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Summary

Prehistoric flint knapping site northwest of Orleigh Court. Finds of artifacts include flakes, scrapers, blades, cores, borers, a hammerstone and an arrowhead.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS42SW/18

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LITHIC WORKING SITE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Bronze Age - 698000 BC to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, SS42NE36 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV349816.

Untitled Source (Archive - Excavation). SDV7592.

Untitled Source (Archive - Excavation). SDV7593.

Untitled Source (Archive - Excavation). SDV7594.

Young, T., 1906, Untitled Source, 267 (Article in Serial). SDV7585.

At Orleigh Court abundant evidence of the flaking of flint nodules has been discovered. Arrowheads, scrapers, boring tools and some large cores were obtained, but no microliths.

Clark, J. G. D., 1932, Untitled Source (Monograph). SDV7591.

Cited by Wymer.

Simpson, B. + Rogers, I., 1937, A Chipping-Floor at Orleigh Court, North Devon, 299-309 (Article in Serial). SDV7583.

Mesolithic knapping site northwest of Orleigh Court at about 95m above sea level. Upper portion of red gravel deposit characterised by flint nodules derived from chalk, and thus from at least 60 miles away. The colour of the flint varies. Finds of artifacts include flakes, scrapers, blades, cores, borers, a hammer-stone and an arrow-head, which is the only datable artifact from the Early Bronze Age. The other artifactual material suggests probable Late Mesolithic-Early Neolithic dating. Simpson and Rogers position scatter in field centred SS42802250. Figs 1-9.

Worth, R. H., 1938, 44th Report of the Scientific Memoranda, 117-118 (Article in Serial). SDV7597.

Plate 13-14.

Ordnance Survey, 1953, SS42SW6 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV7586.

Fieldwork could not produce a more accurate siting. A heavy scatter of flint was found but it contained no artifacts or wasters. Plan included.

Gardner, K. S., 1957, A Mesolithic Survey of North Devon, 166 (Article in Serial). SDV7582.

At Orleigh Court, 4 miles southwest of Bideford, is an area of about three quarters of a square mile covered by a red gravel deposit containing a number of large pieces of flint. Other than on the beaches, this is the only source of flint in the locality. Poor quality. Attributed to the Mesolithic period although no microlithic material appears to have been reported.

Wymer, J. J., 1977, Gazetteer of Mesolithic Sites, 55 (Monograph). SDV8096.

A number of characteristic Mesolithic artefacts identified in collections at Bideford Museum, Rougemont House Museum Exeter, and Torquay - Rogers Collection. Unretouched blades and flakes, scrapers and cores.

Jacobi, R. M., 1979, Early Flandrian Hunters in the South-West, 76 (Article in Serial). SDV117514.

Meade, H. M., 1985, A Flint Scatter and Flint Axe-Head at Landcross, 111-2 (Article in Serial). SDV13162.

Newberry, J., 2002, Inland Flint in Prehistoric Devon: Sources, Tool-making Quality and Use, 1-36 (Article in Serial). SDV104003.

Some flint from this source was found to be of exceptional quality.

Newberry, J. + Pearce, N., 2005, Orleigh Court Flint and the North Devon Palaeolithic, 14-15 (Article in Serial). SDV323785.

Orleigh Court is the only inland source of flint in North Devon and the most westerly source known today in southern England where complete and unabraded flint nodules are found. The source was used by both Mesolithic and Neolithic flint knappers and it is suggested that it may also have been used in the Palaeolithic period, although more work is needed to clarify this.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV1474 - OSA=SS42SW6

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