Record Details

NHER Number:3028
Type of record:Find Spot
Name:Palaeolithic flint handaxes, Walsis Farm, Lenwade

Summary

Between 1969 and 1992 five Palaeolithic flint handaxes were recovered on the land of Walsis Farm, Lenwade (Great Witchingham). Two of these handaxes were found close to the main farm buildings, being recovered from dumped gravel that had been dug up from a deposit exposed near the river. Several further handaxes were subsequently recovered somewhere in the vicinity of this location. This is one of two sites where Palaeolithic material has been recovered close to the River Wensum at Great Witchingham, the other being the Lenwade pits, approximately 1km to the north-east (NHER 3027). It is likely that the small number of poorly provenanced Palaeolithic objects from Great Witchingham (NHER 3025) were recovered at, or close to one of these sites.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 0895 1820
Map Sheet:TG01NE
Parish:GREAT WITCHINGHAM, BROADLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

Palaeolithic finds from Walsis Farm, Lenwade (Great Witchingham):

1969. Stray Find.
Found at TG 0893 1825, in gravel dumped at this location (originally from 2ft [60cm] deep layer near river):
2 Palaeolithic flint handaxes. The first was found by [1]. See drawing (S1). The second, which was broken, was found by [2] (at the same location). See drawing (S2).
Information from (S3). These discoveries were reported in (S4).

The complete handaxe was subsequently described by J. J. Wymer (S5) as a thin pointed handaxe (Wymer type F b/iv), 18.5cm long with a basil point and the broken implement as an ovate (Wymer type K e/-), c. 15cm long when complete. These handaxes are also noted on (S6) and in (S7) and (S8), although no additional information is given.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 20 May 2014.

1971. Stray Find.
Picked up by [3] on surface of strawberry field:
2 Palaeolithic flint "Acheulian" handaxes. See drawings (S9) and (S10).
Information from (S3). These discoveries were reported in (S11).

These objects were described by J. J. Wymer (S5) as a thin pointed handaxe (Wymer type F b/iv), 16.5cm long, with basal point (S8) and a pointed handaxe (Wymer type F b/I), 15.5 cm long (S9). They are also noted on (S6) and in (S7) and (S8) although, again, no additional information is given.

It should be noted that the grid reference given for these finds (TG 0900 1823) is noted in (S3) as being only approximate. It is more than possibly that they were found elsewhere on the farm, although they are probably derived from the same gravel deposit.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 20 May 2014.

Pre 1987. Stray Find.
Seen on display in Bridge House P.H by J. J. Wymer:
1 Palaeolithic flint handaxe.
Found by unknown person on pile of flints at Walsis Farm. On loan from [1]. Described on (S6) as Wymer Type F b/i and 18cm long. This description suggests it was very similar to the object found by [1] in 1969 but probably a different handaxe.
P. Watkins (HES), 31 January 2016.

1992. Stray Find.
Found by [4] on newly laid surface of Lenwade Cricket Club car park (the material for the resurfacing of which was brought from Walsis Farm):
1 Palaeolithic flint handaxe. See drawing (S12).
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1993.16).
As with the handaxes found in 1971, the mapped extent of this record should not be taken as the exact provenance of this find, although (as with the earlier finds) it was probably derived from the same gravel deposit.
Identified by P. Robins (NCM), see description in file. Also noted on (S6).
W. Milligan (NCM), 23 November 1992. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 20 May 2014.

According to (S6) another handaxe from "Lenwade" was also drawn by P. Robins in late 1992, although it appears that the NHER never received any information regarding this object. See NHER 3025 for further details.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 1000000 BC to 40001 BC)

Associated Finds

  • HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)
  • HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)
  • HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)
  • HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)
  • HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)
  • HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 500000 BC to 40001 BC)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TG 01 NE 18.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Illustration: Beaty, S. 1969. Drawing of a Palaeolithic flint handaxe from Great Witchingham.. Card. 1:1.
<S2>Illustration: Beaty, S. 1969. Drawing of a broken Palaeolithic flint handaxe from Great Witchingham.. Card. 1:1.
<S3>Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Palaeolithic.
<S4>Serial: 1969. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1969. No 16. p 11.
<S5>Publication: Wymer, J. J. 1985. Palaeolithic Sites of East Anglia. p 55.
<S6>Record Card: Wymer, J. J. Wymer Index Card - Palaeolithic. Great Witchingham (Lenwade); Lenwade.
<S7>Unpublished Contractor Report: 1997. The English Rivers Palaeolithic Project. Regions 8 (East Anglian Rivers) and 11 (Trent Drainage). Wessex Archaeology. W&Y-2, No.4.
<S8>Website: TERPS online database. Site 22576.
<S9>Illustration: Clough, T. 1971. Drawing of a Palaeolithic flint handaxe from Great Witchingham. Card. 1:1.
<S10>Illustration: Clough, T. 1971. Drawing of a Palaeolithic flint handaxe from Great Witchingham. Card. 1:1.
<S11>Serial: 1971. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1971. No 18. p 11.
<S12>Illustration: Robins, P. 1992. Drawing of a Palaeolithic flint handaxe from Great Witchingham. Paper. 1:1.

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