NHER 5656 (Find Spot record) - Multi-period prehistoric, Roman and Late Saxon finds, near St Helen's Well

Various finds recovered in the vicinity of St Helen's Well (NHER 5685), mostly during the first half of the 20th century. Site now falls within scheduled area of NHER 5684 and NHER 5685.

Pre 1929. Stray Finds.
A number of prehistoric finds were recovered in the vicinity of St Helen's Well by H. Dixon Hewitt during the early 20th century. This location was Dixon Hewitt's Site XX*; a sub-site of his much larger Site XX (see NHER 5674). Dixon Hewitt's notes record his Site XX* as "Thetford St Peter, round about St Helen's (or Tanner's) Well, including possibly a few pieces which were just across the Santon boundary". He also noted that the material from this site showed "...similarities to the Two Mile Site of F. N. Haward, i.e. though Neolithic in age it has decidedly "Cave" affinities". This is a reference to an area to the south-east (NHER 5719) that had produced a significant number of what are now recognised to be Mesolithic worked flints.

Dixon Hewitt's finds included a Bronze Age copper alloy awl, found in March 1919, close to St Helen's Well, 50yds [46m] from Santon boundary bank and 80yds [73m] from Santon Road. Information from (S4). This object was exhibited at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia in 1922 (S5) and is now held by the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1920.19). According to (S4) Dixon Hewitt also reported having found "fragments of Bronze Age 'Beakers' and several flint scrapers...at the same spot". It appears that the pottery sherds were amongst a number of Dixon Hewitt's finds that were transferred to the NCM from the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (CUMAA) in 1955 (NWHCM : 1955.179.8). One of these sherds is described and illustrated in in (S6).
These finds were previously recorded as NHER 5678.

The Norwich Castle Museum's main Dixon Hewitt collection (NWHCM : 1922.39) includes a range of worked flints from both Site XX and Site XX*, the majority marked with both a site number and additional information regarding their date of discovery and/or provenance. It is recorded in (S7) that the NCM's Hewitt collection includes a number of potentially Mesolithic flints from "[Thetford] St Peter's, near St Helens (or Tanner's) Well", these listed as 3 cores, 24 blades/flakes and 10 scrapers. At least some of these pieces are probably from Site XX*, although it is likely that the totals also include flints with the more general Site XX provenance (see NHER 5674). Flints from site Site XX* recorded by the NCM as Mesolithic/Neolithic include several cores, 3 scraper, 1 probable fabricator, 1 retouched blade-like flake, 1 notched blade, 1 finely serrated blade 1 notched flake and a range of unmodified blades and flakes. These flints were seen during a rapid scan of the collection by P. Watkins (HES) in October 2014.

A number of other finds passed from the CUMAA in 1955 also appear to have also been found by H. D. Hewitt. These include a range of Roman finds, including flue tiles, floor tiles and pottery that are also recorded as having been found near St Helen's Well. These finds suggest there was almost certainly a significant Roman period site in the area that Hewitt examined; which would explain the presence of the Roman material identified during the excavation of nearby St Helen's church (NHER 5684). Note also the proximity to the Santon Late Iron Age and Roman hoard (NHER 5684). Other finds now held by the NCM include a sherd of Late Saxon pottery (NWHCM : 1955.179.3) and an undated copper alloy sheet fragment (NWHCM : 1955.179.2.1).
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2013.

According to (S6) Thetford Museum holds a Neolithic transverse (petit tranchet derivative) flint arrowhead, although no details are given regarding the date or circumstances of its discovery. It could not be identified in the current museum records and its finder is therefore also unknown.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2013.

Pre 1936. Stray Find.
A notable number of Iron Age pottery sherds have also been found in this general area. According to (S8), in around (or prior to) 1936 sherds were found across an extensive area "…around St Helen's Well, extending into Santon parish." These finds were previously recorded under NHER 5655 and include material collected by H. Dixon Hewitt, F. N. Haward, C. Leaf and R. R. Clarke. Some of the sherds found by H. Dixon Hewitt are now held by the NCM (NWHCM : 1955.179.1; NWHCM : 1955.179.9 - both groups of material transferred from CUMAA) According to (S8) at least two of the sherds found by R. R. Clarke are within the large collection of his finds held by the NCM (NWHCM : 1939.10).
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2013.

Pre 1947. Stray Finds.
Found by F. N. Haward:
1 Palaeolithic S-twist ovate flint handaxe. Now held by the NCM (NWHCM : 1947.33.8). Information from (S1). This is described by Wymer (S2) as being in sharp, patinated condition. Roe (S3) lists a second handaxe with this provenance as being held by the Wisbech Museum. Its finder is not known. These objects are also noted in (S9) and (S10), although no additional information is given.
T. Clough (NAU). Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2013.

1994. Visit.
According to C. Pendleton (SCCAS) finds of gunflints have been reported at this site.
E. Rose (NLA), 7 October 1994.

1995. Stray Find.
1 Late Mesolithic/Early Neolithic flint blade core.
Identified by P. Robins (NCM), see description in file.
W. Milligan (NCM), 10 April 1995. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2013.

It should be noted that the mapped extent of this record reflects only the approximate area in which the above finds were recovered. Hewitt's finds in particular may have come from a wider area and the mapped extent of the record should therefore be seen as reflecting the central part of his collection unit, rather than its limits.
P. Watkins (HES), 14 May 2013.