Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

Around 1982. Stray Finds.
Several worked flints found by [1] near River Waveney, possibly from dredgings:
1 Late Upper Palaeolithic two-platform prismatic blade core of black flint, 11.5cm long. Compare with similar cores from Sproughton, Suffolk.
1 Late Upper Palaeolithic incomplete long blade. Distal half, 11cm long, of brown flint, slightly patinated.
1 Neolithic thin-butted polished flint axe, 13.5cm long.
Identified and compiled by J. J. Wymer (NAU), 1985.
Information from (S1).

A Mesolithic tranchet axehead was also brought in with these finds and although it was originally recorded as being from this site, it is likely that this find was actually recovered in a field to the west (NHER 30978).

These discoveries were reported in (S2) and the Upper Palaeolithic flints were subsequently noted in (S3). The Late Upper Palaeolithic blade core and the incomplete long blade are also listed in the records of the R. Jacobi (S4). Although the computerised version of Jacobi's records appears to give descriptions of four objects it appear these are duplication that resulted from the objects being recorded on more than one occasion (see below).

The 1982 finds were seen again on at least two occasions. The first time was in 1996, when they were examined at the Diss Museum by P. Robins (NCM) - see notes in file and sketches (S5) and (S6) [2]. A sketch of the broken blade was also subsequently supplied by Diss Museum (S7). In 2008 a small group of objects that had been found by [1] was brought in to the Norwich Castle Museum. It is clear from notes made by P. Robins at this time that the assemblage included all four of the objects first seen in 1982. This connection was not made at the time, although it was noted that traces of labels suggested these objects had been previously identified by the NCM. The blade core was sketched for a second time (S8). The fact that these objects were recorded twice by P. Robins would appear to account for the duplication in Jacobi's records (Robins and Jacobi are known to have been in regular communication). It should be noted that the records made by Robins suggest that the Palaeolithic flints may have been associated with a somewhat more general provenance than that originally given in 1982. The blade core, for example, is labelled "Potash F[..] Royden N[..]" - presumed to be Potash Fen, which is adjacent to Roydon Fen.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 6 January 2014 and 12 September 2016.

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Upper Palaeolithic - 40000 BC to 10001 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)

Associated Finds

• BLADE (Upper Palaeolithic - 40000 BC to 10001 BC)
• BLADE CORE (Upper Palaeolithic - 40000 BC to 10001 BC)
• POLISHED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Roydon (near Diss) (Parish Summary)