Publications
The Fossils of the South Downs; or illustrations of the geology of Sussex, by Gideon Mantell, published 1822 (xv + 327 pp. + 42 plates, London: Lupton Relfe) accessible at: & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries View Online
Notice on the Iguanodon, a Newly Discovered Fossil Reptile, from the Sandstone of Tilgate Forest, in Sussex, by Gideon Mantell, F.L.S., M.G.S., F.R.C.S., published 10 February 1825 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 115 (1825), article, pp.179-186) View Online
Notice on the Iguanodon, a Newly Discovered Fossil Reptile, from the Sandstone of Tilgate Forest, in Sussex, by Gideon Mantell, F.L.S., M.G.S., F.R.C.S., published 10 February 1825 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 2 (1815-1830), article, pp.234-235) View Online
Illustrations of the Geology of Sussex: containing a general view of the geological relations of the south-eastern part of England; with figures and descriptions of the fossils of Tilgate Forest., by Gideon Mantell, published 1827 (xii + 92 pp., London: Lupton Relfe) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
A tabular arrangement of the organic remains of the County of Sussex, by Gideon Mantell, published 1829 in Transactions of the Geological Society of London (vol. S2-3, issue 1, article, pp.201-216) View Online
Remarks on the Coffin-bone (distal phalangel) of a Horse from the Shingle Bed of the Newer Pliocene Strata of the Cliffs of Brighton', by G.A. Mantell, published 1834 in Proceedings of the Geological Society of London (vol. 37, no. 2, article)
On the bones of birds discovered in the strata of Tilgate Forest, in Sussex., by Gideon Mantell, published 1837 in Transactions of the Geological Society of London (vol. S2-5, issue 1, article, pp.175-177) View Online
Abstract:The remains of birds are so seldom found in a fossil state, that a notice of unquestionable relics of this class of animals, however imperfect, cannot fail to be interesting to the geologist and comparative anatomist. Mr. Lyell has well remarked in his Principles of Geology, that it might readily have been anticipated, that the fossil bones of birds would be of rare occurrence, since the power of flight possessed by these animals, preserves them from many casualties by which quadrupeds are destroyed and imbedded; and that even when birds are drowned, or chance to die on the water, the tubular structure of their bones, and their feathery coverings, would generally occasion them to float on the surface, until their carcases were devoured. We find, accordingly, but very few authenticated examples of fossil birds, certainly none (with the exception of those which it is my present purpose to describe) that can be referred to strata of an earlier period than the gypsum beds of the Paris basin. It is true that the thin fragile bones which occur in the slate of Stonesfield were formerly assigned to birds ?, but all these are now known to belong to Pterodactyles.
Soon after my attention was first directed to the fossils of the Wealden of the south-east of England, I discovered in the strata of Tilgate Forest, several bones of such extreme tenuity as could have been required only by animals intended for flight, and some of these, from their close resemblance.
Soon after my attention was first directed to the fossils of the Wealden of the south-east of England, I discovered in the strata of Tilgate Forest, several bones of such extreme tenuity as could have been required only by animals intended for flight, and some of these, from their close resemblance.
Memoir on a Portion of the Lower Jaw of the Iguanodon, and on the Remains of the Hyloeosaurus and Other Saurians, Discovered in the Strata of Tilgate Forest, in Sussex, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., published 18 February 1841 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 131 (1841), article, pp.131-151) View Online
Memoir on a Portion of the Lower Jaw of an Iguanodon, and other Saurian Remains Discovered in the Strata of Tilgate Forest, in Sussex, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., published 24 February 1841 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 4 (1837-1843), article, p.290) View Online
On the Fossil Remains of Turtles Discovered in the Chalk Formation of the South-East of England, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.G.S., published 11 May 1841 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 131 (1841), article, pp.153-158) View Online
On the Fossil Remains of Turtles Discovered in the Chalk Formation of the South-East of England, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., published 20 May 1841 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 4 (1837-1843), article, pp.305-306) View Online
On the Pelorosaurus: an undescribed gigantic terrestrial reptile, whose remains are sssociated with those of the Iguanodon and other Saurians, in the strata of Tilgate Forest, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, published 1844 in Abstracts of the Papers Communicated to the Royal Society of London (vol. 5, article)
On Markings in the Hastings Sand Beds near Hastings, supposed to be the Footprints of Birds, by Edward Tagart, published January 1846 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 2, issue 1-2, article, p.267) View Online
Abstract:This communication was in the form of a letter addressed to the President, and accompanied a specimen of one of the bodies described. The markings in question appear to have been observed by several persons at Hastings; but they have not been found consecutive, or having any distinct relation to one another. They are of large size, the one presented to the Society measuring sixteen inches in length; but there does not appear, either from this specimen or from the account communicated by the author, any decisive evidence as to their origin.
On the Structure of the Jaws and Teeth of the Iguanodon, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., V.P.G.S., published 25 May 1848 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 138 (1848), article, pp.183-202) View Online
Additional Observations on the Osteology of the Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., V.P.G.S., published 15 January 1849 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 139 (1849), article, pp.271-305) View Online
Additional Observations on the Osteology of the Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., V.P.G.S., published 8 March 1849 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 5 (1843-1850), article, pp.804-806) View Online
On the Pelorosaurus; An Undescribed Gigantic Terrestrial Reptile Whose Remains are Associated with Those of the Iguanodon and Other Saurians in the Strata of Tilgate Forest, in Sussex, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., F.L.S., V.P.G.S., published 22 November 1849 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 140 (1850), article, pp.379-390) View Online
The Geology and Fossils of the Tertiary and Cretaceous Formations of Sussex, by Frederick Dixon, F.G.S., published 1850 (London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longman) accessible at: & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries View Online
Supplementary Observations on the Structure of the Belemnite and Belemnoteuthis, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., published 4 February 1850 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 5 (1843-1850), article, pp.920-921) View Online
On the Pelorosaurus; an Undescribed Gigantic Terrestrial Reptile, Whose Remains are Associated with Those of the Iguanodon and other Saurians, in the Strata of Tilgate Forest, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., published 10 February 1850 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 5 (1843-1850), article, pp.921-922) View Online
On a Dorsal Dermal Spine of the Hylaeosaurus Recently Discovered in the Strata of Tilgate Forest, by Gideon Algernon Mantell, L.L.D., F.R.S., published 13 June 1850 in Abstracts of the Papers Printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (vol. 5 (1843-1850), article, pp.957-958) View Online
On the occurence of fossil insects in the Wealden Strata of the Sussex Coast, by William R. Binfield and Henry Binfield, published January 1854 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 10, issue 1-2, article, pp.171-176) View Online
Abstract:The specimens which we have the honour to present to the Geological Society are, we believe, the first remains of Insects from the Wealden of Hastings which have been brought before the notice of the Society; the details we have been able to collect respecting the position and character of the beds containing them may, therefore, Cliffs, including many localities where the insect-beds occur, will be found in the 'Geological Transactions,' 2nd ser. vol. ii. Part 1. pl. 5, appended to Professor Webster's memoir "On the Strata near Hastings" (p. 31, &c. of the same vol.), to which we shall frequently refer, as well as to Dr. Fitton's memoir "On the Strata below the Chalk," Geol. Trans. 2nd ser. vol. iv. Part 2.
On the footprint of an Iguanodon, lately found at Hastings, by Alfred Tylor, published January 1862 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 18, issue 1-2, article, pp.247-253) View Online
Abstract:The occurrence of ichnites or footprints in the Wealden strata has on previous occasions been brought before the notice of the Geological Society by both Tagart and Beckles; and these remains have also been alluded to by Mantell in his 'Geology of the Isle of Wight' (1st edit., 1847, pp. 247, 328).
A notice of the recent discovery of similar impressions may be interesting, and may assist in throwing some light upon their nature and character, as well as lead us to some general observations on the strata in which they are found.
By the earlier observers these footprints were referred to gigantic birds, but subsequently the probability of their being reptilian has been advanced. This idea is supported by the abundant occurrence of numerous bones of the Iguanodon and other Dinosaurians in the Wealden deposits. By Dr. Mantel's exertions many of these remains were brought before the scientific world; and more lately Professor Owen, in a monograph published by the Palæontographical Society, has figured and described, among other fine specimens, the bones of the foot of a young Iguanodon, obtained by Mr. Beckles in the Isle of Wight. This foot has three toes, measures 21 inches in length and 9½ in width, and would form a print or "spoor" similar in outline to that shown by the imprint now exhibited, and by the several other imprints and natural casts of imprints found in the Wealden rocks.
A notice of the recent discovery of similar impressions may be interesting, and may assist in throwing some light upon their nature and character, as well as lead us to some general observations on the strata in which they are found.
By the earlier observers these footprints were referred to gigantic birds, but subsequently the probability of their being reptilian has been advanced. This idea is supported by the abundant occurrence of numerous bones of the Iguanodon and other Dinosaurians in the Wealden deposits. By Dr. Mantel's exertions many of these remains were brought before the scientific world; and more lately Professor Owen, in a monograph published by the Palæontographical Society, has figured and described, among other fine specimens, the bones of the foot of a young Iguanodon, obtained by Mr. Beckles in the Isle of Wight. This foot has three toes, measures 21 inches in length and 9½ in width, and would form a print or "spoor" similar in outline to that shown by the imprint now exhibited, and by the several other imprints and natural casts of imprints found in the Wealden rocks.
Catalogue of the Cretaceous fossils in the Brighton Museum, by Henry Willett, published 1871 (W. J. Smith) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries
On some New Macrurous Crustacea from the Kimmeridge Clay of the Sub-Wealden Boring, Sussex, and from Boulogne-sur-Mer, by Henry Woodward, published January 1876 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 32, issue 1-2, article, pp.47-50) View Online
Abstract:It has always appeared to me to be a point of special interest to geologists to record those forms found in a fossil state which have a considerable vertical range, and yet belong to genera existing at the present day. Among higher groups now living, we find the vertical range exceedingly small; but when we examine the Invertebrata, we meet with such genera as Lingula, Pentacrinus, and Limulus having an extremely high antiquity; but the higher forms of these types follow precisely the same general law, having a much more restricted range in time than the lower and humbler genera.
One of the Crustacea about to be described by me belongs to a very interesting group, the family of the Thalassinidæ.
One of the Crustacea about to be described by me belongs to a very interesting group, the family of the Thalassinidæ.
On Meyeria Willettii, a New Macrourous Crustacean from the Chalk of Sussex, by HenryWoodward, published December 1878 in Geological Magazine (vol. 5, issue 12, article, pp.556-558) View Online
Abstract:The genus Meyeria was established by Prof. M'Coy, in 1849, for the reception of certain Crustaceans from the Gault and Greensand, found at Speeton, Yorkshire, and at Atherfield, in the Isle of Wight. A new form has been most obligingly sent to me for examination by Henry Willett, Esq., F.G.S.; and this being in a more perfect state of preservation than any heretofore obtained, enables me to refer to the same species about eight other remains from the Chalk preserved in the British Museum and including the carapace figured on pl. xxxviii. fig. 8 of Dixon's Geology of Sussex.
On Thecospondylus horneri, a new dinosaur from the Hastings Sand, indicated by the sacrum and the neural canal of the sacral region, by Harry Govier Seeley, published January 1882 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 38, issue 1-4, article, pp.457-459) View Online
Abstract:Dr. A. C. Horner, of Tonbridge, has obtained from the quarry at Southborough in the Hastings Sand, and intrusted to me, what I believe to be a unique specimen, so far as this country is concerned, exhibiting a mould of the entire neural cavity of the sacral region of a Dinosaur. But the specimen is nevertheless peculiarly tantalizing, since the quarryman states that it is the only specimen of any kind that he has ever found in the quarry, and enough remains of bony tissue upon the cast to render it certain that the external mould of the sacrum, if not the bony tissue itself, might have been preserved. It its imperfect both anteriorly and posteriorly, but measures exactly 60 centimetres in length. The vertebræ which are complete are five in number; each is 11 centim. long; but there is a small fragment in front which appears to show that there was another vertebra anteriorly (fig. 2, 1), while the fragment of the posterior vertebra (fig. 2, 7) admits of no question. We have thus a sacrum which certainly included six or seven vertebræ, and may have comprised more. The bony tissue is preserved only upon the right side of three consecutive vertebræ. It is a thin film closely adherent to the cast, showing a cancellous structure external to the thin interior layer (fig. 1, b).
On Heterosuchus valdensis, Seeley, a Proc?lian Crocodile from the Hastings Sand of Hastings, by H. G. Seeley, published January 1887 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 43, issue 1-4, article, pp.212-215) View Online
Abstract:The specimen in the British Museum, numbered 36555, came there in the second Mantellian collection, which was acquired after Dr. Mantell's death. It is part of a thin ironstone nodule, 10 centim. long and 6 centim. wide, from the Hastings Sand of Hastings, manifestly water-worn, but containing vertebræ which have not hitherto been determined. The nodule (Pl. XII. fig. 7) displays the remains of fully a dozen vertebræ, which extend round the nodule in parts of more than one coil, so arranged as to expose the ventral surface or bodies of the vertebræ, towards the external margin of the concretion. These vertebræ indicate a proc?lian Crocodile of small size; and although the remains are so imperfect, I refer them to a new genus, since their forms are different from those of any Purbeck Crocodiles or other described Crocodilia.
Note on a new Wealden iguanodont and other dinosaurs, by Richard Lydekker, published January 1888 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 44, issue 1-4, article, pp.46-61) View Online
Abstract:The primary object of this communication is to bring to the notice of the Society numerous remains of an apparently new Iguanodont Reptile obtained by Mr. C. Dawson, F.G.S., of St. Leonards, from the Wadhurst Clay (one of the beds of the Hastings Sand, or lower division of the Wealden), and recently acquired by the British Museum; and also a maxilla from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight, apparently referable to Ornithopsis. Having, however, recently examined the whole of the collection of Dinosaurian remains preserved in the Museum, in the course of the preparation of the first part of the forthcoming 'Catalogue of Fossil Reptilia' of the collection, I have also made certain observations regarding other members of the order, which may be conveniently recorded at the same time.
On some Remains of Squatina Cranei, sp. nov., and the Mandible of Belonostomus cinctus, from the Chalk of Sussex, preserved in the Collection of Henry Willett, Esq., FGS, Brighton Museum, by A. Smith Woodward, published January 1888 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 44, issue 1-4, article, pp.144-148) View Online
Abstract:Last year, when attempting to elucidate the dentition of the Cretaceous Selachian genus Ptychodus, I had the honour of bringing before the notice of the Society an important specimen from the cabinet of Henry Willett, Esq., F.G.S., of Brighton; and in subsequent studies both of this and of contemporaneous ichthyic types I have been favoured by the same gentleman's kind permission to make use of the whole of his valuable collection. Among the fossils there are two, bearing upon the subject of recent inquiries, which seem to reveal points of considerable interest and significance; and of these I propose to offer a brief notice in the present communication. The one specimen adds the "Angel-fish" (Squatina) to the list of English Chalk Fishes, and apparently indicates a new species; the other makes known some hitherto unrecognized features in one of the most singular of Cretaceous Ganoids, Belonostomus cinctus.
On a sauropodous dinosaurian vertebra from the Wealden of Hastings, by Richard Lydekker, published January 1893 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 49, issue 1-4, article, pp.276-280) View Online
Abstract:In an earlier volume of this Journal Mr. Hulke figured and described certain vertebræ of a large Sauropodous Dinosaur from the Wealden of the Isle of Wight, under the name of Ornithopsis, that name having been substituted for Eucamerotus, which the author had previously intended to use on account of its being the earlier. I have subsequently had reason to indicate that the name Ornithopsis itself must, for the same reason, yield to Hoplosaurus, which was proposed by Gervais on the evidence of a tooth of the same animal.
On a Mammalian Incisor from the Wealden of Hastings, by Richard Lydekker, published January 1893 in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society (vol. 49, issue 1-4, article, pp.281-283) View Online
Abstract:Hiltherto the only evidence of the existence of mammals in the English Wealden is afforded by a cheek-tooth from the Wadhurst Clay of Hastings, described recently by Mr. A. Smith Woodward, and referred to the Purbeckian genus Plagiaulax. I am now, thanks to Sir John Evans, K.C.B., in a position to affirm the presence of a second mammal in the same formation, which likewise seems to be referable to a genus originally described from the Purbeck.
List of Wealden and Purbeck-Wealden Fossils, compiled by Charles Dawson, published 1898 (7 pp., Brighton) accessible at: British Library
Palaeontology, by R. Lydekker, F.R.S., F.L.S., F.G.S., published 1905 in The Victoria History of the County of Sussex (vol. 1: Natural History, Geology, pre-medieval Archaeology, the Domesday survey, and Political History, pp.27-40, , facsimile edition published 1973, London: Victoria County History, ISBN-10: 0712905855 & ISBN-13: 9780712905855) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2398] & The Keep [LIB/500089] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries View Online
The Recent and Fossil Foraminifera of the Shore-sands at Selsey Bill, Sussex, by Edward Heron-Allen and John E. Whittaker, published 1908 (William Clowes & Sons) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
The Recent and Fossil Foraminifera of the Shore-sands at Selsey Bill, Sussex, by Edward Heron-Allen and Arthur Earland, published 1911 accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8919] & British Library
On Dinocochlea ingens, n. gen. et sp., a gigantic gastropod from the Wealden Beds near Hastings, by B. B. Woodward, published June 1922 in Geological Magazine (vol. 59, issue 6, article, pp.242-247) View Online
Abstract:During the construction by the Hastings Corporation of a new arterial road to th.e north of St. Leonards, near Silver Hill, not far from the Old Eoar Waterfall, and close to the quarry dubbed by Mantell the "Iguanodon Necropolis", the cutting passed through some sandy beds of the Wadhurst Clay Series. In these there was one particular stratum that had been a pale blue concretionary calciferous sandstone, but which had been altered for the most part by the percolation of water into a rusty-brown ferruginous sandrock. Numerous large, typical concretions occurred in it, but besides these Mr. H. L. Tucker, who was then acting as engineer to the contractors for the work, noticed the presence of certain huge spiral bodies that seemed to differ from the ordinary concretions. These bodies generally lay in cavities, or "moulds" in the surrounding sandstone, but unfortunately no part of these moulds was preserved.
A new fossiliferous deposit in West Sussex, by J. C. Ferguson, published June 1923 in Geological Magazine (vol. 60, issue 6, article, p.267) View Online
Abstract:At the southern end of Thorney Island, about three miles S.S.W. of Emsworth, in West Sussex, there are low cliffs of London Clay covered by Pleistocene deposits. The London Clay has been folded near the top, and its surface presents a series of basin-like depressions, 3 to 10 feet in diameter, and evidently caused by downward pressure. These basins are occupied by Pleistocene gravel, which contains numerous erratics-many of igneous rocks-and resembles the better-known Erratic Gravel of Selsey. The Erratic Gravel is covered by Coombe Rock and Brickearth, which form the top of the cliff, as shown in the diagram.
The zones of the Chalk of the Arun Gap, Sussex: With description of new species of Bicavea, by Christopher T. A. Gaster, F.G.S., published 1932 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 43 issue 3, article, pp.212-223) View Online
Abstract:The southward dip of the Chalk of the Arun Gap enables one to ascertain in sequence the zones present, which are exposed chiefly in old quarries and sections on either bank of the river. The Chalk is quarried at Amberley and in the pit by the Black Rabbit Inn, near Arundel. The old quarries at Houghton and the Burpham River Cliff add to the picturesque scenery of this beauty spot of West Sussex.
The Geologists' Association visited the area during their Whitsuntide field meeting in May, 1929, when some of the zonal details were pointed out. Since that date additional evidence has been obtained, and the results of the zoning of the Chalk in the gap are given, in th e schedule below.
Palaeontological evidence has resulted in a number of corrections being made in previous zonal records. Attention is drawn to the abundance of foraminifera in the zone of Actinocamax quadratus.
The Geologists' Association visited the area during their Whitsuntide field meeting in May, 1929, when some of the zonal details were pointed out. Since that date additional evidence has been obtained, and the results of the zoning of the Chalk in the gap are given, in th e schedule below.
Palaeontological evidence has resulted in a number of corrections being made in previous zonal records. Attention is drawn to the abundance of foraminifera in the zone of Actinocamax quadratus.
A Zonal map of parts of the South Downs. I Eastbourne to the River Cuckmere, by A. J. Bull, Ph.D., F.G.S., published 1939 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 49 issue 3, article, pp.261-262) View Online
Abstract:Some maps of the outcrops of the palaeontological zones of the Chalk of the South Downs are being prepared in order to facilitate the study of certain geomorphological problems. In the Adur-Arun district the outer escarpment consists of Chalk of the pilula zone, but the continuation of this escarpment eastward is uncertain. It is, therefore, proposed to map particularly this zone and the Marsupites zone below it both eastward and westward of the Adur-Arun district, and to ascertain how far the lithology which appears to produce the marked series of hills from Steep Down to Wepham Down continues to be associated with the pilula zone outside that district.
A Palaeolith from the Chichester Gravels, by E. Cecil Curwen, M.A., F.S.A., published February 1947 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XI no. 5, article, pp.99-101) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8229][Lib 2210] & The Keep [LIB/500213] & S.A.S. library
Mammalian remains from Selsey, by A.T. Sutcliffe, published 1960 in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, B (vol. 243, article, pp.95-133)
The London Clay of Bognor Regis, by Edmond M. Venables, published 1962 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 73 issue 3, article, pp.245-271) View Online
Abstract:Bognor Regis has long been noted for fossils of the London Clay, yet the literature devoted to it is scanty. Its geographical position gives it importance in the regional study of this deposit, and it is one of the few localities where the whole thickness of London Clay strata can be studied in sequence. A low angle of dip, and a strike oblique to the coastline, produce a wide field of research in the foreshore outcrop. A number of palaeontological horizons have been established, and the sequence of micro-faunas has been investigated for the first time. A distinct group of horizons, characterised by a largely terrestrial assemblage, has been recognised. This group has yielded a large new flora and a new vertebrate fauna. The first known fossil insect fauna of the London Clay, discovered in 1936, is now recorded.
Warrens and Fossil Fields on Broadstone Warren, Ashdown Forest, by Peter F. Brandon, published 1974 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 112, shorter notice, p.164) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5960] & The Keep [LIB/500317] & S.A.S. library
Wealden of the Weald: a new model, by P. Allen, published 1975 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 86 issue 4, article, pp.389-437) View Online
Abstract:An alternative to the deltaic model is presented. The Weald is seen as a subsiding graben-basin, with 'Macaraibo' sedimentary features, spasmodically open to the sea and margined by active horsts.
Channel-facies are commoner in the Wealden sand and clay formations than previously suspected. The 'normal' environment was a variable-salinity coastal mudplain with lagoons and sandy water-courses loosely connected north-westwards with the East Anglian Sea. Channel patterns fluctuated across the low ? high sinuosity transition. Periodically, increased riverflow transformed parts of the basin into sandy braidplains, culminating sometimes in coalescent alluvial fans. These interruptions were brief and generated by marginal upfaulting of surrounding blocks combined with attendant climatic changes. Large expanses of alluvial plain were bare of trees and bushes, but supported rich growths of herbaceous pteridophytes where deposition and erosion became inactive temporarily. Herds of dinosaur travelled freely across the basin and maintained themselves in it. The climate was warm, with marked wet and dry seasons and, possibly, diurnal rhythms in precipitation. Its general trend was towards 'amelioration', as though Britain was leaving the Purbeck semiarid zone and moving across the warm temperate belt.
Following mid-Purbeck earth movements and the final Cinder Bed transgression, the London-Kent horsts dominated Hastings times, being the main suppliers of arenaceous sediment and controlling water-salinity by acting as imperfect barriers against further inroads by the northern sea. On two occasions (Ashdown and Lower Tunbridge Wells formations) the channel-networks merged to build up a single braidplain spanning the basin. Bedload from Wessex and the Isle of Wight stopped short at the Hampshire-Sussex border, though some Norman sand may have reached south-east Sussex. During Weald Clay times the London and Kent blocks ceased to be important sources of sediment, the former letting in the muddy 'Snettisham' Sea voluminously. Several of the brackish-marine inundations sprinkled East Anglian sand across the north-west Weald, mixing it with 'London' gravel gathered up in passing. But most of the sand, now sparse, was generated by jolts in distant Cornubia and Armorica, rejuvenating the rivers and causing the Wessex alluvia to probe the western Weald. After their Horsham première the movements weakened, the younger sands reaching less far eastwards and becoming more restricted to their channel systems. Least affected by tectonic and marine influences were the eastern parts of the basin. The regional palaeoslope in the Anglo-French area seems to have tilted northeast, away from the ruptured continental margin, preluding increased spreading rates in the mid-Cretaceous Atlantic.
There is no room in the new model for large-scale classical deltaic processes or for the traditional derivation of the immature 'western' detritus from Hercynian granites (or any other granites). The model removes some previous difficulties, e.g. the small sizes of the London catchments, the rapidity of many sedimentological changes and the paradox that both marine and fluviatile invasions appear to come from the same general direction.
In the field, the well-known 'Rocks' (massive sandstone members) become the merged multistorey networks of braided channel-fills formed during climactic phases of uplift and river-rejuvenation on the basin margins.
Channel-facies are commoner in the Wealden sand and clay formations than previously suspected. The 'normal' environment was a variable-salinity coastal mudplain with lagoons and sandy water-courses loosely connected north-westwards with the East Anglian Sea. Channel patterns fluctuated across the low ? high sinuosity transition. Periodically, increased riverflow transformed parts of the basin into sandy braidplains, culminating sometimes in coalescent alluvial fans. These interruptions were brief and generated by marginal upfaulting of surrounding blocks combined with attendant climatic changes. Large expanses of alluvial plain were bare of trees and bushes, but supported rich growths of herbaceous pteridophytes where deposition and erosion became inactive temporarily. Herds of dinosaur travelled freely across the basin and maintained themselves in it. The climate was warm, with marked wet and dry seasons and, possibly, diurnal rhythms in precipitation. Its general trend was towards 'amelioration', as though Britain was leaving the Purbeck semiarid zone and moving across the warm temperate belt.
Following mid-Purbeck earth movements and the final Cinder Bed transgression, the London-Kent horsts dominated Hastings times, being the main suppliers of arenaceous sediment and controlling water-salinity by acting as imperfect barriers against further inroads by the northern sea. On two occasions (Ashdown and Lower Tunbridge Wells formations) the channel-networks merged to build up a single braidplain spanning the basin. Bedload from Wessex and the Isle of Wight stopped short at the Hampshire-Sussex border, though some Norman sand may have reached south-east Sussex. During Weald Clay times the London and Kent blocks ceased to be important sources of sediment, the former letting in the muddy 'Snettisham' Sea voluminously. Several of the brackish-marine inundations sprinkled East Anglian sand across the north-west Weald, mixing it with 'London' gravel gathered up in passing. But most of the sand, now sparse, was generated by jolts in distant Cornubia and Armorica, rejuvenating the rivers and causing the Wessex alluvia to probe the western Weald. After their Horsham première the movements weakened, the younger sands reaching less far eastwards and becoming more restricted to their channel systems. Least affected by tectonic and marine influences were the eastern parts of the basin. The regional palaeoslope in the Anglo-French area seems to have tilted northeast, away from the ruptured continental margin, preluding increased spreading rates in the mid-Cretaceous Atlantic.
There is no room in the new model for large-scale classical deltaic processes or for the traditional derivation of the immature 'western' detritus from Hercynian granites (or any other granites). The model removes some previous difficulties, e.g. the small sizes of the London catchments, the rapidity of many sedimentological changes and the paradox that both marine and fluviatile invasions appear to come from the same general direction.
In the field, the well-known 'Rocks' (massive sandstone members) become the merged multistorey networks of braided channel-fills formed during climactic phases of uplift and river-rejuvenation on the basin margins.
The structure of the Weald - a review, by R. D. Lake, published 1975 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 86 issue 4, article, pp.549-557) View Online
Abstract:Regional analyses of the structure of sedimentary basins distinguish structures reflecting basement structures from later tensional phase structures within the basin-fill. The effects of overburden-thickness and stratal competence are also considered. In the Weald, discrete structural zones are identified in the strata beneath the Weald Clay which can be related to inferred basement structures, which, in turn, have counterparts in France. Borehole evidence suggests that the Mesozoic structures were initiated at the basement-fill interface rather than forming direct continuations of Palaeozoic structures.
The Tertiary deposits at Newhaven, Sussex, by D. A. Bone, published December 1976 in Tertiary research (vol. 1, part 2, article)
New horizons in the London Clay of Bognor Regis, Sussex, by D. A. Bone, published July 1978 in Tertiary research (vol. 2, part 1, article)
Report of field meeting to Clapham Common, West Sussex, 16.X.1977, by D. A. Bone, published July 1978 in Tertiary research (vol. 2, part 2, article)
The Lower and Palaeolithic archaeology of Sussex (with particular reference to marine transgressions and their associated Palaeolithic industries in the south-west of the country) , by A. G. Woodcock, 1980 at Leicester University (Ph.D. thesis)
The crocodilian Theriosuchus Owen, 1879 in the Wealden of England, by Eric Buffetaut, published 1983 in Bulletin of the British Museum, Natural History, Geology (vol. 37, no. 3, article, pp.93-97)
Valley sediments as evidence of prehistoric land-use on the South Downs, by Martin Bell, published January 1983 in The Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (vol. 49, article, pp.119-150) View Online
Recent years have seen a shift of archaeological focus away from the confines of the individual site and towards broader issues of land-use and landscape history. Hence a need for archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence which tells us about the area utilized from sites rather than about the environment on the site itself. Valley sediments are one possible source of this evidence and this paper considers their potential with specific reference to sediments in chalkland valleys on the South Downs. It also attempts to confront some more specific problems of landscape history. One aim was to assess the extent of erosion and valley sediments within defined study areas and to establish to what extent climatic and land-use factors were responsible for changes in the pattern of sedimentation. It was also hoped that detailed work on land-use sequences would provide a framework for considering long-term settlement trends on the chalk. Why, for instance, do we have dense concentrations of archaeological sites on land which is today somewhat marginal, and how were the valley bottoms utilized in prehistory?
Additions to the fish fauna of the English Palaeogene. 4. A new batoid genus from the Bracklesham Group of Selsey, Sussex, by David John Ward, published October 1983 in Tertiary research (vol. 5, part 2, article)
Molluscan biostratigraphy of Flandrian slope deposits in East Sussex, by Caroline Sarah Ellis, 1985 at Imperial College London (Ph.D. thesis)
Fossils from Bracklesham to Selsey, by Anne E. Bone and David Bone, published 1 January 1985 (32 pp., Chichester District Museum, ISBN-10: 0903970066 & ISBN-13: 9780903970068) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries
The London Clay and associated deposits exposed in Chichester Harbour (West Sussex), by David A. Bone, published April 1985 in Tertiary research (vol. 7, part 1, article)
The Stratigraphy of the Reading Beds (Palaeocene), at Felpham, West Sussex, by David A. Bone, published November 1986 in Tertiary research (vol. 8, part 1, article)
The stratigraphy and palaeontology of the Lower Greensand of the Hoes Farm Borehole, near Petworth, Sussex, by C. R. Bristow, A. A. Morter and I. P. Wilkinson, published 1987 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 98 issue 3, article, pp.217-227) View Online
Abstract:The Hoes Farm Borehole provides a cored sequence through the Atherfield Clay, Hythe Beds and the lowest part (Fittleworth Beds) of the Sandgate Beds. Macrofaunas and ostracods have been collected from many levels and, for the first time, the Ostracoda from the English Aptian have been examined over an extended sequence with good macropalaeontological control. A 0.7 m seam of fuller's earth, recorded near the base of the Hythe Beds, yielded an ostracod fauna of bowerbanki Zone age. A new stratal unit, the Hoes Farm Member, mainly of deshayesi Zone age, has been defined at the base of the Hythe Beds.
The type specimen of the regular echinoid Leiopedina edwardsi (Forbes) (Echinoidea, Echinodermata) from the Bracklesham Beds (Eocene) of Bracklesham, Sussex, England. , by David N. Lewis, published May 1989 in Tertiary research (vol. 10, part 2, article)
Edmond Martin Venables, 1901-1990 A Sussex geologist, by David A. Bone, published 10 June 1991 in Tertiary research (vol. 13, nos. 2-4, article)
The life and work of George Bax Holmes (1803-1887) of Horsham, Sussex: a Quaker vertebrate fossil collector, by John A. Cooper, published 1992 in Archives of Natural History (vol. 19, no. 3, article, pp.379-400)
Fossil dragonflies in Horsham Museum, by E. A. Jarzembowski, published 1994 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 105 issue 1, article, pp.71-75) View Online
Abstract:The family Petaluridae (Odonata: Anisoptera) is reported for the first time in the English Wealden from a new insect locality (Rudgwick Brickworks) and two new species, Libellulium zdrzaleki and Libellulium standingae spp. nov., are described.
The stratigraphy, sedimentology and palaeontology of the Lower Weald Clay (Hauterivian) at Keymer Tileworks, West Sussex, southern England, by Elizabeth Cook and Andrew J. Cook, published 1996 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 107 issue 3, article, pp.231-239) View Online
Abstract:The stratigraphy of the Weald Clay of Sussex in the region of Burgess Hill is summarized. The Hauterivian/Barremian boundary, using ostracod evidence in the Ripe borehole, appears to lie at the top of a red clay bed just below BGS Bed 3c2. Detailed sections of the sediments exposed in Keymer Tileworks clay pit are given. BGS Bed 3a is exposed at the top of the pit, indicating that the sediments below belong to the Lower Weald Clay and are late Hauterivian in age. The pit has yielded a diverse non-marine fossil fauna and flora consisting of insects, dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, sharks, bony fish, crustaceans, molluscs, ferns, conifers and a new herbaceous, aquatic or marsh-dwelling plant. The insects include the first Wealden records of the family Sciaridae (fungus gnats) and of the superfamily Coccoidea (scale insects). The sediments exposed and their fossil content indicate changes from terrestrial conditions through fluvial, culminating in a lacustrine environment.
The stratigraphy of the Bracklesham Group of Bracklesharm Bay and Selsey (West Sussex, England): an update 1977 - 1995, by Chris King, published 30 June 1996 in Tertiary research (vol. 16, nos. 1-4, article, pp.15-24)
Mollusca of the Selsey Formation (Middle Eocene): Conoidea, Turrinae, by Steve Tracey, published 30 June 1996 in Tertiary research (vol. 16, nos. 1-4, article, pp.55-96)
Distribution of Mollusca in units S1 to S9 of the Selsey Formation (middle Lutetian), Selsey Peninsula, West Sussex, by S. Tracey, J. A. Todd, J. Le Renard, C. King and M. Goodchild, published 30 June 1996 in Tertiary research (vol. 16, nos. 1-4, article, pp.97-140)
A new species of Polacanthus (Ornithischia; Ankylosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous of Sussex, England, by W. T. Blows, published November 1996 in Geological Magazine (vol. 133, issue 6, article, pp.671-682) View Online
Abstract:The first specimen of the ankylosaur genus Polacanthus from the mainland Barremian of southeast England is described as Polacanthus rudgwickensis sp.nov. Polacanthus rudgwickensis is larger than Polacanthus foxii, and there are significant differences in the dermal armour, the tibia and caudal vertebrae of the two species. Polacanthus foxii appears to be restricted at present to the Isle of Wight with one specimen from southwest England, whilst Polacanthus rudgwickensis is only known from Sussex. This geographical distribution, the palaeobiological implications and possible sexual dimorphism are discussed for this genus.
A Brief Guide to the Geology and Fossils of Bognor Regis, by David Bone, published 1998 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13837]
A use-wear analysis of selected British Lower Palaeolithic handaxes with special reference to the site of Boxgrove (West Sussex) : a study incorporating optical microscopy, computer aided image analysis and experimental archaeology. , by John C. Mitchell, 1998 at Oxford University (Ph.D. thesis)
Earliest Inhabitants, by Andrew Woodcock, published 1 January 1999 in An Historical Atlas of Sussex (pp.10-11, Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd, ISBN-10: 1860771122 & ISBN-13: 9781860771125) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14026][Lib 18777] & The Keep [LIB/501686][LIB/508903] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Of Flint Mines and Fossil Men: The Lavant Caves Deception, by Miles Russell, published February 2000 in Oxford Journal of Archaeology (vol. 19, issue 1, article, pp.105-108) View Online
Abstract:A series of subterranean passages first recorded in the late nineteenth century at Lavant, near Chichester have generally been interpreted as the remains of a Neolithic flint mine, one of many such sites recorded from the South Downs. Unfortunately it would appear that the site is a fraud. Not just any fraud, however, for it is likely that it represents just one in a series of increasingly complex and elaborate hoaxes staged by the very same individual responsible for the creation, identificatiom and discovery of 'Piltdown Man'.
Geology and Fossils of the Hastings area, by Ken Brooks, published 1 May 2001 (60 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0954051300 & ISBN-13: 9780954051303) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
An unusual new Neosauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Hastings Beds Group of East Sussex, England, by M.P. Taylor, D. Naish, published 2007 in Palaeontology (vol. 50, no. 6, article, pp.1547-1564)
Fossil hunting at Bracklesham & Selsey: a geological guide, by David Bone, published 21 March 2009 (27 pp., Chichester: Limanda Publishing, ISBN-10: 0956201806 & ISBN-13: 9780956201805) accessible at: British Library
English Wealden fossils, by David J. Batten, published 2011 (Palaeontological Association field guide to fossils, no. 14, ix + 769 pp., Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN-10: 1444367110 & ISBN-13: 9781444367119) accessible at: British Library & East Sussex Libraries
A tiny maniraptoran dinosaur in the Lower Cretaceous Hastings Group: evidence from a new vertebrate-bearing locality in south-east England, by D. Naish, S.C. Sweetman, published 2011 in Cretaceous research (vol. 32, no. 4, article, pp.464-471)
The non-marine Lower Cretaceous Wealden strata of southern England, by Jonathan D. Radley and Percival Allen, published 2012 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 123 issue 2, article, pp.235-244) View Online
Abstract:The non-marine Lower Cretaceous Wealden strata of the Wessex-Weald Basin (southern England) are introduced, with reference to the depositional model developed by Professor Percival Allen FRS (Allen, 1975). To demonstrate this model and the development of Wealden palaeoenvironments through time, Wealden sites have been selected for the Geological Conservation Review programme. Site selection rationale is briefly outlined.
The Wealden (non-marine Lower Cretaceous) of the Weald Sub-basin, southern England, by Jonathan D. Radley and Percival Allen, published 2012 in The Proceedings of the Geologists' Association London (no. 123 issue 2, article, pp.245-318) View Online
Abstract:The Wealden strata (non-marine Lower Cretaceous) of the Weald Sub-basin outcrop in the Weald district of south-east England; the Wealden type-area. The succession is made up of the mixed alluvial-lacustrine-lagoonal Hastings Beds Group below and the predominantly lacustrine-lagoonal Weald Clay Group above. Deposition was strongly influenced by tectonism amongst surrounding massifs, and the warm to hot, periodically wet Wealden climate. Geological Conservation Review sites within the Weald district are dominated by inland sites, but also include extensive coastal cliff and foreshore exposures near Hastings, East Sussex. The Wealden strata have been documented and interpreted since the earliest days of geological enquiry in Great Britain. Collectively, the selected sites demonstrate the key elements of a depositional model for the Wealden of the Weald, developed and published by Professor Percival Allen FRS (1917-2008) in these Proceedings (Allen, 1975). The sites are documented and interpreted, with special reference to research history, chronostratigraphy, structural context, palaeoenvironments, palaeobiology and palaeoclimatology. New directions for research are proposed, as applicable.
Bognor's rocks: a geological guide, by David Bone, published 2014 (25 pp., Chichester: Limanda Publishing, ISBN-10: 0956201822 & ISBN-13: 9780956201829) accessible at: British Library
Geology and Fossils of the Hastings area, by Ken James Brooks, published 2015 (second edition, 76 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0954051335 & ISBN-13: 9780954051334) accessible at: Old Hastings Prervation Society & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:This second edition has been extensively revised, updated and expanded with many new colour images. Not only does this book give an overview of the Geological History of the area but also contains a couple of field trips.
A new ornithischian dinosaur and the terrestrial vertebrate fauna from a bone bed in the Wealden of Ardingly, West Sussex, by Susannah Maidment, published 2017 in Proceedings of the Geologists' Association (article)