Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

1980 to 1981. Fieldwalking.
Various worked flints recovered by [1]. Finder's site HE 401. See finder's notes, map and sketches in file.

These finds were brought in to the NAU in 1982 and identified as the following:
1 Mesolithic tranchet axe. Maximum dimension 14 x 5.5cm. Green/yellow flint, some cortex. Identified by A. Lawson (NAU) as "[R.] Jacobi would call it Mesolithic", but F. Healy (NAU) says Neolithic.
1 Neolithic flaked axehead. Maximum dimensions 15.5 x 4.5cm, grey flint.
Various other worked flints, including 1 blade core, 3 blades, ?nosed scraper fragment, 1 circular scraper, 9 flakes and 1 battered lump.
4 medieval pottery sherds, including 1 small green-glazed Grimston sherd and 3 small ?medieval coarseware sherd.
1 ?medieval tile fragment. A. Lawson (NAU) suggested this may be briquetage.

The Mesolithic tranchet axehead is noted and illustrated (S1), in which a Mesolithic blade core (presumably the piece listed above) and a "Mesolithic pick" are also illustrated. It is noted that these pieces are in good condition, suggesting they may have been brought to the surface when the nearby dyke was dredged in 1975.
E. Rose (NAU) 8 November 1982. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 December 2013.

Late 1983/1984. Stray Find.
Found by [2] on surface of ploughed field on Finder's site HE 401.
1 Iron Age or Early Saxon handmade rim sherd.
T. Gregory (NAU) 18 April 1984.

1987. Fieldwalking.
It is recorded in (S1) that further fieldewalking was undertaken at this site in 1987 by [3].

Finds from this site were presented to the Norwich Castle Museum in 1989. It appears to have been believed that these were some of the finds that had been previously identified. However it is probably more likely that these were additional finds from the 1987 fieldwalking.
The flints were examined by J. J. Wymer who identified:
1 Mesolithic small blade core, 1 saw, 2 blades and 1 small blade with blunting.
1 Neolithic crude core, 3 scrapers and 11 flakes.
Other finds included:
2 medieval pottery sherds (1 Grimston, 1 early medieval rim).

It should be noted that (S1) is not entirely clear on exactly which areas were examined at this time, although it would appear that both this site and and an area on Redgate Hill to the north-west (Hunstanton; NHER 1396) were investigated . The summary of the results also conflates this work with that of subsequent fieldwork undertaken in 1995 (see below). A list of finds recovered in 1987 is included in (S2), although these are presumably material that was recovered from the area to the north-west (NHER 1396).
E. Rose (NAU) 16 February 1989. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 December 2013.

1995. Fieldwalking.
Further fieldwalking by [3]. The only source of information on this work is (S1), which records that 16 Mesolithic worked flints were recovered, including blade cores and fragmented bladelets. This material was "heavily plough battered". It is also reported that a sparse background pottery scatter was identified, although the date of the material recovered is not specified. As noted above it appears that a proportion of this material was recovered from the area of NHER 1396).
P. Watkins (HES), 16 December 2013.

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

• BRIQUETAGE? (Unknown date)
• FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC? to 4001 BC?)
• BLADE CORE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• BLADE CORE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• BLADE CORE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• PICK? (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• RETOUCHED BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• SAW (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• SERRATED IMPLEMENT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• TRANCHET AXEHEAD (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
• CORE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• CORE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FLAKE (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FLAKED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FLAKED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• SCRAPER (TOOL) (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• SCRAPER (TOOL) (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• TRANCHET AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
• POT (Early Iron Age to Early Saxon - 800 BC to 650 AD)
• POT (Post Roman - 410 AD to 1900 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Heacham (Parish Summary)