NHER 2744 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced Palaeolithic handaxes, Thetford Warren (Thetford, poorly located)

1869. Stray Finds.
Found on Thetford Warren:
4 Palaeolithic flint handaxes.
These objects were bequethed to the Norwich Castle Museum by Mr A. Fison in 1912 (NWHCM : 1912.129). The handaxes were exhibited at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia the same year but had originally been found in 1869 (S1).
Information from (S2).

The exact location of these discoveries is unknown, Thetford Warren covering an area of several square kilometres. It is however noted on (S2) that these "Group I handaxes" were "found at depth of 15ft [4.6m]". This information was presumably taken from the museum records and suggests that these objects were most likely recovered from one of the quarries that were open around this time. In 1897 Evans (S3) noted that a considerable quantity of gravel had been dug on Thetford Warren, although he was no aware of any artefacts having been recovered.

These handaxes are listed in (S4) and briefly described on (S5). They are also noted in (S6), (S7) and (S8), although no additional information is given.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 1 July 2013 and 30 January 2016.

?1930. Stray Find.
A note on (S2) suggests that the Thetford Museum also holds Palaeolithic material from Thetford Warren. Only one find in the Thetford Museum appears to have this provenance: an ovate flint object that was possibly found during the 1930s (THEHM : 1979.100.1). According to the museum records this object is labelled as being Palaeolithic, but this is seen as doubtful.
P. Watkins (HES), 1 July 2013.