The investigation of Baker's Hole, Northfleet, Kent, 1909-1914; the impact of collection history upon the interpretation of archaeological data

The site of Baker's Hole in the Ebbsfleet valley, Kent, is the best-known British Early Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 9-7) site, and has produced a substantial assemblage of Levallois artefacts. The history of this collection, however, has become confused over the years, with some suggestions that it was actually amassed through excavation. This paper reviews the history of investigations at the site, on the basis of archive letters and records, and demonstrates that it was clearly collected by quarry workers. This clarification has important implications for understanding human activity in the Ebbsfleet valley during late MIS 8/early MIS 7.