Find Spot record MDO44654 - Palaeolithic handaxes found at Hawkchurch, Thorncombe

As of 1968, 1,813 completed and 14 unfinished hand-axes from the Lower to Middle Palaeolithic date have been found in the Broom area, which includes Chard Junction. This area has produced a considerable number of artefacts in recent years as well. Pratt's Old Pits for example produced 900 artefacts in the 1930s.
Their construction has been attributed to Acheulian production tradition. The majority of the Palaeolithic artefacts are of an un-abraded nature (81% at Pratt's Old Pit).

Although no material has been recovered from inside the proposed development area, the presence of Palaeolithic artefacts within the gravels of the site can be strongly suspected. <>

<1> Roe, Derek A, 1968, A Gazetteer of British Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites, 44 (Monograph). SWX4454.

<2> 1993, The Southern Rivers Palaeolithic Project: 1992-1993: the south west and south of the Thames, 163 (Monograph). SWX1173.

<3> Gent, T H, 1994, Archaeological Assessment of a Proposed Extension to Chard Junction Quarry, Thorncombe, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO12374.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1067370 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 11 2022 1:22PM