NHER 7859 (Find Spot record) - ?Palaeolithic flint handaxe and possibly also Late Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic worked flints

At least one prehistoric worked flint object is known to have been recovered from the garden of 41 Drayton. This location is also a possible source of at least part of a large collection of poorly-provenanced worked flints that was brought in to the Norwich Castle Museum during the 1980s.

FINDS FROM THIS SITE

1966. Stray Find.
Found in garden of 41 Drayton Wood Road by [1]:
1 ?Palaeolithic reworked ?broken handaxe. Possibly half a chipped handaxe, retouched for use as scraper or knife. Odd. Information from (S1).
This find is also noted on (S2) and in (S3), although no additional information is given.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 13 May 2013.

FINDS POSSIBLY FROM THIS SITE

c. 1970. Stray Find.
A rare Upper Palaeolithic flint dihedral burin was found by [1] around 1970 and identified by the British Museum (recorded as NHER 11514). The provenance of this object is uncertain, although it was almost certainly found in the Drayton/Hellesdon area. It has been suggested (see note on (S4)) that this burin may actually be the object originally described as a possible broken handaxe (see above). Whilst this site is indeed a possible provenance for this burin its description suggests it is unlikely to be the same the object as that reported in 1966.

Spring 1985 or earlier. Fieldwalking.
In early 1985 a range of worked flints were brought into the Norwich Castle Museum for identification by [1]. These were apparently from either this site or the area of NHER 20472 (a nearby field in Drayton parish), being described as from "area of either of these sites". The assemblage included undatable prehistoric, Late Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic pieces. See NHER 20472 and list in file for further details.

Pre 13 December 1985. Fieldwalking.
Further finds brought in by [1], again reportedly either from this site or NHER 20472. This assemblage included Late Upper Palaeolithic, Late Upper Palaeolithic/Mesolithic and Neolithic worked flints and post-medieval pottery sherds. See NHER 20472 and list in file for further details.

Pre September 1986. Fieldwalking.
On balance it is probably more likely that the majority of the finds recorded as being from either this site or NHER 20472 were recovered at the Drayton site; particularly as the land immediately to the north of this field has also produced a range of Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic worked flints (it should though be noted that the area identified by the finder as Site 7859 may well have extended beyond his garden). The possible exception is a group of finds brought in to museum in September 1986. These were apparently "from round about site 7859 or thereabouts" and included:
23 undatable prehistoric (or no date given) flint flakes, 1 retouched flake.
1 Neolithic scraper and 4 large patinated flakes (possibly flint-mining or other industrial waste).
1 ?Neolithic crude flint core, 1 flake and 1 ?failed leaf point roughout.
5 Neolithic/modern large flint flakes.
1 ?modern flint core, 1 flake with crushed retouch and flakes with "heavy impact percussion" (?metal hammer) and 1 strike-a-light.
Identified by J. J. Wymer (NAU), 16 September 1986. See list in file.

Early 1987 or before. Fieldwalking.
Further finds "from either site" brought in by [1] in early 1987. This assemblage included Mesolithic/Neolithic, Neolithic and modern worked flints. See NHER 20472 and list in file for further details.

P. Watkins (HES), 4 June 2014.