NHER 3017 (Find Spot record) - Palaeolithic handaxe and fossil animal remains, Sparham Common gravel pit

February 1958. Stray Find.
Found in load of gravel delivered at Lenwade Mill in 1958:
1 Palaeolithic "Acheulian" flint handaxe. See drawing (S1).
This gravel had come from the Innes and Co. pit at Sparham, which was in the area formerly known as Sparham Common. Information from (S2).
This find was first reported in (S3) and is listed in (S4). It is also noted on (S5) and in (S6), (S7) and (S8), although no additional information is given.

The Sparham Common pit also produced a number of fossil animal bones during the 1950s and 1960s, including a number of mammoth teeth. Some of these fossils are now held by the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1957.2 : G; NWHCM : 1957.2; NWHCM : 1959.104 : G; NWHCM : 1959.294 : G; NWHCM : 1961.122.1-2 : G; NWHCM : 1963.111 : G; NWHCM : 1963.321 : G; NWHCM : 1964.499 : G). One of these teeth was previously recorded as NHER 3055.

The mapped extent of this record reflects the suggested origin of the handaxe. The fossils were recovered from various other locations within the pit.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 21 August 2013.

8 August 1996. Field Visit.
Pit visited by J. J. Wymer.
Partly flooded pit in terrace c. 6-8m above floodplain. Overgrown around edges. Sandy, coarse gravel exposed recently at west end.
Information from (S5).
P. Watkins (HES), 6 February 2015.