36
"PRIMAEVAL MAN IN THE VALLEY OF
THE LEA."
By WORTHINGTON G. SMITH, F.L.S., M.A.I.
In the "Transactions of the Essex Field Club" for June, 1883
(Vol. III., p. 102), I published some notes on the Palaeolithic imple-
ments, fossil bones, and fresh-water shells of the Lea valley. In that
paper I referred to implements found by me in the north, at Waltham
and Cheshunt, in addition to the many hundreds first found by me
close to London ; but prior to this I had recorded before the Anthro-
pological Institute of London, on June 25, 1878 (published Feb.,
1879), the discovery of implements and flakes still further north,
viz., in the Lea gravel at Hertford and Ware. Much further
information was published by me in the "Journal of the Anthropo-
logical Institute" (Vol. XIII., 1884). At first, the discoveries at
Hertford and Ware were received with opposition and doubt, but
after the original discoveries were made, several other implements
were found by me in the disputed gravel. The explanation seems
to be that the higher gravels at Hertford and Ware are non-
implementiferous, whilst the lower gravels are river gravels and
implement bearing.
A short time after my 1884 paper was published, Mr. John Evans
one day surprised me by showing me a well-made Palaeolithic imple-
ment found in the Lea valley near Wheathampstead, ten miles
nearer to the source of the Lea than Hertford, and only ten miles
from the source itself. I did not feel at liberty to make use of the
information given to me by Mr. Evans, but now that I have made
further finds still nearer the source of the Lea, I am bound to
mention Mr. Evans' prior discovery.
Having lived at Dunstable in Bedfordshire for two years, I have
been within easy walking distance of the source of the Lea at
Leagrave, near Luton, but it has, unfortunately, happened that I
have been obliged to almost wholly direct attention here to non-
archaeological subjects; so much has this been the case, that I
have only three times been able to walk from the source of the Lea
to Wheathampstead, ten miles.
Beginning with Wheathampstead;—two kinds of gravel appear to
occur at this place, and although they are both about the same level
above the Ordnance datum, viz., 400 feet, and the same level above
the Lea, viz., 100 feet, yet the gravel on the north side of the river