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A Gazetteer of Non-Human
Vertebrate Remains from Caves in the Yorkshire Dales Referenced in Caving Club
Journals and Allied Literature
When referencing this article, please use the following convention: Murphy, P.J. 2002. A gazetteer of non-human vertebrate remains from caves in the Yorkshire Dales referenced in caving club journals and allied literature. Revised version 2004. Capra 4 available at - http://capra.group.shef.ac.uk/4/bonecavemurphy.html Introduction This gazetteer contains a summary of information about caves in the Yorkshire Dales from which vertebrate remains have been recorded in the caving literature. The area covered is that of the three current volumes of the Northern Caves guide book series (Brook et al 1988, Brook et al 1991 & Brook et al 1994) excluding Morecambe Bay, North York Moors and Magnesian Limestone Caves. Hominid bearing caves are listed in Chamberlain and Williams 2001. Hominid sites are usually recorded in the archaeological and scientific literature so are generally not included in this list. Some overlap is unavoidable with sites such as North End Pot where finds were recorded both in the caving and archaeological literature. Caving clubs have a long history of recording their exploits in club journals. These can have irregular publication dates and small print runs but all the references in this list should be available from the British Cave Research Association (B.C.R.A.) library in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire (librarian@bcra.org.uk). References are also taken from Descent magazine (ISSN 0046-0036 Wild Places Publishing, 51 Miles Square, Cardiff CF24 3SH), B.C.R.A. publications and the Cave Diving Group Newsletter (ISSN 1353-713X). Three sites (Green Rigg Pot, Marble Steps Pot and Election Hole) are referenced from the Northern Cave guides but in two of these occurrences (Green Rigg Pot and Marble Steps Pot) further work on identifying the remains has taken place. All text in quotation marks are direct quotes from the original references. The species present at each site are given in the form used in the original references.
Brook, D., Davies, G. M., Long, M. H., & Ryder, P. F. 1988. Northern Caves Volume 1 Wharfedale and the North-East. Dalesman.
Brook, A., Brook, D., Griffiths, J., & Long, M. H. 1991. Northern Caves Volume 2 the Three Peaks. Dalesman.
Brook, D., Griffiths, J., Long, M. H., & Ryder, P. F. 1994. Northern caves Volume 3 the Three Counties and the North-West. Dalesman.
Chamberlain, A. T., & Williams, J. P. 2001. A Gazetteer of English Caves, Fissures and Rock Shelters Containing Human Remains. Revised Version June 2001. Capra 1 available at- http://capra.group.shef.ac.uk/1/caves.html
The compilation of this gazetteer would not have been possible without the help of Mr R. Paulson, the B.C.R.A. librarian. Thanks are due to the following people who provided additional information: D. Brook, J.N.Cordingley, T. Lord, P.Monico, G. Proudlove, M. Taylor. List of caves referenced in the caving
club literature Badger Cave Bown Scar Cave Deaths Head Hole Election Hole Fox Holes Gaping Gill Gaping Gill (Wild Cat Rift) Green Rigg Pot Ingleborough Cave Keld Head Lancaster Hole Low Eglins Hole Marble Steps Pot Mill Beck Sink Cave North End Pot Rawthey Cave Red Moss Pot Scar Gill Cave Sleets Gill Cave Summit Cave Valentines Hole Wee Pot West Kingsdale Master Cave Wizards Chasm Wretched Rabbit Entrance (Ease Gill) Return to top of page NGR: SD846700 BONES: Red Deer Antlers and skull POSITION IN CAVE: below first pitch IDENTIFICATION: T.Lord LOCATION OF FINDS: unknown NOTES: Ottway (1974a) refers to finding “parts of an antler of Red Deer and a vertebra and some bits and pieces of limb” in an unnamed cave on Fountains Fell. This is believed to be Antler Hole. REFERENCE: Holden, W. 1959. Antler Hole. Northern Pennine Club Journal 2(2): 11-14. Ottway, C. 1974a. Dem Bones. University of Leeds Speleological Association Review 12: 49-50
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NGR: SD90326431 BONES: Badger & Cow POSITION IN CAVE: lying on cave floor with many other small animal bones IDENTIFICATION: T.Lord LOCATION OF FINDS: T. Lord/J.Thorp REFERENCE: Thorp, J. 1999. Badger Cave. Caves & Caving 83: 6
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NGR: SD918721 BONES: Dog skull (“probably a terrier”) POSITION IN CAVE: unknown IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: unknown REFERENCE: Ottway, C. 1974a. Dem Bones. University of Leeds Speleological Association Review 12: 49-50
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NGR: SD668791 BONES: “humerus and radius of small ox and cat” POSITION IN CAVE: Main Chamber IDENTIFICATION: A.J. Sutcliffe, British Museum. LOCATION OF FINDS: unknown NOTES: “no more than a few hundred years old” REFERENCE: Sutcliffe, J. R. 1975. Digs, discoveries and disappointments. Gritstone Club Journal New Series 5: 58-59
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NGR: SD855701 BONES: Antlers POSITION IN CAVE: In passages to the right of the entrance rift IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: unknown REFERENCE: Brook, A., Brook, D., Griffiths, J., & Long, M. H . 1991. Northern Caves Volume 2 the Three Peaks and Malham. Dalesman.
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NGR: SD756774 BONES: Badger, Wolf, Wild Boar, Fox, Frog, Rabbit POSITION IN CAVE: various IDENTIFICATION: Derek Yalden, Department of Biology, Manchester University. LOCATION OF FINDS: Ingleborough Cave; badger skull Graham Proudlove; J. N. Cordingley NOTES: “archaeological finds have been made” (Cordingley 1993); “..numerous bones, some of which are of extinct animals, that have been discovered by NPC members working at the site” (Monico 1994); “A large number of bones were found in Fox holes near Clapham identified as rabbits and lambs” (Ottway 1974b) REFERENCE: Cordingley, J. N. 1993. Fox Holes extended. Descent 114: 8 Cordingley, J.N. In Prep. Fifteen years of digging at Foxholes. Journal of the North Pennine Club Monico, P. 1994. Fox Holes access. Descent 118: 14 Ottway, C. 1974b. Mo’ Dem Bones. University of Leeds Speleological Association Review 13: 28-29
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NGR: SD751727 BONES: Red Deer and Black Grouse POSITION IN CAVE: Main Chamber IDENTIFICATION: T.Lord LOCATION OF FINDS: T.Lord, (human remains at the University of Sheffield) NOTES: with a human fibula midshaft and possible human rib fragment. Radiocarbon date of 4016+-51 BP (Wk-12429) on deer bone. A copy of the data sheet provided by the dating laboratory is reproduced in Craven Pothole Club Record No.73 (2004) p16 REFERENCE: Cordingley, J. N. 1999. Craven Pothole Club Record 56: 17 Cordingley, J. 2000. Bones lead to resurvey in Gaping Gill. Descent 156: 10. Cordingley, J. N. 2001. Progress with the GG main chamber survey. Craven Pothole Club Record 62: 36. Murphy, P. J. 2003. The bones of Gaping Gill. Descent 174: 12 Cordingley, J. N. 2003. The age of the Gaping Gill bones. Craven Pothole Club Record 71: 73
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CAVE: Gaping Gill (Wild Cat Rift) NGR: SD751727 BONES: Skeleton of Cat POSITION IN CAVE: Wild Cat Rift IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: ?In Situ REFERENCE: Drury, A. 1975. Wild Cat Rift – Gaping Gill. Northern Cave Club Journal “The Caver” 3: 24-25
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NGR: SD736989 BONES: Roe Deer POSITION IN CAVE: short length of streamway at the far end of the cave. IDENTIFICATION: Derek Yalden, Department of Biology, Manchester University LOCATION OF FINDS: jaw bone – P. Monico NOTES: No mention of bones is made in the account of the original exploration (Smith B 1967. Green Rigg Pot. Northern Pennine Club Journal Vol.3 No.1 p16). The roe deer bones recovered in 1993 were taken from two intact skeletons except the hind legs of one had been washed away by the stream. Six different types of skull were noted in the cone of animal skeletons at the base of the entrance shaft, possibly including horse. The cave is blocked at present and would require a major effort to reopen it. REFERENCE: Brook, D., Griffiths, J., Long, M. H., & Ryder, P. F. 1994. Northern Caves Volume Three the three counties system and the North-West. Dalesman. p.215. – refers to a “cone of animal skeletons” at the base of the entrance shaft
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NGR: SD754710 BONES: Woolly Rhinoceros lower premolar (Coelodonta antiquitatis) POSITION IN CAVE: Long Gallery, beyond the show cave limit IDENTIFICATION: Alyson Armstrong, Cliffe Castle Museum, Keighley. LOCATION OF FINDS: Alyson Brook, Bradford Pothole Club. NOTES: In typical Dales cave interior deposits. Probably an isolated find that has travelled some distance through the cave. Probable date between 180ky and 22ky BP, based on other dated finds in Britain. REFERENCE: Speight, A. 2002. Digging here, there and everywhere! Descent 164: 9
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NGR: SD696766 BONES: Horse tooth. Permanent upper second premolar, left side. POSITION IN CAVE: By entrance pool IDENTIFICATION: A. Chamberlain, University of Sheffield LOCATION OF FINDS: P. Murphy, University of Leeds. NOTES: Presumed to have been recovered from in the cave by an unknown diver. REFERENCE: Cordingley, J. N. 1999. Have you lost a tooth? Cave Diving Group Newswletter 133: 2
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NGR: SD664807 BONES: “isolated phalange” POSITION IN CAVE: Brew Chamber IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: lost on way out of cave REFERENCE: Ottway, C. 1974b. Mo’ Dem Bones. University of Leeds Speleological Association Review 13: 28-29
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NGR: SE094734 BONES: Antler POSITION IN CAVE: Hydra Passage IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: unknown NOTES: removed from cave REFERENCE: Davies, M. 1968. Low Eglins Hole. Yorkshire Underground Research Team Report 1: 13-20
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CAVE: Marble Steps Pot NGR: SD680771 BONES: unknown POSITION IN CAVE: on the floor of a chamber reached via a traverse and a 6m bolt route from the Upper Main Chamber. IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: unknown NOTES: A proximal domestic cattle tibia from an unknown location in the cave was identified by T.Lord. The bone showed cut marks. REFERENCE: Brook, D., Griffiths, J., Long, M. H., & Ryder, P. F. 1994. Northern Caves Volume Three the three counties system and the North-West. Dalesman. p.80
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NGR: SD701869 BONES: Horse Tooth POSITION IN CAVE: towards downstream end IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: P. Monico NOTES: “lying on a cobble bank”; “partly mineralised” REFERENCE: Monico, P. 1993. Mill Beck Sink Cave. Descent 115: 10
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NGR: SD683765 BONES: Horse, Cow, Red Deer, Goat, Pig (Wilcocks 1974).
POSITION IN CAVE: Base of entrance shaft IDENTIFICATION: Prof. W.T.W. Potts. Dept. of Biological Sciences, Lancaster University (for bones from Wilcocks 1974); T.Lord (for bones from Morgan 1990) LOCATION OF FINDS: for bones from Wilcocks 1974: unknown; for bones from Morgan 1990: T. Lord REFERENCES: Wilcocks, J. 1974. Cave explorers and archaeological finds. British Cave Research Association Bulletin 4: 10. Morgan, P. 1990. North End Pot (Marble Steps Area). Caves and Caving 49: 26-27.
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NGR: SD718973 BONES: Red deer, roe deer, wolf, cattle, sheep, domestic pig, dog POSITION IN CAVE: On the surface of the floor of the Wolf Den IDENTIFICATION: A. Chamberlain. LOCATION OF FINDS: Left insitu NOTES: Radiocarbon dates on roe deer bones indicate a medieval date for the fauna (OxA-7449 & OxA-7451). REFERENCES: Goddard, A. 1998. Into the Wolf den. Descent 142: 20-23 Hedges R.E.M. et al. 1998. Radiocarbon dates from the Oxford AMS system: Archaeometry datelist 26. Archaeometry 40: 437-455
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NGR: SD810758 BONES: “A pile of bones (probably a cow)” POSITION IN CAVE: In the main streamway near Long Mire and Sludge inlets. IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: ?in situ NOTES: Not mentioned in the account of the original exploration of Red Moss Pot (Anon. 1972. Red Moss Pot. Burnley Caving Club ‘The review’: 25-33). REFERENCE: Anon. 1972. Discoveries and extensions. University of Leeds Speleological Association Review 10: 1-2.
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NGR: SD981711 BONES: Horse, Sheep and Rabbit POSITION IN CAVE: In sediment excavated from rock shelter floor IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: unknown REFERENCE: Ottway, C. 1974a. Dem Bones. University of Leeds Speleological Association Review 12: 49-50 Ottway, C. 1974b. Mo’ Dem Bones. University of Leeds Speleological Association Review 13: 28-29
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NGR: SD959692 BONES: Roe Deer POSITION IN CAVE: Main Gallery IDENTIFICATION: Leeds City Museum LOCATION OF FINDS: unknown NOTES: 33 bones recovered REFERENCE: Ottway, C. 1974a. Dem Bones. University of Leeds Speleological Association Review 12: 49-50
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NGR: SD779961 BONES: “Reindeer posterior cannon bone” POSITION IN CAVE: unknown IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: unknown NOTES: probably refers to a metatarsal – T. Lord REFERENCE: Ottway, C. 1974b. Mo’ Dem Bones. University of Leeds Speleological Association Review 13: 28-29
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NGR: SE090635 BONES: Dog skeleton POSITION IN CAVE: Dog Cavern IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: ?in situ REFERENCE: Davies, M. 1968. Valentine Hole. Yorkshire Underground Research Team Report 1: 3-7
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NGR: SD732723 BONES: Skull of large herbivore POSITION IN CAVE: At the opposite end of the shakehole from the cave described in Brook et al. 1991. A 2m drop followed by a 3m climb. The skull was at the bottom of the 3m climb. IDENTIFICATION: not formally identified LOCATION OF FINDS: ?in situ REFERENCE: Brook, A., Brook, D., Griffiths, J., & Long, M. H. 1991. Northern Caves Volume 2 the Three Peaks. Dalesman. Cordingley, J. N. 1998. Newby Moss Potterings. Craven Pothole Club Record 52: 18 Return to
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CAVE: West Kingsdale Master Cave NGR: SD698774 BONES: Reindeer, bovid, horse POSITION IN CAVE: River Junction IDENTIFICATION: ?E K Tratman/Bob Savage (Bristol) LOCATION OF FINDS: Unknown. Not in the University of Bristol Speleological Society museum NOTES: A fragment of a left scapula from a horse or large bovid was recovered from sediments at River Junction by P. Murphy 17/12/01. Carbon dating showed the bone was less than 200 years old (Wk-10730), see Murphy et al (2003). A photograph taken by D. Brook of some of the bones recovered in 1967 shows: metatarsal of Bos primigenius or Bison; damaged femur from a large Bovid (?same as above); tibia of unknown affinity; ?sheep bone. This assemblage suggests a late Neolithic / early Bronze Age date. A horse skull was recovered from the River Junction area in November 2002 (Murphy 2003). REFERENCE: Appendix 2 The drainage and development of West Kingsdale. In: Brook D & Crabtree H (eds) 1969. University of Leeds Speleological Association Explorations Journal. 70-73 Waltham, A. C. 1974. The chronology of the caves. in A. C. Waltham (ed) Limestones and caves of north-west England. David and Charles, Newton Abbot. 440-450 Murphy, P. J., Lord, T. C., & Brook, D. B. 2002. The Kingsdale Reindeer revisited. Cave and Karst Science 29(2): 87-89. Murphy, P. J. 2003. More of the Kingsdale Horse. Speleology 2 :5
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NGR: SD84-65- (exact position not disclosed by the explorers) BONES: domestic fauna and Red Deer POSITION IN CAVE: Bone Rift IDENTIFICATION: T. Lord LOCATION OF FINDS: ? T. Lord NOTES: ?post –Roman (T. Lord) REFERENCE: Thorp, J. 1999. Once in a blue moon. Descent 147: 26-28
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CAVE: Wretched Rabbit Entrance (Ease Gill) NGR: SD676806 BONES: Fox POSITION IN CAVE: The upstream end of Wretched Rabbit Passage at the base of a 70 foot climb IDENTIFICATION: unknown LOCATION OF FINDS: Skull removed. Rest of skeleton in situ? NOTES: Originally thought to be a rabbit - hence the name of the cave. REFERENCE: Anon 1952. The caverns of Upper Ease Gill. Published by the Northern Pennine Club (p10) Eyre, J., & Ashmead, P. 1967. Lancaster Hole and the Ease Gill Caverns. Transactions of the Cave Research Group of Great Britain 9(2): 61-123 (p96)
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