BANWELL
BONE CAVE
RESEARCHES
IN THE EASTERN BRANCH
by J W Hunt
Occasional
Paper No. 2
December 1997
FOREWORD
In 1990 I collated information concerning the
Axbridge Caving Group and Archaeological Societys excavations of bone deposits
in the Banwell Bone Cave Main Chamber and the Eastern Branch. The excavations
in the Eastern Branch were by far the most important and deserved of my fuller
attention, resulting in the completion of this publication. The main basis has
been my personal notes, with careful re-examination and re-evaluation of many
other reports, and records in the ACG&ASs Journals.
Some of the observations would require a review of
previous concepts regarding accumulation of the deposits and to what extent and
for how long the present entrance archway might have afforded access to the
cave before it became filled in with drifted material. The principal finds have
been listed, numbered and depicted as far as is possible, to one twelfth scale
in the accompanying plans and sections.
I made a plan of Layer 1 Area I (which formed the
basis of the plate illustrating Layer 1 herein) and various measurements that
gave the two projections (A,B) of Area I. The excavation of Layer 1 being
completed, some time elapsed before Layer 2 was commenced and during that
period there was the opportunity to make a survey of the whole of the Eastern
Branch. This was published in the ACG&AS Journal Volume 1, No 2, page 29,
but not with the direct exactitude of present day photocopiers. (Scale 1/96th).
The original measurements and angles of incline (commenced to be taken on 21st
May 1952) must have been spoiled by the drip and muddy conditions and have not
survived. However a fair transcript of most of them was made, from which the
larger scale plan and section have been created. The survey was on the
principal of a central spine with essential measurements radiating off at 90°
at set stations along it.
The projection on the plan to the right of Garlicks
Extension is recalled as being where the bank of bone deposits, with a large
stone, rose to the roof here at the time.
It must be borne in mind that the section was
essentially down through the middle of this branch of the cave only and not
intended to depict everything against the sides.
J W Hunt
1995
OTHER
LITERARY SOURCES
George
Bennett early 19th century local historian
Private
Histories (c 1825 and later)
J
Rutter Delineations
of North West Division of the County of Somerset (1829)
Boyd
Dawkins Cave Hunting (1874)
University
of Bristol Speleological Society Proceedings
Journal
of the Axbridge Caving Group and Archaeological Society
Bristol
Observer (Newspaper) 8th August 1952
Search
- Journal of the Banwell Society of Archaeology
Newsletter
ACG&AS January 1969 pages 3 to 5.
THE EASTERN BRANCH OF THE BANWELL BONE CAVE
Stalactitic growth scaling at least one fragment of
bone to the roof demonstrates that this branch of the Bone Cave was formerly
filled with bone bearing deposits. The early 19th century explorers
dug their way down along the northern rock wall, leaving a bank of deposits on
the right hand or southerly side.
The existing floor of the Bone Cave at the
commencement of this Branch is much disturbed from erection; in the last
century, of a protective semi-circle of boulders and insertion of a flight of
stone steps down the left hand side.
A record of an earlier visit (February 1825) by
George Bennett
includes allusion to voice communication between the Bone Chamber and the
underlying Stalactite Cave (despite the then deeper deposits in the Bone Cave).
Experience suggests that this most probably occurred along the North wall of
the Eastern Branch and may have induced the early explorers to excavate along
this side, where an air communication between the two caves certainly exists.
The fullest description of this Branch of the cave
is that given by John Rutter in his Delineations of NW Somersetshire, etc.
published in 1829.
He writes -
. Visitors descend by a flight of rough, uneven
steps, with low headway. On the right hand, through nearly the whole descent,
is a bank of stones, sand, and loam, left undisturbed, intermingled with bones
lying in their original position.
The upper part of this bank contains a much larger
portion of bones; some of those on the upper surface, appearing as if they had
been bleached or whitened by the flow of water, which probably carried away the
upper portion of the clay and sand. The bones project from the sides of this
bank, and at the lower extremity, they are left confusedly mixed together, as
they were discovered; the different kinds appear to lie promiscuously; and on
the left, in descending, besides those already mentioned, bones of mice were
observed. Mr Beard also exhibits a substance which he considers to be album
graecum (Fossilised hyena dung). George Bennett makes special note that the
deposits he described (which would be the uppermost and last to enter the cave)
were in a bed of sand and fragments of limestone. He noted that the sand was
exactly like that in the neighbouring Bristol Channel i.e. Pure sea sand, and
that amongst it was found some sea pebbles. He describes one specimen he has as
being a true water worn pebble.
Rutter refers to the deposits including a small
portion of sand and his reference to sand in the Eastern Branch may but
concern what remained of the uppermost deposits these. The present writer
searched crevices high up towards the pitfall entrance and found remnants of
deposits as described by Bennett retrieving part of a lower jaw (probable
Arctic Fox, now in Axbridge Museum), but the sand was of a reddish appearance.
Quantities of such sand exists in the floor of the Western Branch and some was
noticed on the 2nd chamber of the Galleries floor, though it was not
certain if this was an ancient deposit in the cave system rather than material
swept in later. That in the Galleries appeared to be water borne.
Boyd Dawkins (Cave Hunting, 1874) describes the East
Branch as the lower of two large chambers, bones in the upper one being
embedded in red silt.
The early explorers excavated to the far end of the
Eastern Branch and dug down. Although this has been taken out of context the
following may be stated. The ACG&AS started excavating here on Wednesday 9th
September 1953. On 16th September 1953 they came to boulders and a
vertical rounded natural shaft in solid rock. Fresh air was coming up from the
Stalactite Cave. Some old pit props were found. No one could have got down. On
the 30th September 1953 work was done, but the excavation became
filled in.
To continue the possible linking up of the caves a
shaft was dug by the base of the steps. This was excavated through the
underlying boulder floor of the Eastern Branch and it was about 30 feet deep.
It would seem that the excavated material was brought up to the outside of the
caves. It became known as Beards Shaft. It must have been excavated later
than Rutters account. There is no evidence that the shaft broke into any other
passage. Mr P F Baker and John Garlick dug in the base of the shaft in 1950.
On Wednesday 27th May 1953 the ACG&AS
started digging in the Area I bone stack - but a boulder was found loose in Beards
Shaft. It was knocked free and many large bones were found in the earth.
The ACG&AS members noted how the Beards Shaft
was continuing to crumble, and on the 10th June 1953 further work
and shoring was done. The air coming up from the Stalactite Cave was very
strong. On the 8th July a large hole was made towards the main
chamber and on 22nd July commenced digging in the New Shaft and
filling in of Beards Shaft. By Monday 3rd August Beards Shaft
was filled in. The new shaft followed the rock wall on the North side and on 5th
August the original boulder floor was located.
The bone deposits were 40% of bones, much friable
loam with many frog and toad bones and unusual stones. Few large bones, which
were of Bison, Reindeer, Wolf and Fox and no rolled ones. Large bones tended to
be cracked due to great pressure. The bone deposits seemed to be of drifted
material about 10° or less, from the main chamber. A few teeth of Voles were
found, identified by Dr M A C Hinton as Microties Malei or Nivalis (Snow Vole)
type.
The boulder floor was encrusted with stalagmites and
a number of the boulders were forced over at an angle. The early earth between
them was very metaliferous with white rocky ochre and iron ore with slabs of
stalagmited and calcited stones. Work continued on Wednesday evenings and on 19th
August 1953 voices of the diggers and movements were heard in the Pilgrims
Pause area of Bakers Extension against the black rock there.
B Ellis reported finding solid rock beneath the bone
deposits. Further excavation revealed traces of a descending chimney. It
narrows and probably closes back towards Beards Shaft. On the 26th
August the shaft was sunk 4 feet, then the side collapsed.
P F Baker on the 2nd September 1953
rescued a complete lower jaw of a large rodent. This was considered to be of
English Varying Hare. The earth was cleared away and much stalactite and
stalagmites were found. On 7th and 28th October much
debris was cleared. A skull cap, apparently of Hare, was found in the side of
the shaft in the lowest bone layers. Boulders were becoming less compact. On
Wednesday evening there was breaking up of boulders in the floor and on 2nd
December 1953 the diggers were turning in under the Bone Cave floor, and an
archway was opening up - with air pouring up. It blew strongly for a minute,
then actually draws back in. It seems to be an entrance in the roof of a large
cave between the Bone Cave and the Stalactite Cave.
An engine set up by L J Emmerson pumped water from
The Caves into the hole. It was all
over in five minutes in the Stalactite Cave, and came straight through. This
was on 20th February 1954, and some excavation continued in the
shaft on 24th February 1954.
Banwell Bone
Cave - Section
Plan of the
Eastern Branch of Banwell Bone Cave
E-W Section of
the Eastern Branch of Banwell Bone Cave
Two
Projections of Area I