Find Spot record MDO4652 - Mesolithic flint, Old Brow House garden, Shaftesbury

Mesolithic flints comprising one core, eight blade/flakes and two other flints were found at Old Brow, Shaftesbury in 1947 during levelling operations in the garden.

ST 857228. "A number of small flint flakes, now in Shaftesbury Museum, were found in 1947 on the surface at Old Brow House" during levelling operations in the garden of the house. Seven of the flints were submitted to Dr. Grahame Clark. "In Dr.Clark's opinion one looked like 'one end of a broad flake
from which gun flints or strike-a-lights have been taken' " and of the others" three of four of the smaller pieces could be primary flakes of a microlithic industry, but I would not venture to identify a microlithic site on this basis alone....'". <1>

Old Brow House is at ST 85752279. The present owner knew nothing of the flints or where they had
been found. The garden of the house is mainly covered by a lawn with some ornamental gardening. <2>

Mesolithic flints comprising one core, eight blade/flakes and two other Flints were found at Old Brow, Shaftesbury. In Shaftesbury Museum. <3>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1951, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1950, 94 (Serial). SDO50.

Some possible microlithic flints from Old Brow, Shaftesbury ; nat. grid ST(31)/857228
A number of small flint flakes, now in the Shaftesbury Museum, were found in 1947 on the surface at Old Brow House, a site which lies on the Greensand, during levelling operations mentioned in Vol. 71, p54. None were found on the adjacent Castle Hill site. Seven of these flints were submitted by the writer to Dr Grahame Clark. One of them, in Dr Clark's opinion, looked like "one end of a broad flake from which gun-flints or strike-a-lights have been taken …". Of the remainder Dr Clark reports : "Three or four of the smaller pieces could be primary flakes of a microlithic industry, but I would not venture to identify a microlithic site on this basis along. The larger flake has been blunted on one edge and also at one end as though for mounting with other flakes (as a reaper). It shows no diffuse lustre.

<2> Edwards, D W, Field Investigator's Comments DE, F1 DE 28-JAN-56 (Unpublished document). SDO18341.

<3> Wymer, J J, and Bonsall, C, 1977, Gazetteer of Mesolithic sites in England and Wales, with a gazetteer of Upper Palaeolithic sites in England and Wales, 73 (Monograph). SWX2026.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 13 2022 4:36PM