Bone Hole
Also known as Mr Long's Cave
Excavation
W. Long & W.B. Dawkins, 19th century; Mendip Caving Group, 1967.
Curation
Wells and Mendip Museum (human and animal bone, pottery), Bristol City Museum (human and animal bone), Natural History Museum (human bone), Oxford University Museum of Natural History (animal bone).
Burials
MNI: 18+ (13+ adult, 5 juvenile).
Finds
Romano-British pottery; early Beaker pottery, animal bones.
Dates
| Period | Reliability |
|---|---|
| Early Medieval | 14C date obtained directly on human remains |
| Roman | 14C date obtained directly on human remains |
| Early Bronze Age | 14C date obtained directly on human remains |
14C
3489 bp (BRAMS-1262) 1884 bp (BRAMS-1259), 1304 bp (BRAMS-1260), 1282 bp (BRAMS-1261).
External References
| Mendip Cave Registry and Archive | 727 |
| National Monuments Record | ST 45 SE 9 |
| Sites and Monument Record | S 10389 |
Bibliography
Adams, S.B. (1924) Field work. Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society 2 (2): 176-177.
Balch, H.E. (1947) Mendip - Cheddar, its Gorge and Caves. Wright, Bristol.
Cox, A.B. (1976) An interim report of the excavation work carried out at the Bone Hole, Cheddar Gorge. Mendip Caving Group Journal 6: 17-30.
Irwin, D.J. and Jarrett, A. (1993) Mendip Underground. A Caver’s Guide. 3rd Edition. Mendip Publishing, Castle Cary.
Long, W. (1838) Description of a cave at Cheddar, in which human as well as animal bones have been lately found. Reports of the British Association, Transactions of Sections 8: 85-86.
Mullan, G.J. Boyle, G. Hutchinson, D. & Rossington, R.J. (2017) Bone Hole, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset: Archaeological and Palaeontological Collections. Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society 27 (2) 161-183.
Tratman, E.K. (1975) The cave archaeology and palaeontology of Mendip. In Smith, D.I. & Drew, D.P. (eds) Limestones and Caves of the Mendip Hills. David and Charles, Newton Abbott,pp. 352-403.
Article Author Graham Mullan