THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE.....These Chronicles are created by Valerie Martin and contain scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

THE MYSTERY OF THE CISSBURY CUPS

Copyright Valerie Martin 2000

Cissbury Ring seems a magical place, familiar to Findon, even if it has strayed a little over the village's parish boundary. Hundreds of walkers flock up the slope during the summer months (and winter too) and disperse far and wide over the ramparts and hillside. 

History is a way of discovering people remote from us. I am lucky enough to be able to look up from where I live in Findon and see Cissbury and imagine what it was like in the past. Or I can actually stand on the crest of the hill itself and half close my eyes and visualise a Neolithic Cissbury of 4,000-1,850 BC.

When Neolithic chalk cups were first discovered in the excavated mines on Cissbury in the days of Queen Victoria, their purpose was puzzling and not interpreted for some time. That is until a gentleman from Findon came up with the answer.

To start at the beginning, it is probable that the Neolithic invasion of the southern part of Britain was encouraged by a speedy improvement in climate conditions and it was both warmer and damper in Findon than our weather now. The dry valley in which our village is now situated, may even have contained springs in those far off days and encouraged tribes to settle. An enterprising Neolithic well-borer would also have discovered water at a surprisingly shallow depth.

The hillside of Cissbury was a leading commercial and industrial factory site in the far off Neolithic world. Worked Cissbury flints have turned up in the North of England and as far afield as all over Europe. It is not known if the ancient mine workers resided close to their workings or maybe their settlements were built on lower and more sheltered positions in the Findon valley.

Whether the mining on the hill was carried on for centuries at a stretch, or only for spasmodic periods can only now be conjectured. Flint excavation may have continued for generations if political conditions were settled in the Findon region. On the other hand, it is quite probable that there were quite long gaps of many years between flint quarrying spates, perhaps depending on supply and demand.

The primitive tools used by the ancient miners at the industrial centre were chiefly pickaxes fashioned from local deer antlers; shovels from shoulder blades of their cattle, mallets and punches. Unsophisticated baskets were no doubt employed in the removal and transportation of chalk debris up the shafts. Crude ropes, possibly constructed from animal hide or fibre, aided their task in bringing the excavated material up to the surface.

The decade of 1867-1878 was the legendary age of investigators on Cissbury and many of the old Victorians made trial digs over the eleven years of work. They came up with remarkable discoveries, some of which I will write about.

First of all though, what was Findon like at this time? Kelly's Post Office Directory of 1867 gives an insight of the village and some of its notable residents —

Initially, the early explorers of Cissbury Ring above Findon were mystified because no real evidence of artificial illumination had ever been unearthed at the flint mines on the site. This indicated that perhaps the majority of the original mining was conducted while the sun was high in the sky. The reflection of sunlight on the white chalk was thought to have given just enough light to work by when below in the shafts. It was supposed that the miners’ eyes became accustomed to the half light of the gloaming soon after descent, which would have been sufficient for carrying out their rough hewing work underground.

Ernest Henry Willett, an outstanding figure of the day and an early pioneer of British archæological science.

He made somewhat disappointing "digs" over a few of the entrances of flint shafts located on the south-east slope of Church Hill above St. John the Baptist Church and his own residence, Findon Place.

He did not discover anything to indicate their true nature or age. He was quite unaware that the depressions in the ground into which he dug were the mouths of deep mine shafts and he barely disturbed a few feet of their infilling before entirely giving up.

Nevertheless, he carried out some highly worthwhile explorations on the Cissbury hillside during 1873-75 and excavated a shaft on the extreme south-west of the slope above Findon. From this pit he extracted forty-five rough cores, twelve hatchets, seven scrapers, five hammers, twelve wedges and twelve used flakes. It was no mean feat and goes down as a successful operation.

Cups carved out of chalk were fairly common objects discovered in the Victorian mine shaft excavations. The exact original use of these "Cissbury cups" was at first another mystery dogging the explorers and it was not sure if their purpose was for drinking or not. One theory began to emerge that they may have been rudimentary holders for lamps, but no trace at that time was discovered of oil or smoke in the underground workings. Then there was one important single exception.

Ernest Willett announced that chalk lamp holders were definitely used in the mines on Cissbury. Daylight could not have penetrated sufficiently into the deep galleries below ground. He revealed that an associate of his, Mr. Plumpton Tindall from Brighton, was working on nearby excavations of his own in 1872 and had discovered a noteworthy chalk cup. Unfortunately, Plumpton Tindall died shortly afterwards, at the end of 1874, and did not write up a report on his findings. It was left to Ernest Willett to described the age-old relic as ...

This was the conclusive and undisputed evidence awaited, that these bygone chalk cups were, in fact, put to use as lampholders (albeit occasionally) by the ancient workmen as they toiled. They would have contained animal fat and a wick. They may not have been in general use but utilised for inspection of flint stratum. It was later agreed that some form of makeshift lamp must have undoubtedly been utilised in the timeworn far-reaching galleries when there was insufficient natural daylight.

Further excavations then revealed some interesting darkened sooty deposits encrusted on the chalk walling of underground workings. Could some of these conceivably have been emitted from lamps? Or from the occasional use of fires in the galleries — fires would have given an added source of light to work by.

Ernest Willett and his discoveries proved very popular with the Findon community. Upon moving from Findon Place a collection was arranged to provide him with a token of the villagers' esteem. He was duly asked what form he would like it to take, whereupon to everyone's astonishment he replied that he would like money,

"There is nothing like money", he said.

A presentation was organised. Then the surprise came. Ernest Willett proceeded to add a great deal more to the gift from his own pocket. Before he departed from Findon he presented a school clock to the Parish. The mechanism for the handsome timepiece was contained in a glass case and positioned below the school tower in what was called at the time "the big room" so that the children of Findon could all admire it.

There are no underground entrances to the flint mines remaining to see at Cissbury today, just the collapsed remains of the filled-in shafts, leaving a pitted and fascinating appearance on the hillside. .

Continue if you would like to read about the Cissbury Caves.

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