Record Details

NHER Number:1422
Type of record:Find Spot
Name:Multi-period finds, Heacham brickworks

Summary

Various objects were recovered at Heacham brickworks during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These include a potentially Palaeolithic flint implement, a prehistoric flint arrowhead, a Bronze Age copper allo flat axehead and a Roman coin.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 678 363
Map Sheet:TF63NE
Parish:HEACHAM, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Various objects were recovered at Heacham brickworks during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. See NHER 59930 for further information on the brickworks themselves.

1846. Stray Find.
Flat copper alloy axe 99mm long, 49mm wide. Information from (S1). This object was exhibited at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia in March 1911 (S2) and is now held by the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1926.48). It is also noted in (S3), (S4) and (S5).
E. Rose (NAU). Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 December 2013.

January 1903.
'Beautifully worked little javelin head' found here by Mr. Ingleby, owner.
Information from (S6).
E. Rose (NAU)

Pre 1906. Stray Find.
This brickworks (NHER 59930) is the probable findspot for an object that B. Lowerison believed to be a rechipped Palaeolithic implement. This was the inspiration for one of a series of fictional historical stories that he published in 1906 (S7). The implement ('Coo's axe') is illustrated in (S7) and described as displaying evidence for two phases of working. The earlier flake scars had a ochreous patina that was lacking from the secondary flaking, leading to the suggestion that this was a Palaeolithic implement that had been reworked in the Neolithic. At this time the object was in the Heacham museum, in the possession of (and perhaps also found by) H. Ingleby. The sources listed in (S8) suggest that this implement is the sole reason for Heacham being listed as a findspot for Palaeolithic implements. This object was exhibited at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries and is noted and illustrated in (S9) and also mentioned in (S4), (S5), (S10) and (S11). It is noted on (S15), but this is little more than a reference to (S8). See photograph in file (S12).

In (S9) it is stated that this object was found in a pit, a possible location of which was suggested on (S13) (TF 676 368). It is however recorded in (S14) that it had been found "...at the brick yard…"; most likely a reference to the Mount Pleasant brickworks (which was run by H. Ingleby, see NHER 59930).

This artefact was given to the British Museum in 1919 (1919 2-6 1) and it appears that most now view it as a rolled partly polished Neolithic axehead.
Previously recorded as NHER 1420.
P. Watkins (HES), 16 December 2013.

Pre August 1976. Stray Find.
Antoninus of Carausius (rev: female figure) found.
Shown to KLM on 21 August 1976.
E. Rose (NAU).

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Neolithic - 1000000 BC? to 2351 BC?)
  • FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

  • ARROWHEAD (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FLAKED AXEHEAD? (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Neolithic - 500000 BC? to 2351 BC)
  • FLAT AXEHEAD (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • COIN (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 26; TF 63 NE 31.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. NHERs 1420 and 1422.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Bronze Age. Heacham [2].
<S2>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 236.
<S3>Article in Serial: Clarke, W. G. 1919. The Distribution of Flint and Bronze Implements in Norfolk. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. Vol III Pt I (for 1918-19) pp 147-149. p 149.
<S4>Publication: Lowerison, B. 1921. Wee Guide to Heacham.
<S5>Article in Monograph: Sainty, J. E. 1935. Norfolk Prehistory. Report of the Annual Meeting, 1935. Norwich, September 4-11. British Association for the Advancement of Science. Appendix pp 60-71. p 68.
<S6>Newspaper Article: Lynn Advertiser. 1903. -. 20 February.
<S7>Publication: Lowerison, H. 1906. From Paleolith to Motor Car: or Heacham Tales.
<S8>Article in Serial: Clarke, W. G. 1907. The Distribution of Flint and Bronze Implements in Norfolk. Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society. Vol VIII Pt III (for 1906-1907) pp 393-409. p 395.
<S9>Article in Serial: 1918-1919. [proceedings of meeting held Thursday 5 December 1918]. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries London. 2nd Series Vol XXXI pp 35-56. pp 53-55.
<S10>Article in Serial: Clarke, W. G. 1908. The Antiquity of Grimes' Graves. The Antiquary. Vol XLIV pp 137-139. p 138.
<S11>Serial: 1905. Ruskin School-Home Magazine. pp 56-64.
<S12>Photograph: [Unknown]. Photograph of a Neolithic flaked axehead from Heacham (a rechipped Palaeolithic implement?). print.
<S13>Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Neolithic.
<S14>Monograph: Lewton-Braine, C. H. 1967. The Archaeology of Heacham and the adjoining areas. p 4.
<S15>Record Card: Wymer, J. J. Wymer Index Card - Palaeolithic. Heacham.

Related records - none

Find out more...

Norfolk County Council logo Heritage Lottery Fund logo

Powered by HBSMR-web and the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd, and mojoPortal CMS
© 2007 - 2024 Norfolk Historic Environment Service