by P.J. Tester
On 29th June 1935, Alvan Theophilus Marston, a Clapham dentist and dedicated amateur prehistorian, discovered the first fragment of a human skull which has given the name of Swanscombe an international reputation. In his own account of the event, Marston has related how he had been working periodically during the winter of 1934-5 excavating in the gravel of the famous Barnfield pit where, ever since the last century, vast quantities of Clactonian and Acheulian flint implements have been collected by various investigators. The pit was still being worked commercially for sand and gravel in 1935, but the workmen had ceased their labour on that Saturday afternoon, leaving Marston to pursue his researches alone. Looking around the newly exposed faces of the pit, he noticed what he at first thought was a ball of brown clay, but which to his astonishment turned out on closer inspection to be the back part of a human skull. The pit engineer, who was still on the site, was called as a witness of the undisturbed position of the bone, and careful measurements were taken to record the exact find-spot.
Information of the discovery was at once communicated to the Geological Museum and Sir John Flett and Henry Dewey inspected the site on 1st July following. For nine months Marston patiently followed the search of gravel which produced the skull fragment, and he was rewarded on 16th March 1936 by finding another piece which actually fitted on to the first. Yet a third piece of the same skull was found in excavations conducted in 1955 by Mr. B.O. Wymer of Kew, assisted by his son John (who has since gained an international reputation in the field of prehistoric archaeology) and a friend, Mr. A. Gibson.
Undoubtedly, these skull fragments are the earliest remains of man so far discovered in Britain and are among the oldest in Europe. They have stood up to all the scientific tests to which they have been subjected and their authenticity is not in question. A remarkable feature is that they closely resemble the equivalent bones of modern man except that they are thicker. Unfortunately, the frontal bones are missing so that the facial features are unknown. It is estimated that the age of the skull is probably a quarter of a million years and it belonged to a young woman; so feminists may be justified in objecting to the term Swanscombe Man!
From left to right: Mr Magnus Magnusson Mr. William Wilkinson (National Chairman of the Nature Conservancy), and Dr Christopher Stringer (British Museum, (Natural History)) examine Swanscombe skull fragments. PhotogRph: D.D.A.G.
Just exactly fifty years after the first discovery, on 29th June 1985, a celebration of the event was held in the remains of the Barnfield pit, now a Nature Reserve. The Leisure Services Department of Dartford Borough Council joined with the Nature Conservancy Council to organise the celebration at a cost of £5,000. A commemorative plaque to mark the precise spot where the first find was made was unveiled by the TV personality, Mr. Magnus Magnusson. Exhibitions were on display in two large tents and a group of experts gave a demonstration of the ancient art of flint-knapping. The skull itself was on view, lent under close guard by the British Museum (Natural History), and a neat section has been cut to expose the sandy context in which the skull had been found. During the three days of the event it received not less than five thousand visitors.
Great credit is due to all who were responsible for this celebration of what must be regarded as one of the most important discoveries in British archaeology. The odds against finding three widely separated pieces of the same skull in the area of a gravel pit are a million to one. Clearly an element of good luck which attends so many scientific discoveries played a large part in the finding of the Swanscombe skull, a fact that in no way detracts from the credit due to Marston and later researchers whose persistent efforts were so amply rewarded.
