnological data derived from a study of the peoples who still represent phases of culture corresponding to those of the various ancient races of this country. For the modern savage, as the late General Pitt-Rivers was wont to remark, presents us, if not with a photograph, at least with a portrait, of primeval man. The most serviceable method of tracing the development of races is afforded by studying the nature of the tools and weapons of each stage. In general, races are believed to have passed normally from the employment of wooden weapons to those made of stone, ^* thence to the use of metals, first of bronze, afterwards of iron. If, like ]\Ir. H. G. Wells, we may indulge in reasonable 'Anticipations,' we may foresee a time when aluminium will partially supersede iron. In some countries, moreover, such as Egypt, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and Ireland,' it has now become clear that there was a transition period between the Stone and the Bronze Ages, when implements and tools were made from copper unalloyed with tin. Nilsson and Tliomsen laid * See Appendix : List of .References to Authorities Consulted. I 2 NEOLITHIC MAN IN NORTH-EAST SURREY. down the aphorism that the Stone Age is that of savagery ; the Bronze that of barbarism ; and the Iron that of civihsa- tion. Interpreting this hberally, one may accept the statements as helpful, but so far as Britain is concerned, the later Stone and the Bronze Ages by no means display lack of culture and intelligence. The word ' Age ' has just been used, both because it is convenient and because it is deeply rooted in the nomen- clature of archaeology. But it must never be overlooked that the various ' ages ' merged into one another, that there was a consequent overlapping, and that, at a given moment, races have existed, and still exist, in practically every stage of development. The epochs of stone and metal are not found to be contemporaneous all the world over, yet they commonly follow in fixed order. ^ To borrow a word which Huxley applied to the geological strata, to describe the unchanging succession of members, in spite of local absences here and there, we may say that the ages, or rather stages, of wood, stone, and metal are homotaxial.