Record Details

NHER Number:1401
Type of record:Monument
Name:Bronze Age or Iron Age cremation and multi-period finds from Heacham First School

Summary

Various objects recovered at the Heacham council school, both during its original construction and during subsequent building work. These finds include a Mesolithic flint pick, a Bronze Age or Iron Age urned cremation and sherds of Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman pottery.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 6791 3719
Map Sheet:TF63NE
Parish:HEACHAM, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Finds from site of council school. Now Heacham First School.

Pre 1906. Stray Find.
Found during excavation of school foundations (Context 1):
Flint pick of Mesolithic type. Information from (S1).
This object was exhibited by H. le Strange at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries on 5 April 1906. A photograph of this object appears in (S2), where it is described as "…made of tough dark grey flint, and measures 10 1/4 inches in length, 1 1/2 inch in breadth and 1 inch in thickness". See copy in file. It was compared by one of those present to similar picks recovered from the Thames.
This object is also noted in (S3), (S4) and (S5).
According to (S1) it is held by the Norwich Castle Museum and noted in (S6) (possibly NWHCM : 1906.27, although this is listed in the current museum records as a Neolithic flint punch).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 December 2013.

1911 or before. Stray Find.
Found "2' deep" (Context 2):
Pottery urn with fingerprint ornament near rim, containing burnt bones, charcoal and flints. This object was exhibited at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia in December 1911 (S7). Also noted in (S5) and (S8). According to (S9) in 1935 B. Lowerison noted that this was now lost.
Amongst the later Bronze Age pottery listed in (S12).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 December 2013.

1909. Stray Find.
Found in school gardens at depth of 18" [45cm] (Context 3):
Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman pottery sherds, 'potboilers' and burnt clay. The pottery sherds (all of which were described as 'rough') were exhibited at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia in December 1909. See (S10).
R. J. Rickett (NAU) 6 February 1990. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 December 2013.

March 1996. Trial Trenching.
Two trenches were excavated across the area of proposed new Nursery Building at Heacham First School.
Negative site. Two iron nails were the only finds recovered.
See report (S11) for further details.
S. Bates (NAU) 22 March 1996.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • CREMATION (Bronze Age - 2350 BC? to 701 BC?)
  • FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

  • NAIL (Undated)
  • PICK (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • HUMAN REMAINS? (Bronze Age - 2350 BC? to 701 BC?)
  • POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC? to 701 BC?)
  • POT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 63 NE 23.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Iron Age. Heacham.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Heacham.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Slide: Various. Slide.
<S1>Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Mesolithic.
<S2>Article in Serial: [anonymous]. 1907. [proceedings of meeting held Thursday, 5 April, 1906]. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Second Series Vol XXI pp 146-155. pp 152-153.
<S3>Article in Serial: Clarke, W. G. 1907. Some Recent Finds in Norfolk. Norfolk Antiquarian Miscellany. Second Series Pt 2 pp 1-9. 8-9.
<S4>Serial: Society for Northern Research. 1907. Saga-Book of the Viking Club. Vol V. pp 236-237.
<S5>Publication: Lowerison, B. 1921. Wee Guide to Heacham.
<S6>Publication: Rye, W. 1909. Catalogue of Antiquities Found Principally in East Anglia. No 131.
<S7>Article in Serial: 1912. Summary of Proceedings. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. Vol I Pt II (for 1910-11 and 1911-12) pp 233-241. p 238.
<S8>Article in Serial: Clarke, R. R. and Apling, H. 1935. An Iron Age Tumulus on Warborough Hill, Stiffkey, Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXV Part III pp 408-428. p 425.
<S9>Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Bronze Age. Heacham [2].
<S10>Article in Serial: 1911. Summary of Proceedings. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. Vol I Pt I (for 1909-1910) pp 109-121. p 116.
<S11>Unpublished Contractor Report: Bates, S. 1996. Evaluation at Heacham First School. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 167.
<S12>Article in Monograph: Lawson, A. J. 1980. The evidence for Later Bronze Age settlement and burial in Norfolk. Settlement and Society in the British Late Bronze Age. Barrett, J. and Bradley, R. BAR British Series 83 pp 271-293. No 7.

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