Ebbor Gorge Cave / Rock Shelter View all content for Ebbor Gorge

On the W side of Ebbor Gorge is a little creep leading to a shelter known as Outlook Cave. A leaf-shaped flint arrow or spear head was found at a depth of 1ft in the entrance way and is now in Wells museum. Human bones lay just on the surface of the inner cave floor - obviously dug up by animals - but with no associated finds. Further digging revealed remains of the bear and reindeer, a fragment of fingernail decorated light brown ware (the edge of a cup or bowl) and two fragments of undecorated black ware. In conclusion this would seem to be an occupied rock shelter of Neolithic and possibly earlier date. {1} Scheduled 27.9.91. {5} Some confusion over location as scheduling document gives different NGR from OSAD. English Heritage NGR given above, as OSAD reference is called Lion Cave on OS map. {6} High on the right bank of the gorge, 58m above the present valley floor and 50m below the plateau. An artificially widened entrance 1m by 1.5m high leads to a small chamber extending c.12m, with a passage to the east. {8} References: 1 Detailed records - Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division 1966 ST54NW29 SCPD 2 Mention - Balch, E 1914 "Wookey Hole: its caves and cave dwellers", 146-7 3 Mention - Balch, E. 1947 "The Great Cave of Wookey Hole", 96-7 4 Finds stored - WELLSM 5 Correspondence - EH to SCC 30.9.91 scheduling doc. 6 Personal communication - Webster, CJ SCED 7 Description - Barrington, N, and Stanton, W 1977 "Mendip - The Complete Caves.." 8 Detailed records - MPP evaluation 1986 in HER files file 9 Sketch plan - Caves of Ebbor Gorge sepS6 see ref {8} Record created by: Ed Dennison in September 1985 © Copyright Somerset County Council 2003 With thanks to the Somerset Museums Service for the link to this information.

Posted by jimit 14th November 2003ce

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