HeritageGateway - Home
Site Map
Text size: A A A
You are here: Home > > > > Devon & Dartmoor HER Result
Devon & Dartmoor HERPrintable version | About Devon & Dartmoor HER | Visit Devon & Dartmoor HER online...

See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.


HER Number:MDV64564
Name:Palaeolithic Flints from the Broom Area

Summary

Excavations at the 'Broom Lower Palaeolithic Sites' in the 'Railway Ballast Pit' confirmed the sequence of clays and silts sandwiched between upper and lower gravels in the Broom Area of Devon and Dorset dated to the Lower Palaeolithic

Location

Grid Reference:ST 327 021
Map Sheet:ST30SW
Admin AreaDevon
Civil ParishHawkchurch
DistrictEast Devon
Ecclesiastical ParishHAWKCHURCH

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

  • Old DCC SMR Ref: ST30SW/14/1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

  • FINDSPOT (Lower Palaeolithic - 698000 BC to 180001 BC) + Sci.Date

Full description

Hosfield, R. T. + Terry, R., 2000, Renewed excavations: Broom Palaeolithic sites, 3-8 (Article in Serial). SDV104336.

Excavations at the 'Broom Lower Palaeolithic Sites' in the 'Railway Ballast Pit' in 2000-1 confirmed the sequence of deposits previously recorded. This consisted of clays and silts sandwiched between upper and lower gravels although the sequence was not uniform across the site. Only four flint flakes were recovered. It was suggested that the majority of the 20th century finds came from 'Pratt's Pit' at Grid Reference ST32790241 and 'Pratt's New Pit' at Grid Reference ST32800236 on either side of 'Holditch Lane' in Dorset rather than 'Railway Ballast Pit'.

Toms, P. S. + Horsfield, R. T. + Chambers, J. C. + Green, C. P. + Marshall, P., 2005, Optical dating of the Broom Palaeolithic sites: Devon & Dorset (Report - Scientific). SDV322023.

Luminescence Dating and Geochronology of the gravel beds at the 'Railway Ballast Pits' to the south of the River Blackwater suggested hominid presence from <325 ka to 205 ka.

Hosfield, R. + Brown, T. + Basell, L. + Hounsell, S. + Young, R., 2008, The Palaeolithic Rivers of South-West Britain: Final Report (Phases I & II), 15 (Report - non-specific). SDV341644.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV104336Article in Serial: Hosfield, R. T. + Terry, R.. 2000. Renewed excavations: Broom Palaeolithic sites. Lithics. 21. Digital. 3-8.
SDV322023Report - Scientific: Toms, P. S. + Horsfield, R. T. + Chambers, J. C. + Green, C. P. + Marshall, P.. 2005. Optical dating of the Broom Palaeolithic sites: Devon & Dorset. English Heritage Centre for Archaeology Report. 16/2005. A4 stapled + Digital.
SDV341644Report - non-specific: Hosfield, R. + Brown, T. + Basell, L. + Hounsell, S. + Young, R.. 2008. The Palaeolithic Rivers of South-West Britain: Final Report (Phases I & II). English Heritage Report. PNUM 3847. A4 Stapled + Digital. 15.

Associated Monuments

MDV11598Part of: Prehistoric Tools from Broom Area, HawkChurch (Monument)
MDV53600Related to: Prehistoric Axe from southwest of Tytherleigh (Find Spot)
MDV53622Related to: Prehistoric Axes from the Axminster Area (Find Spot)
MDV71457Related to: Prehistoric Hand Axes from Broom Area (Find Spot)
MDV53601Related to: Prehistoric Hand Axes from Hawkchurch (Find Spot)

Associated Finds

  • FDV297 - FLAKE (Palaeolithic - 698000 BC to 8001 BC)
  • FDV4623 - FLINT (Lower Palaeolithic to Unknown - 698000 BC)

Associated Events

  • EDV1720 - Optical dating of the Broom Palaeolithic sites: Devon & Dorset
  • EDV4434 - Geophysical Survey at Broom, Hawkchurch

Date Last Edited:Jan 19 2022 5:27PM