NHER 5121 (Find Spot record) - Unprovenanced Palaeolithic handaxes (Lynford, poorly located)

Several museums holds Palaeolithic material that is recorded as being from Lynford but for which few other details are recorded. It is likely that that most, if not all of these objects were recovered during either the late 19th century or the earlier 20th century.

The poorly provenanced material from Lynford in listed in (S1) as 6 handaxes and 1 retouched flake/flake implement; these being held by the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (CUMAA) and the Wisbech Museum. According to Wymer (S2) all of these objects are handaxes and all but one are held by the CUMAA. These objects are also noted on (S3) and listed in (S4) and (S5).

Unfortunately there appears to be little evidence for when and where these objects were found. Wymer (S2) suggests that these handaxes may well have come from the West Tofts area, possibly the Swell Pit/Forestry Commission Pit site (NHER 5131). A large former gravel workings near Gravel Pit Cottages (NHER 58002) is another site that may that may have been the source of at least some of the early Palaeolithic discoveries in this area. See NHER 5119 four details of several poorly-provenanced handaxes from West Tofts.

Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology:
The museum's records suggest that the unprovenanced Palaeolithic material from Lynford that they hold comprises 5 handaxes (1906.14; 1906.139; 1906.141-142; 1907.14) and 1 scraper/flake (1924.1077). The latter is presumably the retouched flake/flake implement listed in (S1). The 6 handaxes identified by Wymer are noted on (S4) and are listed in (S2) as being 2 crude pointed examples, a pointed handaxe on a flake and 3 ovates. All are rolled or very rolled. It is possible that the handaxe made on a flake is the object not listed in the museum's records as a handaxe.

Wisbech Museum:
The single handaxe in the Wisbech Museum is described on (S4) and in (S2) as a broken ovate. In is noted on (S6) that this "Palaeolith" had been found in 1923 and had previously been held by the CUMAA.

British Museum:
The British Museum's Sturge Collection include an unprovenanced flint core from Lynford (2011,8109.737). This object is noted on (S6) and is possibly the "large worked lump" from Lynford listed in (S7). Although recorded as Palaeolithic in the museums records this must be seen as doubtful given that the object is not noted in either (S1) or (S2).

Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 13 May 2013.