NHER 2645 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced Palaeolithic handaxes, probably actually from Swaffham Priory, Cambridgeshire (Swaffham, poorly located)

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Summary

At least two Paleolithic handaxes marked as being from "Swaffham" are held by the Cambridge University Museum of Anthropology and Anthropology. Possibly from Swaffham Priory, Cambridgeshire.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet Not recorded
Civil Parish SWAFFHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Map

No mapped location recorded.

1888-1891. Stray Find?
It is noted on (S1) that the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropoloy (CUMAA) holds two Acheulian ovate handaxes from "Swaffham". These are marked '21 March 1888' and '1891' and were apparently seen by R. R. Clarke (NCM) in 1934.

According to (S2) and (S3) the CUMAA actually holds 12 handaxes from "Swaffham". Miss M. Craster has however stated that all objects in this museum marked as being from Swaffham are in fact from Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire. Information from (S4). This is confirmed by an examination of the museum's current records, which list all object as being from either Swaffham Prior or Swaffham Fen in Cambridgeshire. No finds from Swaffham in Norfolk are listed in (S5).

It should however be noted that (S6) lists Swaffham as being amongst the places in Norfolk to have produced Lower Palaeolithic material by 1935.

E. Rose (NAU), 22 June 1982. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 3 June 2013.

  • <S1> Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Palaeolithic.
  • <S2> Record Card: Wymer, J. J. Wymer Index Card - Palaeolithic. Swaffham.
  • <S3> Publication: Wymer, J. J. 1985. Palaeolithic Sites of East Anglia. p 50.
  • <S4> Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
  • <S5> Monograph: Roe, D. A. 1968. A Gazetteer of British Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Sites. CBA Research Report. No 8.
  • <S6> Article in Monograph: Sainty, J. E. 1935. Norfolk Prehistory. British Association for the Advancement of Science. Report of the Annual Meeting, 1935. Norwich, September 4-11. British Association for the Advancement of Science. Appendix pp 60-71. p 63.
  • HANDAXE (Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic - 1000000 BC to 40001 BC)

Related NHER Records (0)

Record last edited

Mar 4 2016 11:45AM

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