NHER 9782 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced ?Mesolithic, Neolithic and Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age worked flints, Markshall (Caistor St Edmunds, poorly located)

Various Mesolithic and Neolithic objects found during the early 20th century in the Markshalls area of what is now Caistor St Edmund parish, but with no additional information regarding provenance.

Archaeological evidence recovered in the Markshall area during the early 20th century is summarised in (S1). In addition to a probable Neolithic flint-working site near Chapel Hill (NHER 9780), it is noted that a range of flint implements, including Neolithic axes, were picked up from fields in the eastern part of the parish. A range of sources are listed, although it should be noted that in some cases these actually appear to be mentions of the Chapel Hill "Cissbury" site (NHER 9780). Mesolithic and Neolithic finds of unknown or uncertain provenance are summarised below. This list is an expanded and ammended version of the summary that appears on (S2).

FINDS IN THE NORWICH CASTLE MUSEUM

It is noted in (S1) that the Norwich Castle Museum holds flints from W. G. Clarke, H. H, Halls and H. W. Cockrill that are from "various sites in the parish". The finds in these collections are listed as comprising "…horse-shoe, button, and double-ended scrapers, 9 other scrapers, 6 cones [cores], 3 planes, borer and axe".

Collections listed in the museum's records that cannot be conclusively associated with the Chapel Hill flint mine site (NHER 9780) are recorded as follows:
3 Neolithic scrapers (NWHCM : 1909.27.9) - W. G. Clarke.
1 Neolithic hollow scraper (NWHCM : 1909.33.24) - H. H. Halls.
1 Neolithic circular scraper (NWHCM : 1909.33.25) - H. H. Halls.
3 Neolithic scrapers (NWHCM : 1909.33.26) - H. H. Halls.
The NCM also holds an unspecified number of Neolithic worked flints that were found in Markshall by H. W. Cockrill (NWHCM : 1921.1.8). The donation of finds from Markshall is noted in (S3) but no additional information is given.

The NCM's main H. H. Halls collection (NWHCM : 1924.83) also includes a small flaked flint axehead that is marked as being from Markshall but is otherwise unprovenanced. This piece has been identified as potentially Mesolithic, probably by P. Robins (NCM).

Other unprovenanced prehistoric finds from Markshall in the NCM include a number of "Neolithic flint implements" that were received from the Gunnersbury Park Museum in 1963 (NWHCM : 1963.261.7). It is unclear who originally found these objects.

According to (S4) the Norwich Castle Museum also holds an unregistered Neolithic flint transverse petit tranchet derivative arrowhead marked "Markshall 1944”.

FINDS IN OTHER MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

According to (S1) "15 implements" that were in W. G. Clarke's collection are in the British Museum Sturge Collection. These are listed in (S5). These flints were examined by E. Rose (NLA) and identified as Mesolithic. Information from (S6). As with the above finds it is unclear whether these flint were from the 'Cissbury' site (Clarke's Site 22; NHER 9780) or other locations in the parish. Previously recorded as NHER 9781.

OTHER REPORTED DISCOVERIES

Pre October 1909. Stray Find.
In October 1909 H. H. Halls exhibited a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age flint barbed and tanged arrowhead from Markshall at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia (S7).

Pre 1913. Stray Find.
“Cissbury type” finds recovered in this area by H. H. Halls are listed in (S8) as including at least 1 burin and several “long scrapers”.

Pre 1916. Stray Find.
In (S9) Clarke and Halls recorded having found an unspecified number of what appear to have been single platform conical blade/flake cores in Markshall (”cones”).

Pre December 1927. Stray Find.
At a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia on 12 December 1927 H. H. Halls and J. E. Sainty exhibited a range of "…chipped and polished axes, knives and scraper", some of which had come from Markshall (S10).

Pre March 1930.
"Flaked axe(s)" from Markshall were exhibited at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia by J. E. Sainty on 3 March 1930 (S11).

Pre March 1931.
"Neolithic axe(s)" from Markshall were exhibited at a meeting of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia by J. E. Sainty on 5 March 1931 (S12).

Amended and expanded by P. Watkins (HES), 31 March 2014.]