Record Details

NHER Number:33289
Type of record:Find Spot
Name:Multi-period prehistoric finds and Roman pottery

Summary

Gravel extraction between 1996 and 1997 revealed a wide range of objects, including prehistoric human and animal remains, a prehistoric wooden bow, a Mesolithic microlith, a Neolithic scraper, a Bronze Age spearhead and axehead and an Iron Age spearhead. Roman pottery was also found.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:Not displayed
Map Sheet:TL79NE
Parish:CRANWICH, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

1996. Field Observation.
From black gravel in silt just below peat at [1].
1 Neolithic large flint double scraper.
Identified by P. Robins (NCM), see description in file. Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.1).
W.Milligan (NCM) 8 August 1997.

7 April 1997. Field Observation.
Found at [2]:
1 human skull - probably prehistoric, plus limb bones (no ends).
2 prehistoric flint flakes.
Flints identified by P. Robins (NCM), see note in file.
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.2).
W.Milligan (NCM) 19 September 1997.

May 1997. Field Observation.
Wooden bow at [3]
Just north, human femur and fibula at [4].
Burnt flint.
Wood from bow and femur donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.11).
W.Milligan (NCM) 19 September 1997.

20/22 May 1997. Stray Find
Found about 30m south of bow, at [5].
Middle Bronze Age side looped spearhead found by digger driver. Drawing in file (S1).
1 prehistoric pottery sherd (decorated).
1'Auroch' scapula.
Prehistoric sherd donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.3).
W.Milligan (NCM) 19 September 1997.

May 1997. Field Observation.
Found at [6].
1 undatable prehistoric pottery sherd.
2 Roman pottery sherds (1 greyware sherd and 1 complete base).
Animal bone.
Pottery sherds donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.9).
W.Milligan (NCM) 23 September 1997.

1997. Field Observation.
At [7]. Oval wood.
W. Milligan (NCM) 23 September 1997.

8 June 1997. Field Observation.
From top of high heap of silt/peat.
5 Roman pottery sherds (from four pots: 1 rusticated rim, 1 shelly ware rim, 2 beaker sherds (base) and 1 greyware.
Animal bone and vertebrae.
Finder estimated these to have come from same area as August 1996. Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.10.1).

Roman pots (site 31950), but D.Gurney (NLA) says not so.
At [8] (75cm depth):
1 prehistoric pottery sherd.
1 undatable animal tooth.
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.8.3).
W.Milligan (NCM) 19 September 1997.

12 June 1997. Field Observation.
Found at [9] :
1 near complete "mini pot with decorated rim". (S6)?
1 Roman grey ware sherd. Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.8.1).

Found at [10]:
Animal bone and 2 flints from silt strip in peat (80cm depth).
W.Milligan (NCM) 19 September 1997.

20 June 1997. Field Observation.
Peaty topsoil and 4cm of silt stripped. Prehistoric worked and burnt flints recovered from two small areas of grey silt in hollow (A and B: [11] and C (surface): [12]). Over 100 flints recovered of which a Mesolithic microlith was the only diagnostic piece. The remaining pieces were debitage, including core fragments, flakes, shatter pieces and spall. The date of these pieces is unclear, although there absence of blades etc. would suggest they were not necessarily contemporary with the microlith.
Identified by P. Robins (NCM), see descriptions and notes in file.
1 prehistoric pottery sherd also found.
Finds donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.4-5).
W.Milligan (NCM). Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 3 May 2013.

16 July 1997 Metal detecting.
Found at [13]:
Prehistoric worked flints.
1 ?Iron Age iron spearhead (tip missing) in situ, 1.25m below field surface. See drawing (S2) and X-ray (S3).
1 ?Iron Age pottery sherd.
1 Iron Age (or earlier) metal object - potin coin?
Finds donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.8.2 (?coin); NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.7).
W.Milligan (NCM) 19 September 1997.

25 July 1997. Field Observation.
Just northeast.
Two bones and one sherd and twelve worked flints.
W.Milligan (NCM) 19 September 1997.

14 August 1997.
1 prehistoric flint flake.
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1999.1.12.24.6).
W.Milligan (NCM)

September 1999.
Early Bronze Age short flanged axehead found by quarry worker.
See PA database sheet and drawing in file (S4).
A. Rogerson, 7 February 2001.

Discoveries from this site were reported in (S5).

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Finds

  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Undated)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BOW (WEAPON) (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BURNT FLINT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • BURNT FLINT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • CORE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • DEBITAGE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • END SCRAPER (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)
  • FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • HUMAN REMAINS (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • HUMAN REMAINS (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • SCRAPER (TOOL) (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • WORKED OBJECT (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Late Prehistoric - 4000 BC? to 42 AD?)
  • SCRAPER (TOOL) (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • FLANGED AXEHEAD (Early Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 1501 BC)
  • SPEAR (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • COIN? (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • POT (Iron Age - 800 BC? to 42 AD?)
  • SPEAR? (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
  • ANIMAL REMAINS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Illustration: Holness, A. 1997. Drawing of a ?Iron Age iron spearhead. Paper. 1:1.
<S1>Illustration: West, A. 1997. Drawing of a Late Bronze Age spearhead.. Film. 1:1.
<S3>X-ray: 1997. X-ray of ?Iron Age spearhead from Cranwich Pits.
<S4>Illustration: Ashley, S.. 1999. Drawing of a Early Bronze Age copper alloy axe head.. Film. 1:1.
<S5>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1998. Archaeological Finds in Norfolk 1997. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt I pp 181-192. p 182.
<S6>Illustration: Holness, A. 2000. Drawing of an almost complete ?prehistoric pot. Paper.

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