NHER 60109 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced Palaeolithic worked flints (Norwich, poorly located)

Palaeolithic (or potentially Palaeolithic) worked flints recored as having been found in Norwich, but with no additional information regarding provence.

FINDS IN THE NORWICH CASTLE MUSEUM

Early 20th century. Stray Find.
Found by J. Reid Moir "below crag":
Palaeolithic chipped flints "found at Norwich". Held by NCM (NWHCM : 1963.23 : A). Originally donated to Ipswich Museum and transferred to Norwich Castle Museum in 1963 (NWHCM : 1963.23). Information from (S1) and museum records. Although recorded as Palaeolithic, it should be noted that the majority of the supposedly "sub-crag" flints found by Moir and others during the early 20th century are now seen a dubious artefacts.

FINDS IN OTHER MUSEUMS

Roe (S2) lists the British Museum and the Bradford Museum as holding unprovenanced Palaeolithic finds from Norwich, although only a single handaxe is listed. The handaxe is in the British Museum's Sturge Collection (2011,8109.740) and is listed in (S3). This object was seen by E. Rose (NAU) in 1974 and described as a "large Palaeolithic handaxe". This handaxe is also noted by Wymer on (S4) and in (S5). According to (S4) the object held by the Bradford Museum is a retouched flake.
These finds are noted in (S6) and (S7), although no additional information is given.

The British Museum also holds two "Lower Palaeolithic" objects that were transferred from the Geological Museum (now part of the Natural History Museum). These are recorded as a flake (1989,0301.1210) and a nodule (1989,0301.1209). In spite of their recorded date it should be noted that these finds may well be "sub-crag" flints, which, as noted above, are now regarded as dubious artefacts. This is suggested by the fact that another flint transferred from the Geological Museum at the same time is recorded as being from the "Norwich Crag" at Thorpe (1989,0301.1211; probably NHER 9614).

Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 18 July 2014.