NHER 5011 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced Palaeolithic handaxe (Hilborough, poorly located)

At least one Palaeolithic object possibly recovered in the Bodney area of what is now Hilborough parish.

Pre 1931. Stray Find.
The British Museum Sturge Collection includes a handaxe from Bodney (2011,8109.728), which is the "drift implement" listed in (S1). It is presumably also the Bodney handaxe listed in (S2).
Information from (S3).

The date and circumstances of this discovery are not recorded, although there is an note on (S3) suggesting that this may have been found by W. G. Clarke. If this was indeed the case it would have been found prior to 1925, but probably after 1919, as there is no mention of finds from Bodney in either (S4) or (S5). The handaxe itself is described by Wymer on (S6) and in (S7) as pointed and very rolled.

It appears that this object has been accessioned with another handaxe from the Sturge Collection, which is marked "Botney" and from the Botany Bay brickworks site in Weeting with Broomhill parish (NHER 5643). Wymer noted that the provenance of the Bodney handaxe is somewhat suspect, being marked "Weeting" as well as "Bodney". Given the provenance of the accompanying handaxe it is entirely possible that it is indeed also from Weeting.

This handaxe is also listed in (S8) and (S9) although no additional information is given.

Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 26 April 2013 and 11 February 2016.