Record Details

NHER Number:28798
Type of record:Monument
Name:Multi-period finds scatter

Summary

This area was fieldwalked on a number of occasions between 1992 and 2004, with a wide range of finds recovered. A notable number of Mesolithic worked flints have been found, with the presence of blade cores, blades and finished microliths providing clear evidence for a small-blade based industry on the site. A range of later prehistoric flints have also been found, including pieces of Early Neolithic, Neolithic and Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age date. Other finds recovered including Beaker, Bronze Age, ?Iron Age, Roman, Early Saxon, Middle Saxon, Late Saxon, medieval and post-medieval pottery; Roman and medieval tile fragments; post-medieval clay tobacco pipe and undatable lava quern fragments, animal bone and iron slag (including a furnace base). The quantity of Early Saxon pottery found is particularly notable, with over 130 sherds recovered, including several stamped sherds.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 6953 2971
Map Sheet:TF62NE
Parish:DERSINGHAM, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

January 1992. Fieldwalking.
This work produced a range of worked flints (almost certainly many more than those listed in the file notes). This assemblage included a distinct Mesolithic component. According to (S1) microblade fragments were recovered, along with at least one finished microlith and a distinctive end scraper; both pieces are illustrated in (S1). A Mesolithic burin was also recovered at this site. It is noted in (S1) that the Mesolithic material was characterised by a 'milky' patination that was absent on later pieces. The other finds recovered included:
?Early Neolithic flakes, end scrapers, blades, 1 discoidal scraper, 1 'knife' and 2 small blades.
14 Bronze Age grog-tempered pottery sherds.
2 Beaker pottery sherds.
9 Roman greyware pottery sherds.
2 ?Roman tile fragments.
109 Early Saxon pottery sherds in sandy, gritty and organic-tempered fabrics. Several decorated, including 2 stamped sherds.
140 medieval pottery sherds, including unglazed, early medieval ware, glazed and unglazed Grimston and later medieval sherds.
2 medieval peg roof tile fragments.
16 post-medieval pottery sherds and 3 tobacco pipe stems.
1 undatable lava quern fragment.
See notes on site and list of finds in file. These discoveries were reported in (S2).

The finder's notes also describe the remains of a bank running parallel to and about 10m to the north of the present track. Where undamaged it is a slight feature about 30cm in height and 8m in width, resembling the agger of a Roman road. Faden's map of Norfolk (1797), shows a road running along this course for about 1km.
D. A. Gurney (NLA) 4 February 1992 and E. Rose (NLA), 29 October 1992. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 10 December 2013.

January and October 1992. Fieldwalking.
1 Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age barbed and tanged arrowhead with point missing. See photocopy of photograph in file. Also further Early Saxon, medieval and post-medieval pottery sherds and some Late Saxon Thetford ware sherds.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 10 December 2013.

1994. Stray Find.
A Mesolithic "fine microlith" found by [1] and shown to [2]. Possibly the microlith illustrated in (S1) (or at least one of those mentioned).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 10 December 2013.

Early 1996. Fieldwalking (for UEA extra mural course).
2 Mesolithic microliths and 1 single-platform conical blade core.
22 ?Mesolithic small blades, blade fragments and flake fragments
1 Early Neolithic leaf arrowhead.
1 Neolithic ?transverse arrowhead fragment.
4 Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age 'thumbnail' scrapers.
Various undatable prehistoric worked flints, including 1 small blade with post-patination retouch or edge damage, 6 small blades, 12 small flakes/flake fragments, 1 hammerstone, 1 retouched flake, 1 misc. retouched piece, 1 retouched blade, 1 notched flake, 1 awl, 58 larger flakes, 22 scrapers, 1 poor quality single-platform blade core, 1 flake from a blade core face and 1 irregular multi-platform core.
2 Beaker pottery sherds.
5 Bronze Age grog-tempered sherds.
1 ?Iron Age reduced, burnished sherd with rounded ?fingertip impressions.
1 Roman greyware pottery sherd.
35 Early Saxon sherds.
31 medieval pottery sherds including unglazed and glazed Grimston.
4 medieval roof tile fragments.
3 post-medieval pottery sherds.
Undatable iron slag fragments and animals bones/teeth.
Flints identified by P. Robins (NCM), prehistoric pottery by S. Percival (NAU) and other finds by A. Rogerson (NLA). See list and descriptions in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 14 May 1996. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 10 December 2013.

2003 to 2004. Stray Finds.
Found by [1] amongst "domestic and industrial refuse including teeth (predominantly sheep/goat) oyster and cockle shell, iron slag and flint waste".
1 prehistoric flint flake.
1 undatable lava quern fragment.
3 medieval pottery sherds.
"Further and similar finds including burnt flint":
2 Early Saxon pottery sherds.
1 Middle Saxon sandy Ipswich Ware pottery sherd.
1 medieval pottery sherd.
See lists in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 23 February 2005. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 10 December 2013.

Monument Types

  • ROAD (Undated)
  • FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Early Saxon - 410 AD to 650 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
  • MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Unknown date)
  • SLAG (Unknown date)
  • SLAG (Unknown date)
  • AWL (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BLADE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BLADE CORE (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)
  • FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • HAMMERSTONE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • HAMMERSTONE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • NOTCHED FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT BOILER (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC? to 42 AD?)
  • RETOUCHED BLADE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • RETOUCHED 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 (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC? to 4001 BC?)
  • BLADE CORE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • BURIN (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • END SCRAPER (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • BLADE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 3001 BC?)
  • BLADE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 3001 BC?)
  • END SCRAPER (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 3001 BC?)
  • FLAKE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 3001 BC?)
  • KNIFE (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 3001 BC?)
  • LEAF ARROWHEAD (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC to 3001 BC)
  • SIDE AND END SCRAPER (Early Neolithic - 4000 BC? to 3001 BC?)
  • TRANSVERSE ARROWHEAD? (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • BARBED AND TANGED ARROWHEAD (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
  • THUMB NAIL SCRAPER (Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age - 3000 BC to 1501 BC)
  • POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • POT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • POT (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • POT (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)
  • POT (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • QUERN (Roman to Medieval - 43 AD to 1539 AD)
  • QUERN (Roman to Medieval - 43 AD to 1539 AD)
  • TILE (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
  • POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • ROOF TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Article in Serial: Smallwood, J. 1995. Postglacial Hunter-Gatherers. A review of the evidence for their presence in north-west Norfolk. The Annual. The Bulletin of the Norfolk Archaeological and Historical Research Group. No 4 pp 9-17. p 11.
<S2>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1993. Archaeological Finds in Norfolk 1992. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLI Pt IV pp 512-522. p 513.

Related records - none

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