Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

A number of prehistoric worked flints were recovered in this area during the 1960s, prior to its development.

April 1964. Stray Find.
Found by [1] at [2] (Context 1):
2 prehistoric "flake tools". Information from (S1). See drawings (S2) and (S3) produced by [3].
Although originally recorded as ?Neolithic it is clear from the illustrations that at least one of these objects is a Late Upper Palaeolithic long blade. The second piece may be of the same date - possibly the broken end of another long blade. It should be noted that the grid reference listed on these drawings places the finds at [4], to the east of their recorded location.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 30 May 2013.

1960s. Stray Find.
It is known that various worked flints were recovered in this area by [3], most (if not all) during the 1960s. The records for these discoveries are however fragmentary and somewhat contradictory.

According to (S1) an NCM record map records that a flint blade was found by [3] at [5] (Context 2) in 1965 (previously recorded as NHER 2868). It is also noted on (S1) that a backed blade was found by [3] in the area of Context 1 (the area previously recorded as NHER 2840) in April 1965. The HES also holds a drawing of a "backed blade" that was found in this area by [3] in March 1965 (S4). This drawing was previously erroneously associated with both the backed blade recorded under NHER 2840 and the flint blade recorded as NHER 2868. It should be noted that the grid reference recorded on this drawing actually places it at a third location in this area ([6]). The object itself appears to have been part of a large blade with a narrow platform and is also potentially Upper Palaeolithic.

It is noted on (S1) that several additional prehistoric worked flints were found at Context 1 by [3], including 1 end scraper, 1 "utilised core" and "worked flakes".

It is also recorded by (S1) that ?Neolithic "worked flint" was recovered at [7] (Context 3; previously recorded as NHER 2871). This information was taken from an NCM record map and no other details are known, although these objects were probably also found by [3].

In 1999 the Norwich Castle Museum retrospectively accessioned a number of objects that had previously been in the collection of [3]. These finds included a number of worked flints from this area:
1 Early Neolithic ?unfinished laurel leaf, 4 Neolithic retouched/edge-damaged flakes, and 18 flakes/flake fragments found at [8] (NWHCM : 1999.328.5.2).
1 Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age ?plano-convex knife found at [9] (NWHCM : 1999.328.5.4).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 30 May 2013.

1981.
Some of these flints may have been amongst the objects displayed in Bishop Bonner's Cottages Museum in 1981 as "Mesolithic from Rocky Marsh, Sandy Lane". Rocky Marsh is apparently a general local name for all this area.
E. Rose (NAU) and A. J. Lawson (NAU), 6 November 1981. Information from (S5).
It should however be noted that although some of the finds in the NCM are recorded as being from "Rucky Marsh", these were from the area to the north of this site (NHER 2838).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 30 May 2013.

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
• FINDSPOT (Upper Palaeolithic - 40000 BC to 10001 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
• FINDSPOT (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)

Associated Finds

• BLADE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• CORE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• SCRAPER (TOOL) (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• BLADE (Upper Palaeolithic - 40000 BC to 10001 BC)
• BLADE (Upper Palaeolithic - 40000 BC? to 10001 BC?)
• RETOUCHED BLADE (Upper Palaeolithic - 40000 BC? to 10001 BC?)
• FLAKE (Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
• LAUREL LEAF? (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
• LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
• RETOUCHED FLAKE? (Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
• PLANO CONVEX KNIFE? (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Dereham (Parish Summary)