NHER 9425 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced Palaeolithic worked flints (Wymondham, poorly located)

Various Palaeolithic worked flints found during the late 19th century and early 20th century in Wymondham parish, but with no additional information regarding provenance. Some of these finds survive in at least two museum collections and a number of additional discoveries are described in various early published sources. Although no additional provenance information is recorded it is possible to suggest a couple of possible sources for this material. One is a large pit that was open on the Browick Road during the early 20th century, which is recorded as having produced Palaeolithic material (NHER 9426). The second possible location is an area to the north-west of the town which has produced a number of Palaeolithic objects in recent years and lies close to where a gravel pit is shown on early cartographic sources (NHER 23825).

REPORTED DISCOVERIES

Pre 1907. Stray Find.
Wymondham is listed in (S1) as a location in which Palaeolithic objects had been found by both G. Rye and W. G. Clarke prior to 1907. Apart from a note on (S2) that they were from "Site D" there is no information available on the nature of Rye's finds. It is recorded in (S3) that Clarke had recovered "…two palaeoliths from the Plateau Gravel at Wymondham…"; these finds are presumably the reason that Clarke included himself on the list in (S1). It should be noted that many of the flints that Clarke claimed as deliberately worked are now believed to have been natural. The descriptions given in (S3) suggest that his Wymondham finds were also far from convincing. There are probably the handaxes listed by Roe (S6) as being "attributed to [Wymondham]" (but not actually amongst the surviving material examined).

Around 1910. Stray Find.
In a paper read to the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia in October 1910 (S4) Sturge described finding several "human flakes" in "…the gravels at Wymondham…". These were covered in a "red material" but when washed were found to be black without any sign of staining.

Pre October 1911. Stray Find.
In a paper read at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia in October 1911 (S5) H. Dixon Hewitt mentioned having found "…a dozen bulbous flakes which appeared to be of definitely human origin" on paths in Thetford made from gravel brought in from Wymondham.

FINDS IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

British Museum:
The British Museum handaxe is listed in (S6) as holding 2 flakes and 1 miscellaneous worked fragment from Wymondham. These objects are part of the Sturge Collection and are actually 1 handaxe and 2 flakes (2011,8109.766). As noted on (S7) it is possible that these are the " 3 Neolithic flakes" listed in (S8). The handaxe is described on (S9) and in (S10) as pointed and only slightly rolled. One of the flakes is described on (S9) as being rolled, whilst the other is recorded as being in mint condition (which led Wymer to suspect that it was a recent fracture). These finds are also noted in (S11) and (S12), although no additional information is given.

Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology:
As noted by Wymer the CUMAA holds a handaxe that may be from Wymondham (1924.1034). It is described on (S9) and in (S10) as pointed and in a rolled condition. It should be noted that the museum's records suggest that this object was not necessarily from Wymondham in Norfolk and could actually be from East Leicester.

Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 20 February 2014 and 10 February 2016.