NHER 15197 (Find Spot record) - Concentration of Mesolithic worked flints, Neolithic worked flints and Roman pottery

Earthwork features indentified on this site are recovered as NHER 54990.

1979. Fieldwalking.
Found by [1] on ploughed field to north of Square Covert:
1 ?Palaeolithic flint tool; poorly produced but definitely artefactual - probably some form of core tool.
1 Mesolithic flint core, 1 core rejuvenation flake, 13 flakes, 1 retouched piece and 1 'chunk'.
3 Mesolithic/Early Neolithic single-platform flint blade cores.
Several Neolithic flint flakes.
A thin scatter of Roman pottery was identified, also concentrated in the south-east corner of the field. Chiefly very small and abraded coarseware fragments, including eight cooking pot rims and one bowl rim. Two Samian sherds too small for Drag. Identification also present; one plain rim and one sherd with leaf motif flange.
Identified and compiled by A. J. Lawson (NAU), 15 October 1979. Information from (S1).
Discoveries also reported in (S2).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2013.

Pre May 1981. Fieldwalking.
Further finds brought in [1] (who retained):
1 flint core fragment.
F. Healy (NAU), 29 May 1981. Information from (S1).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 19 April 2013.

1983.
In January 1983 a map was supplied by [1] showing the distribution of the finds that that been found at in the vicinity of Cranberry Rough prior to this date (S3). An accompanying letter stated that many of the finds had been given to the British Museum.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 April 2013.

Pre December 1992. Fieldwalking.
Found by [1] at [2]:
1 prehistoric retouched flint flake.
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1998.407.16). Information from museum records. Probably identified by P. Robins (NCM).
P. Watkins (HES), 26 September 2014.

This site is one of several concentrations of Mesolithic flint that have now been identified along the margins of Hockham Mere (which was drained in the late 18th century), suggesting this area saw significant occupation at this time. This assertion is supported by the analysis of microscopic charcoal fragments recovered from the former lake sediments. At Hockham charcoal has been found throughout a series of deposits radiocarbon dated to 7500-3000 BC (S4). Sediments in nearby Quidenham Mere were found to be lacking corresponding concentrations of charcoal (S5), suggesting the fragments at Hockham were from adjacent small fires rather than forest fires (the other potential source of such material and one which would be expected to spread particles over a much greater distance). See also NHERs 8992, 15359, 25972 and 50311.
P. Watkins (HES), 18 April 2013.