NHER 6221 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced ?Palaeolithic worked flints (Kelling, poorly located)

Potentially Palaeolithic worked flints known to have been recovered in Kelling, but with only limited additional information regarding provenance.

REPORTED DISCOVERIES

Pre 1929. Field Observation.
In 1929 J. Reid Moir reported a number of other flints recovered from the so-called "cannon-shot gravels" that he believed to be Palaeolithic artefacts (S3). These objects were found by J. Reid Moir, J. E. Sainty and G. Maynard as part of research funded by the Percy Sladen Trust. The pieces listed and illustrated in (S3) include a "chopper" found "…at the large pits at Kelling". Although, like many of Moir's finds, this does not look particularly convincing it was however listed by Roe (S4) as a potentially Palaeolithic object. Although Wymer (S5) notes that this flint has a striking platform and two cones of percussion, he nevertheless regarded it as dubious and "…certainly not 'a well-made chopper of Early Mousterian type'" as suggested by Moir. This object is also noted on (S6) and in (S7) and (S8), although no additional information is given.

The location of the "large pits" mentioned by Moir is unclear, although it appears that there were once several on the main road between Salthouse and Weybourne.

FINDS IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

Ipswich Museum:

Pre 1932. Stray Find.
Found by J. Reid Moir:
1 "Clactonian flake, found in situ…in Cannon Shot gravel". Donated to Ipswich Museum and noted in (S1).
Information from (S2).
Around this time Moir published accounts of numberous supposedly Palaeolithic flints that had been recovered from this part of the Norfolk coast. The majority are now regarded as extremely dubious artefacts (see above).

Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology:

This museum holds two flint flakes from Kelling:
1 ?Palaeolithic flint flake. Maroon. Marked as being from "Kelling Gravel Pits" (Z 29514).
1 ?Palaeolithic "chipped flint" (1930.26 A). Recorded as being "from glacial gravels" and donated by J. Reid Moir.
Information from museum records.

Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 31 July 2014.