A Late Mesolithic Settlement Site at Selmeston, Sussex

Abstract

Flint implements were first discovered in the working of the sand-pit immediately to the east of Selmeston church almost mid-way between Lewes and Polegate, Sussex, by Mr. W. J. Parsons, who at that time was resident in the neighbouring village of Alciston. The news soon reached the ears of Dr. E. Curwen, F.S.A., who arranged to secure the flints as they were recovered. Towards this he enlisted the aid of Mr. H. A. Davies of Selmeston, who has not only maintained a vigilant watch over the pit, but has also been of great assistance in various ways during further investigations on the site. The present author noticed the few specimens then in Dr. Curwen's collection in his Mesolithic Age in Britain, pp. 83 and 84. When on first visiting the site with Dr. Curwen the section of what appeared to be a pit-dwelling was discovered, it became clear that excavation would greatly enhance our knowledge of the site. Accordingly, with the generous permission of Dr. Curwen and the kind assistance of Mr. Parsons, the pit (pit 1) of which we had seen the first indications, and the remains of another (pit 2), were excavated early in the month of June 1933. Subsequently, another pit-dwelling (pit 3) becoming apparent during the normal course of working back the section of the sand-pit, the author undertook further excavations in the autumn, when he was assisted by Mr. Davies. We should like to acknowledge the kindness of Messrs. Osborn & Bennet of Eastbourne for allowing us to excavate in the sand-pit. Finally the report is made more valuable by identifications by Messrs. Christopher Hawkes, F.S.A., and J. C. Maby, B.Sc.