NHER 61154 (Monument record) - Possible prehistoric flint mines or later extraction pits

February 1998. Walkover Survey.
Rapid Earthwork Identification Survey (Compartment 1032).
Two oval depressions observed, each measuring 20m x 15m and 0.8m deep. Possible spoilheaps around.
It is possible that these features are the remains of prehistoric flint mines.
See report (S1) for further details.
See NHER 11233 for details of Neolithic worked flints recovered in this area during fieldwalking in the early 20th century.
P. Watkins (HES), 18 August 2015.

May 2020. Breckland National Mapping Programme.
The undated depressions or pits described above are visible as earthworks, together with a third small pit, on visualised lidar data (S2). As suggested above, given the quantity of Neolithic worked flints recovered from the area (NHER 11233), it is feasible that the depressions represent the remains of Neolithic (or, more broadly, prehistoric) flint mines. They could instead, however, be the remains of more recent extraction pits, and the northwestern pit (at TG 7771 9268) is depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1st edition 6 inch map (S3). The features are part of a spread of pits across this area, several of which are depicted on the same Ordnance Survey map, and some of which were certainly dug for extraction (see NHER 55981 245m to the northeast, and NHER 4997 570m to the north). As the lidar survey was flown relatively recently (2015), it is probable that the earthworks still survive.
It is also worth noting that a number of sub-circular vegetation marks are visible in the vicinity of the site on recent aerial photographs (for example S4). These have not been mapped, as their archaeological significance is doubtful. They are, however, reminiscent of vegetation marks mapped in the vicinity of Grimes Graves (NHER 61536 for example), which could feasibly mark the site of Neolithic flint mine shafts, although this is far from certain.
The mapped extent of these remains has been refined and moved slightly southeast [1].
S. Tremlett (Norfolk Historic Environment Service), 8 May 2020.