NHER 4105 (Find Spot record) - Mesolithic and later prehistoric worked flints

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Summary

A Neolithic flint arrowhead and a Beaker period barbed and tanged arrowhead were found in this field during the early 20th century. It is though that this field was the source of a number of Mesolithic worked flints that were found on the land of Hall Farm in 1947 and subsequently donated to the Wisbech Museum. This assemblage includes microliths, scrapers, a burin spall, an axe-sharpening flake and a large number of flakes. It should be noted that this site is close to where another assemblage of Mesolitic worked flints was recovered in 1960 (NHER 3890).

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TF81SW
Civil Parish SOUTHACRE, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Map

c. 1920-1925. Stray Find.
From 'Field 2', east of Big Wood and north-west of Southacre Hall:
1 Neolithic tanged arrowhead and 1 discoidal polished knife.
1 Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age barbed and tanged arrowhead.
Retained by finder [1]. Information from (S1) and (S2).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 13 June 2013.

1947. Fieldwalking.
Found [2]:
150 prehistoric worked flints. Donated to Wisbech Museum. Information from (S3), which describes these flints as mostly "flakes, some with secondary working". These are almost certainly the Mesolithic flints from "Southacre Farm" in the Wisbech Museum that that noted in (S4). These are listed as comprising 1 tranchet axe-sharpening flake, 2 cores, 130 blades/flakes, 3 scrapers, 1 graver [burin] spall, 4 microliths and 2 miscellaneous implements. These finds are also listed in (S5), although, apart from a note that the microliths are 'truncated pieces', no additional details are given. It is clear from Jacobi's records that it was initially thought that these finds might be from Castle Acre. However, it is noted that enquiries had subsequently suggested that "Southacre Farm" was a reference to Hall Farm, South Acre. Southacre Hall (NHER 4163) lies approximately 500m to the south-east of this field, so this would be consistent with the location originally reported to the NHER. The estimated grid reference in (S4) should be ignored as it was almost certainly recorded when it was thought these finds were from Castle Acre.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 13 June 2013.

This record was originally mapped as a point at TF 8018 1498. As there appears to be no evidence to support this degree of precision the mapped extent of this record now reflects the former extent of the large field that lay here before the landscape was changed by quarrying in the later 20th century.
P. Watkins (HES), 13 June 2013.

  • --- Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 81 SW 1 [2].
  • <S1> Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Neolithic. South Acre [2].
  • <S2> Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Bronze Age. South acre.
  • <S3> Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
  • <S4> Monograph: Wymer, J. J. and Bonsall, C. J. (eds). 1977. Gazetteer of Mesolithic Sites in England and Wales with a Gazetteer of Upper Palaeolithic Sites in England and Wales. Council for British Archaeology Research Report. No. 20. p 212.
  • <S5> Archive: R. Jacobi. -. Jacobi Archive. 10352.
  • AXE TRIMMING FLAKE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • BLADE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • BURIN SPALL (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • CORE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • FLAKE (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • SCRAPER (TOOL) (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
  • ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)
  • BARBED AND TANGED ARROWHEAD (Beaker - 2300 BC to 1700 BC)

Related NHER Records (0)

Record last edited

Jul 30 2025 8:29AM

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