Record ID: NMS-5AA89B
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: MESOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Complete small tranchet adze, made from a larger thermal (frost/”potlid”) fracture of flint, the ventral face (the flatter of the two) carries the remnants of the interior face of this natural fracture, this area is unworked and is patinated slightly more orange/yellow than the knapped surfaces. The butt of the adze is relatively unpatinated, with a tiny patch of cortex extant to the very tip of the butt, the rest of the dorsal cortex is completely removed by flaking, this face shows the flint to have originally been mid-grey, the other parts of the adze are now patinated a…
Created on: Monday 4th March 2024
Last updated: Monday 4th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: CORN-28A1C2
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Cornwall
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A relatively worn blade end of a greenstone adzehead, of probable late Neolithic - early Bronze Age date, made from weathered greenstone meta-gabbro. Greenstones axe or adze heads were commonplace during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods in Cornwall.  'Greenstone' is actually a general archaeological term, rather than meaning a specific stone. It is commonly used to refer to any green-hued minerals that were used during the Prehistoric, to make tools, jewellery etc... To make matters even more complicated, various antiquarian literature in Cornwall calls this…
Created on: Thursday 25th January 2024
Last updated: Thursday 7th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: CORN-BF2348
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Cornwall
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A relatively worn, pitted adze head, of probable late Neolithic - early Bronze Age date, made from amphibolite schist. It is a light blue-green colour, and flares at its cutting edge. Interesting, this object shows signs of having been broken, and the blade subsequently re-worked. It appears to have originally been an adze, but its secondary use was as an axehead. Greenstones axe or adze heads were commonplace during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods in Cornwall. Due to depositional context of this find, and due to the relative proximity upstream of a Bronze Age-Iron Age…
Created on: Monday 8th January 2024
Last updated: Thursday 7th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-F4CE01
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: MESOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Adze, of pale buff and misty light grey patinated flint, all flakes appear to be semi-hard hammer struck, the butt is flat: the only remnant of the nodule this was knapped from, it retains a much lighter, almost white patination. The cutting edge has been reshaped crudely by removing invasive flakes from dorsal face only from the cutting edge, the result is uneven. This may have been an attempt to make a shorter adze a damaged example, or a failed attempt to resharpen a blunt edge, it is clear that this piece was abandoned at this point. As the cutting edge has been modified, it is dif…
Created on: Tuesday 5th December 2023
Last updated: Tuesday 9th January 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NLM-C213E3
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: North East Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Pale grey and mottled flint, adze, as kindly suggested by the finder. A straight-sided rod with curved cutting edge and a narrower butt, formed from a nodule by covering hard hammer angled scalar retouch which has produced numerous deep and overlapping dished scars. One side may be ground or battered. The object is of irregular oval section. Suggested date: Neolithic, 4000-2350 BC Length: 114.6mm, Width: 43.3mm, Thickness: 36.5mm, Weight: 174.98gms
Created on: Tuesday 3rd October 2023
Last updated: Tuesday 3rd October 2023
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NLM-528F42
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: North Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Brown flint possible adze fragment. Suggested date: possibly Neolithic, 4000-2350 BC Length: 22.1mm, Width: 36.2mm, Thickness: 15.1mm, Weight: 9.23gms
Created on: Wednesday 5th July 2023
Last updated: Wednesday 5th July 2023
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SUR-DD6F65
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Hampshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A Neolithic flaked flint adze, knapped from a grey flint, 156mm in length. The sides on the long axis of the tool are roughly parallel, tapering to rounded ends and with a lenticular cross section. The side profile is convex suggesting a function as an adze and the working edge is rounded but has been damaged. The flint has heavily recorticated with a white patina derived from prolonged deposition in calcareous sediments and there is also extensive post depositional iron staining.
Created on: Wednesday 24th May 2023
Last updated: Friday 1st December 2023
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NLM-837BB3
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: North East Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Dark grey flint adze. Flaked adze, of oval section with covering angled scalar retouch extending across both its sides, and with traces of light battering at either end. Slightly tapered in form. The lack of any patina might suggest this object to have recently been disturbed from a sealed context. Suggested date: Neolithic, 4000-2350 BC Length: 68.3mm, Width: 33.4mm, Thickness: 17.9mm, Weight: 41.97gms
Created on: Tuesday 13th December 2022
Last updated: Tuesday 13th December 2022
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Laceby', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-70BE1D
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: PALAEOLITHIC
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A complete Paeleolithic flint tranchet adze. Bifacially worked, but with a lot more removal scars on the ventral surface than the dorsal. The entire flint is pale grey in colour, with a darker grey patch on the proximal end. The adze is oval in section, though at points sub-triangular.
Created on: Tuesday 6th September 2022
Last updated: Tuesday 14th March 2023
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Near Colchester', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-132A4A
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: MESOLITHIC
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A complete Mesolithic flint tranchet adze. The flint is orange/brown in colour, with a darker area around the distal end Both faces are heavily worked. The adze is oval in section, though at points sub-triangular.
Created on: Thursday 21st April 2022
Last updated: Tuesday 24th May 2022
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Near Braintree', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: LON-109BCE
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: MESOLITHIC
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An early Mesolithic flaked flint biface adze "Thames pick" (10,000-7,000BC). The adze has been 'roughed out' from a flint nodule or pebble. It is roughly oval in cross section. Viewed edge-on along its longitudinal axis the adze tapers slightly from the broadly rounded butt towards the more pointed cutting edge. Viewed from above, the butt and cutting edge are both rounded and the sides are approximately straight and parallel. There are signs of crushing along sections of both edges. There are numerous conchoidal fractures and large flake removal scars extending from the edges on both…
Created on: Thursday 21st April 2022
Last updated: Sunday 24th April 2022
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-0BC4AF
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: MESOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Proximal end of a very large hard hammer struck blade of thick, sub-triangular section, the distal end is broken transversely in antiquty, the lateral edges have been steeply retouched on one side, the steeper side has been flaked on the dorsal face, the ventral face has a few flakes struck from either side in an attempt to reduce the curvature of the bulb of percussion. It is a possibility that this object was the butt end of a crude adze made from a large, elongated flake with the cutting edge broken at the mid-point by transverse bending forces, a common place and way for a f…
Created on: Tuesday 15th March 2022
Last updated: Monday 4th April 2022
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-3773EC
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Approximately half of an adze, the butt end is missing, broken transversely, this break is relatively recent and lacks the patination of the knapped surfaces: - of pale patinated, mottled grey flint with spotty iron stains to both faces. The dorsal face is well knapped to form a pronounced median ridge at the centreline, blending neatly into the angle of the cutting edge, the ventral face is much flatter, this gives the sub-triangular/D section and offset (towards the flatter face) cutting edge that defines an adze over an axe (Field et al. (1984) Type E). The edge itself appears to ha…
Created on: Monday 21st February 2022
Last updated: Saturday 14th October 2023
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NLM-CCFE68
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: North Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Iron adze. Cast flat oval blade with a straight cutting edge in the same plane as an integral loop of internal diameter 12.4mm at its narrower end. A light woodworking tool for finishing and finer work, and for cutting joints. The flaking on one side suggests some loss of fabric though the mass suggests good survival of the metal core. Suggested date: Medieval, 1200-1500 Length: 111.5mm, Width: 38.2mm, Thickness (at loop): 10.5mm, Weight: 71.43gms
Created on: Wednesday 16th February 2022
Last updated: Wednesday 16th February 2022
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Broughton', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: IOW-DA399B
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Isle of Wight
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Copper alloy fragment of possible adze tool, possibly late medieval. The reverse face is flat and undecorated; the obverse face has a low ridge running down the centre of the fragment toward a blunt, curved end. Such a ridge would give extra strength to a flat tool that is otherwise made of a weak metal alloy.
Created on: Tuesday 11th January 2022
Last updated: Monday 31st January 2022
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Isle of Wight', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: LANCUM-A0F715
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Cumbria
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A complete, cast, copper-alloy chisel-like palstave adze of Middle Bronze Age date, c. 1500BC - 1150BC; likely of Acton Park II - Taunton phase of the Middle Bronze Age and probably dating to 1500BC - 1300BC. The adze is rectangular in form and cross-section with a narrow curved blade. The butt end is rectangular in form and triangular in cross-section. It has flanged sides on both the top and bottom faces that project vertically, creating a U-shaped channel that would have terminated at a stop ridge; the stop ridge is no longer present. The sides on the blade end have…
Created on: Friday 3rd December 2021
Last updated: Friday 28th January 2022
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Near Sebergham', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: NLM-786CFB
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: North East Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Brown flint adze. A thick oval flake with rounded angled ends and a broad [15.8mm] flat facet along one long edge. Both sides bear covering angled retouch executed with hard hammer, and traces of battering along that long edge opposite a flattened facet. Edge-on impact scars occur here, suggesting some adapted use of the tool with the flat facet enabling pressure to be brought to bear on a working edge. An elongated side facet might also appear on a Neolithic polished axehead. The surface is smoothed, possibly from rolling in surf. Suggested date: Neolithic, 4000-2350 BC Length: 12…
Created on: Monday 16th December 2019
Last updated: Monday 16th December 2019
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Cleethorpes', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: NMS-64A922
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Elongated adze or pick, bifacially knapped with sub-triangular cross section with the flatter of the two faces forming the underside, broken in antiquity by a transverse bending fracture, plunging around to an oblique hinge termination on the underside near to the (now missing) cutting edge. The adze is patinated mottled dark orange, yellow and pale buff, the coarse inclusions (mostly near to the centre) being of the paler colour and mostly on the underside the flake scars have "stacked up" in hinges due to the hackly nature of these fractures. Only two areas have been damaged post de…
Created on: Monday 9th September 2019
Last updated: Monday 9th September 2019
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SF-246613
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: MESOLITHIC
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete flint Mesolithic tranchet axe or Neolithic flaked adze. It is trapezoidal in shape, expanding slightly towards the damaged end and roughly triangular in cross-section with a raised ridge running longitudinally down the centre of one face. There is a rough break across one end where a section is missing. There is invasive, scaled retouch on both faces, but this is less extensive on the flatter face. The flint is dark brown in colour with some orange staining and very little patination. A very small amount of cortex survives on both faces. Because of damage it cannot be…
Created on: Thursday 13th June 2019
Last updated: Friday 21st June 2019
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'St. Margaret, Ilketshall', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: IOW-97E95B
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Isle of Wight
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An almost complete Neolithic stone adze (4000 BC-2351 BC). This adze is sub-triangular in plan and an elongated 'D'-shape in side view. The front (dorsal) face is convex and the rear (ventral) face is flat. From the butt, the sides flare evenly to the curved cutting edge. The lower part of the ventral faces curves inwards towards the cutting edge. The dorsal face is regularly pitted and the ventral face is very smooth. The surface is green with a reddish hue but with a darker area close to the butt on the ventral face. Slight damage on the dorsal face has revealed that the colou…
Created on: Thursday 6th June 2019
Last updated: Monday 10th June 2019
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Isle of Wight', grid reference and parish protected.