66
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
fifty-four flint flakes, fifteen flint scrapers and sixteen quartzite
hammerstones."2
At this meeting (which was attended by all five members
of the "Chip Chap Club"), Mr. Worthington Smith spoke in
appreciative terms of the work of the collectors, whom he des-
cribed as "not mere collectors, but very hard workers, and keen
and original observers." He referred to some replaced flakes
from Crayford, then exhibited, as a "wonderful object," and
added that, so far as he knew, no one else, with the exception
of Mr. Spurrell and himself, had heretofore been able to replace
Palaeolithic flakes.3
William Smith's paper was never published. An editorial
note in our Proceedings states that it "is withheld for the present,"
but it is possible that it may not have been quite in a form fitted
for publication in a scientific journal.
With the end of March, 1885, the minutes of the "Chip
Chap Club" cease abruptly. Amos Herring died shortly after
this date, and William H. Smith forsook natural history and
archaeology, and turned his attention to politics ; the result of
the latter's defection (Smith having been the leading spirit
of the little group) was the speedy break-up of the club. It
is, however, established that two of its members carried on their
researches for some years longer, for the collection which has
now been acquired for the Essex Museum at Stratford includes
implements which are recorded as having been found as late
as the year 1894.
Nearly 36 years after the dissolution of the "Chip Chap
Club" an elderly man, who gave his name as W. H. Smith and an
address at Plaistow, sold to the Museum (in February, 1921) two
or three Palaeoliths, one of which bears the initials of Worthington
G. Smith ; it has since been satisfactorily proved that this
individual, who is still alive (in 1924) is the one-time secretary
of the "Chip Chap Club" who kept the minute book which has
been quoted from. Of the other members, we have seen that
Amos Herring deceased in 1885, his son-in-law, Thornhill,
died as recently as 1922, while the two Swains have been lost sight
of for many years past.
The bulk of Smith's collection of prehistoric relics (amounting
2 Journ. Proc. Essex Field Club, IV., 1892, p. cxxvi.
3 These conjoined flakes are now in the Essex Museum, Stratford.— Ed.