Find Spot record 1474/0/2 - Flint Scatter, Lindow Moss

<1> Turner R C, 1987, Preliminary Report of the Lindow Moss Excavations 1987, Comments added 18/01/1989 (Unpublished Report). SCH2720.

During the season of excavations in 1987, a long trench was dug up the full profile of this sand island, on an E-W alignment, on its eastern side. It traced the relationship of the sand surface to the encroaching peat above and the charcoal rich soils sealed between them. On the top of the island, a thin flint scatter was found within the B horizon of the developed podsol. About 20 flints were found, perhaps deriving from two or three cores, almost certainly found where they lay. Contains two large blades and one scraper and suggests a Neolithic date. Specialist analysis of the soil profile is being undertaken by Matthew Carni, Ancient Monuments Laboratory, English Heritage.
(see source 2 for further detail)

<2> Turner R C, 1987, Preliminary Report of the Lindow Moss Excavations 1987 (Unpublished Report). SCH2720.

Excavations within the area of Lindow Moss were undertaken in 1987 following the discovery of the Lindow III bog body (CHER 1473/0/3). Two of the trenches excavated (Trenches 2 and 3) targeted two sand islands projecting from the peat on the western fringes of the moss, with the aim of identifying activity contemporary with the bog bodies, also to investigate the relationship of the sand islands to the peat bog. Trench 3 comprised a 36.4m by 2m trench, excavated in an east-west orientation, across the more easterly sand island. The trench was located down the hill slope and into the bog fringe. Above the level of the peat on the island, within the B horizon of the podsol, a small scatter of flints in a grey-brown flint were found. There were 21 pieces, mostly small waste flakes, but also including two blades, probably struck from the same core, suggestive of a Neolithic date. The pieces are probably in the position where they fell and may represent a single visit to the island.
In both trenches evidence was found of a soil deposit comprising layers of sand, peat and pieces of charcoal (CHER 1474/0/1), sealed by a layer of peat. This is thought to represent evidence for human activity including clearance and possible cultivation resulting in erosion of the the islands' surfaces. The flint scatter could be contemporary with these events.

<3> Turner R. C. & Scaife R. G. A (eds), 1995, Bog Bodies. New Discoveries and New Perspectives, p.17 (Book). SCH4324.

Reports that 29 flints were recovered in four types of flint. The raw material used was pebbles probably derived from the local boulder clay or river gravels. 26 of the 29 items were waste flakes, indicating one or two knapping episodes. Implements comprised a single flake knife, a utilised flake and a retouched lump of flint. Potentially, early Neolithic and contemporary with the radio-carbon date from Trench 2 (charcoal samples taken from Trench 2 returned a C14 date of 4980 +/- 70 B.P. or 3970-3640 cal BC; HAR 8875). The flints were found in an undisturbed podsol, indicating that the island had not been cultivated since their deposition.

<4> Leah, MD; Wells, CE; Appleby, C; Huckerby, E, 1997, The Wetlands of Cheshire (North West Wetlands Survey 4), p.49 (Monograph). SCH3260.