NHER 5804 (Find Spot record) - Prehistoric worked flints, Roman and medieval pottery and medieval seal matrix, Abbey Heath

Various objects known to have been recovered from Abbey Heath, but with no additional information regarding provenance. This record was previously mapped as an ovoid polygon centred on TL 853 844. The mapped extent now represents the approximate extent of Abbey Heath in the early 20th century.

THE FINDS OF W. G. CLARKE

Abbey Heath was one of several areas in Thetford parish where artefacts were collected by W. G. Clarke during the early 20th century (his Site 20). Information from (S1). The finds recovered included Neolithic flints and a number of Roman pottery sherds; these now held by the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1926.32.20). Clarke described one of his Neolithic finds as a "harpoon barb" (S2), although this object has now been reidentified as a Neolithic oblique petit tranchet derivative arrowhead (S3). It appears that this object is not part of the NCM collection and no other diagnostic tool types are listed in (S3). It is noted on (S1) that 2 Neolithic flint scrapers found by W. G. Clarke at this site were donated to the NCM by his son (R. R. Clarke) in 1937.

According to (S4) the Roman sherds (previously recorded as NHER 5843) are mentioned in one of Clarke's manuscript notes (S5).

The Thetford Museum holds a medieval lead seal matrix that was found by W. G. Clarke on Abbey Heath (THEHM : 1975.479).

OTHER FINDS IN THE THETFORD MUSEUM

The Thetford holds a number of prehistoric worked flints that were recovered on Abbey Heath by Rev. H. T. Green during the early 20th century:
2 Mesolithic flint microliths (THEHM : 1975.332). Listed in (S6) and described in (S7).
1 Mesolithic serrated blade (THEHM : 1976.52). Described in (S7) and probably the Mesolithic/blade flake from Abbey Heath listed in (S6).
1 Early Neolithic fragmentary leaf-shaped arrowhead (THEHM : 1975.460). Presumably the fragmentary arrowhead listed in (S3).
1 Neolithic/Bronze Age end scraper of uncertain date (THEHM : 1978.582).
1 ?Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age pottery sherd (coarse greyish pottery, could be Beaker) (THEHM : 1976.468).
2 medieval pottery sherds (THEHM : 1976.467).

FINDS IN OTHER MUSEUMS

The British Museum's Upper Palaeolithic/Mesolithic collections include a small assemblage of 13 unregistered finds (1 pick, 1 scraper, 1 retouched blade and debitage; doner unknown) from Abbey Heath, Thetford Warren and unspecified sites in Thetford. See NHER 5722 for further details.

According to (S3) the British Museum Sturge Collection includes a flaked discoidal knife from Abbey Heath.

Amended and expanded by P. Watkins (HES), 24 July 2013 and 15 September 2015.