This website created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K. 

THE WEAVERS OF CISSBURY

Copyright Valerie Martin 2000

The steep Cissbury ridge was "home" to ancient Neolithic tribes 4,000-1,850 BC. From their high vantage point the ancient people had the same splendid view as today. They could see what we know as Beachy Head in the east, and to the west the Isle of Wight — and maybe beyond to the Purbeck Hills, if they were lucky on a clear day.

Towards the end of the Neolithic period the growing of corn was not uncommon and the population of the Findon area were becoming remarkably civilised. This was to be claimed by a gentleman from Brighton by the name of Plumpton Tindall in January, 1872.

Plumpton Tindall was a pioneer explorer and excavator. After toiling up the Cissbury hillside he eventually identified a Neolithic flint mine shaft on the Cissbury slope and began the hard work of excavating. The long disused workings were on the extreme western side overlooking Findon.

At first he found the shaft to be topped up with chalk debris, with fragments of worked flints interspersed. It had been partly filled by man and weather. At a depth of some 15ft., after much sweat and toil, his excitement grew when he discovered flint implements and pieces of broken red deer antlers embedded in the chalky deposits.

After excavating for nearly another 13ft. in the pit, he unearthed a remarkable find of two perfect wild oxen skulls. In the debris a few feet lower, were many more oxen remains, together with bones of stag, otter, wild boar and roe deer. One of the antler implements was pierced for the insertion of a stone. Another interesting object carved out of chalk and shaped like a broken cup took his attention. He scratched his head and put it aside to look at later. He wondered if it could be a primitive lamp holder for using in the mines.

Four pear-shaped, cylindrical blocks of solid chalk came to light during the digging. Upon investigation they were deduced to be loom-weights. They weighed approximately 3½ lbs. a piece, and each had been drilled at the shaped end for the purpose of suspension. The holes showed signs of wear and tear as though thongs (made from perhaps a narrow strip of hide) or some kind of string had continuously rubbed against the soft chalk.

These loom-weights almost certainly played a crucial part in weaving and were designed to be attached to an upright early loom. Yarn or thread would have been woven into fabric by the crossing of vertical and horizontal threads on the loom. The loom-weights probably provided the necessary tension on the warp threads on the apparatus.

Plumpton Tindall came to the obvious conclusion that the primitive arts of spinning and weaving, as well as the beginnings of agriculture, were conducted at Cissbury by tribes during the latter phase of the Neolithic period.

Whether the specimens were produced for use in the vicinity or maybe were "made to order" and shipped out, we can now only surmise. As the loom-weights showed indications of wear, it can be safely assumed that these particular items were used close at hand.

Plumpton Tindall died some two years later and until the end he believed he had discovered some of the earliest loom-weights recorded at that time in Great Britain. If he did make a report on his findings, it was not published and little is known of his hard work. Acknowledgement of his pit was marked on later maps but little has been known of his actual work and very not much written about him – until now of course.

In fairness, I must point out that later Iron Age pits had also often been sunk on the Cissbury hillside. The loom weights could just as easily have been Iron Age intrusions in the Neolithic world, but I like to think they were of Neolithic origin, don't you?

Continue if you would like to read about the Mystery of the Cissbury Cups.

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