Flint Artefacts from Paddlesworth near Folkestone

RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES FLINT ARTIFACTS FROM PADDLESWORTH, NEAR FOLXESTONE Thirty-seven flakes and five cores were found by the writer when examining soil tipped by a mechanical excavator at a site near Paddlesworth, 4 miles north-west of Folkestone. The site belongs to the Folkestone and District Water Company; it is an open field (N.G.R. TR 199395) at 612 ft. A.O.D. on the highest part of a downland plateau. The excavation work was for a new reservoir, and permission to search for archmological evidence was kindly given by the manager of the company, Mr. P.A. D. Powell. The soil had been excavated by a grader to form a pit 50 yds. square and 7 ft. deep and had been dumped on the western side of the excavation. The topsoil was a brown loam, the upper subsoil was orange Lenham sand and the lower subsoil was clay-with-flints, with some chalk. Flint nodules and pieces of ironstone were also present. The artifacts were found in the heaped up topsoil. They were mostly of local flint patinated grey, with portions of buff cortex. Common characteristics of the flakes were (a) bulb at opposite end of butt, (b) bulb side plain, and (c) shallow flaking on reverse side. Retouching was present on a few specimens. The collection consisted of three steep core scrapers, one small chopper, one split core, one rejuvenation flake, fifteen scrapers, thirteen small flakes ranging from 1-3 cm. in length, two blades, four small broken blades, two augers. No potsherds or signs of occupations were found, but the characteristics of most specimens seem to indicate a Mesolithic date-an opinion supported by Mr. D. B. Kelly and Mr. A. G. Woodcock. The site may 207 RESEARCHES AND DISCOVERIES have been a summer camping-ground on a high position overlooking the surrounding plateau. A. H. GrnsoN 208