NHER 7844 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced Mesolithic, Neolithic and undatable prehistoric finds (Drayton, poorly located)

Various objects known to have been found in Lynford parish during the late 19th century and early 20th century, but with little or no additional information regarding provenance:

FINDS RECOVERED BY H. H. HALLS AND W. G. CLARKE

The Norwich Castle Museum holds a collection of "undated prehistoric flint implements" that were found by H. H. Halls at an unknown location in Drayton (his Site 25) at some time prior to 1924 (NWHCM : 1924.83.25). These flints are recorded by (S1) as Neolithic. A flint core from this site was donated to the Birmingham City Museum by Halls around the same time (Bir 1928A16.25). This core is listed as Mesolithic in (S2) and (S3) and a detailed description can be found in (S4).
Hall's Site 25 previously recorded as NHER 7847. Core previously recorded as NHER 7848.

The Norwich Castle Museum also hold a collection of "Neolithic flint implements" that were found by W. G. Clarke at an unknown location in Drayton (probably his Site 36). No other details are available.

It is notable that neither of the above NCM collections are listed in (S5), suggesting that no diagnostic Neolithic tool types are present.

OTHER FINDS IN THE NORWICH CASTLE MUSEUM

The Norwich Castle Museum holds a fairly large flint adze/axehead (unregistered) that is marked "Drayton" but is otherwise unprovenanced. This implement was identified as potentially Mesolithic by R. Jacobi.

FINDS IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

According to (S6) and (S1) the British Museum holds Mesolithic and Neolithic "surface flints" from Drayton. These were identified in their collections by E. Rose (NAU). No other details were noted.
Previously recorded as NHER 11476 and NHER 11475.

OTHER RECORDED FINDS

1882. Stray Find.
Drayton is listed in (S7) as one of the sites that had produced Neolithic flints of "Sandy Site Type" prior to 1907. The reference listed suggests that this note refers to a "Neolithic flint celt" from Drayton that was exhibited at a meeting of the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society by R. Fitch in 1882 (S8). It had apparently been found the same year. It has been suggested that this 'celt' is a waisted flint axehead with polished cutting edge that is now part of the Norwich Castle Museum Fitch Collection (NWHCM : 1894.76.809). However, a note is apparently attached to this axehead that suggests that whilst it was "said to have been found at Drayton" the information "…as to its locality [was] not reliable". According to (S9) this object is almost certainly from The Delph, Beck Row, Mildenhal (Suffolk).
Originally the only find recorded under NHER 7844.

Pre 1907. Stray Find.
Drayton is listed in (S7) as one of the parishes that had produced Neolithic flints of "Boulder Clay Type" prior to 1907. Such objects had been recovered by both W. G. Clarke and G. Rye. Clarke's finds are likely to be those in the NCM from his Site 36 (see above).
Previously recorded as NHER 7845.

Pre 1909. Stray Find.
In January 1909 a "...white patinated, symmetrical axe (9in in length), found by C. Walter at Drayton…" was exhibited (by F. Leney) at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia (S10). This object was described as a "Cissbury Type" implement in (S11) and is also noted in (S5).
Previously recorded as NHER 14582

1916. Stray Find.
Drayton is listed in (S12) as one of several parishes that had produced "pygmies" (Mesolithic flint, or at least what were seen as such at the time). These had been found by F. H. English in 1916. The extact provenance of these finds is not known, although it is possible that they came from one or more of the three sites at which English is known to have recovered finds in Drayton around this time (NHER 7890, NHER 7893 and NHER 7894).

Pre 1919. Stray FInd
Drayton is also listed in (S12), (S13) and (S14) as a location that had produced Neolithic "Cissbury Type" artefacts. Information from (S1). This may be a reference to the axehead found by C. H. Walter (see above), although, as noted by (S5), it may also be a reference to the material recovered by F. H. English at NHER 7893/NHER 7890, which resembles the assemblages recorded at Neolithic industrial sites and includes debitage of the large size found on flint mine sites (S5).
Previously recorded as NHER 7846.

It is also noted in (S12) and (S15) that one or more polished Neolithic implement had been recovered in Drayton by F. H. English. This again is likely to be a reference to finds from NHER 7893/NHER 7890.
Previously recorded under NHER 7849.

Pre April 1920. Stray Find.
A "…re-chipped, re-polished axe found at Drayton..." was exhibited by F. H. English at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia in April 1920 (S16). This is almost certainly one of the objects recovered as NHER 7893/NHER 7890).
Previously recorded as NHER 17113.

Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 22 May 2014.