NHER 4904 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age finds, Feltwell Fen (Feltwell, poorly located)

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Summary

Various prehistoric objects found during the late 19th century and 20th century in Feltwell Fen, but with no additional information regarding provenance.

Protected Status/Designation

None recorded

Location

Map sheet	Not recorded
Civil Parish	FELTWELL, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Map

No mapped location recorded.

Full Description

Various prehistoric objects found during the late 19th century and early 20th century in the area known as Feltwell Fen, but with no additional information regarding provenance.

FINDS IN NORFOLK MUSEUMS

1958. Stray Find.
"From Feltwell Fens".
Partially perforated pebble object, believed to be an unfinished pebble macehead.
Found by F. Curtis and donated to King's Lynn Museum (KILLM : 1958.9.54).
Listed in (S1) and (S2) (where it is described as a 'cupped pebble').
Previously recorded as NHER 14588.
P. Watkins (HES), 22 October 2013.

1956. Stray Find.
Found at an unknown location on 'Feltwell Fens'.
Neolithic polished stone axehead - jet black colour. [1].
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1971.535.5).
Implement petrology (N150): jade (FSW) jadeite pyroxene and garnet (AC Bishop) N.150. See (S4) and (S5).
Information from (S3), which has a sketch of the object on its reverse.
This discovery was reported in (S8).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 22 October 2013.

OTHER FINDS

1966. Stray Find.
Mesolithic tranchet axe found in Feltwell Fen (TL 64 89 approx.). This discovery was first reported in (S6) and is also noted by (S7). Although the present location of this object is not known it is believed that a cast held by the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (listed in (S1)) was taken from this axe.
Previously recorded as NHER 21291.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 22 October 2013.

IND26022025JG1 - PAS details awaited. [2].
Found in the 1960's on the edge of the fen at Feltwell by [3]. Exact find spot not currently known.
P. Watkins (HES), 11 October 2025.

Associated Sources (9)

--- SNF57722 Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. NHERs 4904, 14588 and 21291.
<S1> SNF8776 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 206.
<S2> SNF6350 Monograph: Healy, F. 1996. The Fenland Project, Number 11: The Wissey Embayment: Evidence for pre-Iron Age Occupation. East Anglian Archaeology. No 78. Appendix 8 (microfiche).
<S3> SNF87257 Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Neolithic. Feltwell.
<S4> SNF2471 Article in Serial: Clough, T. H. Mck. and Green, B. 1972. The petrological identification of stone implements from East Anglia. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. Vol 38 pp 108-155.
<S5> SNF88193 Article in Serial: Jones, V., Bishop, A. C. and Woolley, A. R. 1977. Third Supplement of the Catalogue of Jade Axes from Sites in the British Isles. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. Vol 43 pp 287-293. p 290.
<S6> SNF2381 Serial: 1967. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries for 1967. No 14. p 5.
<S7> SNF57204 Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TL 68 NW 2.
<S8> SNF2259 Serial: 1956. Council for British Archaeology Group 7 Bulletin of Archaeological Discoveries. No 3. p 3.

Site and Feature Types and Periods (3)

Object Types (3)

PEBBLE MACE (Early Mesolithic to Early Bronze Age - 10000 BC to 1501 BC)
TRANCHET AXEHEAD (Mesolithic - 10000 BC to 4001 BC)
POLISHED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2351 BC)

Related NHER Records (0)

Record last edited

Oct 11 2025 11:38AM