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Aveline's Hole is a limestone cave located in Burrington Combe, Somerset, which contains evidence of occupation spanning the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. The site is significant for its early human remains, particularly the burial of a woman named Aveline, whose skeletal material has been dated to approximately 10,000 years ago, making it amongst the earliest known burials in Britain. The cave itself shows signs of repeated habitation throughout the Mesolithic period, with deposits containing flint tools, animal bones, and other artefacts indicating sustained use as a shelter. The site has been subject to archaeological investigation since the nineteenth century and remains important for understanding the transition from hunter-gatherer to early farming communities in southern Britain.
Aveline's Hole, Burrington Combe is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1010297. View the official record →
Aveline's Hole is a limestone cave located in Burrington Combe, Somerset, which contains evidence of occupation spanning the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1010297.
Aveline's Hole, Burrington Combe is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1010297.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Duck decoy, west of Nyland Hill (8.7 km), Two bowl barrows 350m south of Brimble Pit Pool: part of a group of round barrows north and east of Foxhills Wood (8.8 km), Bowl barrow 550m south east of Brimble Pit Pool: one of a group of round barrows north and east of Foxhills Wood (9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Aveline's Hole, Burrington Combe's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Aveline's Hole, Burrington Combe stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.