Monument record MDR6801 - Later Mesolithic assemblage, Lordsmill Street, Chesterfield

Excavations at Lordsmill Street by Foundations Archaeology in 1999 recovered a total of 391 worked lithic artefacts which appeared to be of Later Mesolithic date. The assemblage came from a series of contexts/features, with the majority coming from the fill of two 'pit-like' features. Where the raw material could be identified, almost three-quarters was chert, the rest being flint. Nearly 21% showed signs of burning, ranging from a slight pink colouration through to evidence of extreme heating. Characteristic types included a small oblique microlith, a micro-burin, five scrapers of which four were end scrapers, and a simple borer - along with a bladed assemblage, blade cores and core maintenance debris. The low representation of cortical material in the assemblage suggests that cores made in Derbyshire cherts were being brought onto the site in a pre-formed state with much of the cortex removed. Much of the assemblage has been produced through the use and maintenance of these cores. The Lordsmill Street site occupies what was probably a slight, east facing promontory overlooking a river, and may represent elements of a seasonal camp. (1)