This paper presents 28 AMS 14C determinations and associated stable carbon and nitrogen isotope measurements on human bone primarily from cave contexts in Wales, with a small number of additional cave and non-cave contexts in southwest England. While some of these dates have been previously published, the entire series was originally affected by a problem with the ultrafilters in use at the Oxford radiocarbon dating laboratory where they were analysed. The original dates were consequently all withdrawn in 2007, and for most new measurements have been made. The project was originally focussed on identifying Mesolithic and Neolithic human remains from Welsh caves in order to provide a chronological framework for an isotopic investigation of diet, and for the temporality of the use of caves for burial. Thus, the majority of the results reported here date to the Mesolithic and Neolithic, though human remains are also identified from the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Romano-British periods. The results confirm the previously observed sharp shift towards the dominance of terrestrial foods in coastal locations at the start of the Neolithic, as well as supporting the use of caves for the deposition of human remains in the earlier Mesolithic and in the Neolithic, separated by an intervening gap of nearly two millennia suggesting no meaningful continuity in the practice.

King Arthur’s Cave (Wye Valley) and Sun Hole (Cheddar Gorge) currently provide the earliest dates for a human presence in the British Isles after the Last Glacial Maximum. The earliest phase of activity at these sites has been dated to c. 15.2 to 14.6 thousand years cal. BP, which spans the onset of the Late Glacial Interstadial, a major global climate transition characterised by rapidly warming temperatures. Here we present stable isotope data from horse (Equus ferus) teeth found in the zooarchaeological assemblages at the sites. We also report two new radiocarbon dates on specimens from King Arthur’s Cave. The Equus tooth enamel provides a record of climatic conditions during the animals’ tooth formation. Evidence of human modification of the teeth (cut marks and fractures) chronologically tie these palaeoclimatic records to the earliest post-LGM archaeology at the two sites, thus informing on the climatic and environmental context under which human activity in these areas took place. Results indicate that people were present at the two sites during a period of climatic warming, with temperatures perhaps only marginally colder than present day conditions. However, suboptimal environmental conditions are suggested and may indicate changing vegetation dynamics within the local landscape.

An assemblage containing human and faunal remains was recovered from the base of a scree slope in Ham Woods, Croscombe in 2016 by the activities of local cave diggers trying to locate sites of speleological, rather than archaeological, potential. However, the bone assemblage was not recovered by systematic or controlled excavation methods; therefore, no contextual or stratigraphical information is available regarding these remains. The human bone assemblage recovered from the site has been analysed and a report published. The human remains are suggested to represent three articulated inhumation burials – an infant, a seven/eight-year old child and a mature adult. The fact that three individuals have been recovered suggests that this site might contain multiple human burials. A suitable bone sample was submitted for radiocarbon dating and the result gives an Early Iron Age date for the human remains (Simmonds and Brayne, 2019). A summary of the faunal remains from the bone assemblage collected from Screech Hole in Ham Woods is presented here. The faunal assemblage contains both wild and domesticated species. Generally, the bone has fair to good preservation, although there is some damage, including that caused by post-depositional and extractive processes. The faunal assemblage, in conjunction with the human remains, gives an indication of the potential resource that might be contained within the scree slope and/or possible cave site.

Bull Pit is a large doline located close to the northern margin of the Peak District carboniferous limestone outcrop. Excavation of the sedimentary fill of a rift in the base of Bull Pit by the Technical Speleological Group has revealed an assemblage of more than 350 identified bones and teeth. These remains include specimens from a range of wild and domesticated animal species as well as disarticulated human remains. Radiocarbon dating of five bones from the middle and lower levels of the sediments show that these deposits were accumulating between 1900 and 600 years ago. The dating evidence provides information about the rate of sediment accumulation in the rift, and the composition of the faunal assemblage reflects the high density of deer in the royal hunting grounds of the Peak Forest in medieval times.

Some caves are described from the upland tors of northern England. The passages are joint aligned between the stacked blocks which form the tors. There is no relative offset between the passage walls and evidence of dissolutional processes are absent. The passages are generally square or rectangular in cross section and do not reduce in size away from the entrance. The name tor caves is proposed for these features and an origin due to differential weathering of the rock mass, weathering being concentrated along the joint network is suggested. The recognition of tor caves expands the geographical range where speleological, archaeological and paleoclimate studies routinely undertaken in karst caves into periglaciated terrains where karst caves may be lacking.

Examination of the experiences of travels beneath the earth across twenty oral history interviews reveals UBSS members’ diverse attitudes – from delight to dread – towards the dark worlds beneath the earth. In the process, it uncovers the rich sensory experiences of their encounters with the subterranean. Many of these experiences converged around the adaptation of participants’ bodies to the new spaces that surrounded them, revealing a thorough symbiosis between the body of the caver and the physical world. For some, this symbiosis was facilitated via changing technologies, including changes in climbing equipment that allowed easier access to deep underground spaces, clothing that allowed for increasingly extensive expeditions, and lighting that enhanced the scale and scope of perception in the darkness. Through engagement with visceral testimonies, this paper will illustrate that embodied and emotional relationships between UBSS cavers, and their underworlds, were rich and unstable, changing across time, space and according to individual experience.

In 2019, The University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS), one of the oldest caving clubs in the country, celebrated 100 years of cave and archaeological exploration and research. On the 9th/10th November, to mark the occasion, the Society hosted a weekend of presentations and fieldtrips celebrating its past, present and future. The following are the abstracts of the presentations, lectures and posters, made during the Saturday session.