NHER 9567 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced Late Upper Palaeolithic and Neolithic worked flints, Old Lakenham (Norwich, poorly located)

Various prehistoric worked flints known to have been recovered in Old Lakenham (now part of Norwich) during the early 20th century, but with little additional information regarding provenance.

FINDS IN THE NORWICH CASTLE MUSEUM

Pre September 1909. Stray Find.
In 1909 H. H. Halls donated a range of worked finds from Old Lakenham to the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1909.33). No information is recorded regarding the exact provenance of these objects, which are listed as including:
1 Neolithic chipped flint axe (NWHCM : 1909.33.8).
1 Neolithic chipped flint flat-backed axe (NWHCM : 1909.33.9).
2 Neolithic flint borers (NWHCM : 1909.33.18).
1 Neolithic flint hollow scraper (NWHCM : 1909.33.19).
1 Neolithic triangular flint knife (NWHCM : 1909.33.20).
1 Neolithic flint implement (NWHCM : 1909.33.21).
2 Neolithic flint "duckbill" scrapers (NWHCM : 1909.33.22).
7 Neolithic flint scrapers (NWHCM : 1909.33.23).
3 Neolithic flint scrapers (NWHCM : 1909.33.42).
A number of these finds are listed and illustrated in (S1).
Information from (S2).
Only three tools from this collection are listed in (S3); 1 flaked flint axehead, 1 long-pointed awl and 1 transverse petit-tranchet derivative arrowhead.
Previously recorded as NHER 9568.

Pre June 1926. Stray Find.
In 1926 H. H. Halls donated donated flints to the Norwich Castle Museum from two sites in Old Lakenham (Halls' Sites 1 and 2). Site 2 is recorded as having lain on Mansfield Lane and is recorded as NHER 546. The location of Site 1 is unknown.
Information from (S2).

The finds from Halls' Site 1 in the NCM (NWHCM : 1924.83.1) are listed simply as "undated prehistoric flint implements". A Late Upper Palaeolithic flint blade from Old Lakenham is however listed in (S4) as being part of this collection. A detailed description of this blade can be found in (S5). Three Neolithic tools are also listed in (S3); 1 laurel leaf, 1 long-pointed awl and 1 fragmentary polished axehead. It should be noted that none of these sources distinguish between the material from Site 1 and Site 2 (NHER 546).

FINDS IN OTHER MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

According to (S2) the British Museum holds Neolithic/Bronze Age flint from Old Lakenham. This material (which appear to have been unregistered) was identified by E. Rose (NAU).
Previously recorded as NHER 11494.

REPORTED DISCOVERIES

Pre December 1912. Stray Find.
On 9 December 1912 H. H. Halls exhibited a flint knife and a quartzite scraper from Lakenham at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia. The latter was described as "…the first of this material found in the county" (S6).

Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 July 2014.