Code: 2763
Description: A group of three flint awls. The largest in grey flint with some cortex remaining on one side marked as found ?Blythbury, Suffolk (?possibly Blythburgh); the second fashioned from a grey flint triangular flake found West Stow, Suffolk; and the third fashioned from a narrow pointed brown flint flake marked as found in Suffolk.
Size: 39-49 mm/1.5-1.9 ins. in length
Culture: Neolithic
Date: c. 2000-3500 B.C.
Provenance: Two ex Dr. H.A. Fawcett Collection with his collectors mark.
Background: Dr. Hugh Alderson Fawcett (1891-1982) was a general practitioner and antiquarian who built up an important collection of ancient implements, weapons and ornaments that eventually numbered some eight thousand items. It was he who alerted the British Museum to the discovery of the fabulous Mildenhall treasure after being shown it by Sydney Ford during Easter in 1946. The bulk of his collection is now in the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, but Fawcett previously sold or traded many pieces in order to improve his collection. His distinctive monogram and careful recording of provenance makes his pieces readily identifiable.
