Looking for Flint

[Ochre]

Allo everyone,
I'm currently living in the region of Brittany, France a hop across the English Channel of the UK and I'm having trouble finding flint. I know what it should look like and where it is likely to be found. I've checked geographical maps and I know there is sedimentary rock in this area (village of Guer) but I haven't seen anything in construction sites, streams, or on roads. Advice or help anyone?

 

[ozzy1977]

Pop over here to Suffolk, or even Norfolk, the ground is paved with flint

 

[ateallthepies]

Look for chalk, where there is chalk there will be flint.

Steve

 

[HillBill]

Yep, Chalk areas are your best bet.

 

[Biker]

Hey Ochre, welcome to BCUK mate. I'm just up the road from you in Normandy (though I'm currently in the UK for the Christmas season).

I know it's a bit of a drive for you, but up on the D-Day beaches you'll find some flint. As ateallthepies and HillBill said if you can find chalk you'll find flint. On Boxing day I was walking along the Margate coast in East Kent and saw loads of it in the chalky cliffs there.

Good luck with the search buddy.

 

[Ochre]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I'll try to head up to the Normandy beaches the next vacation and right now chalk is my obsession Sounds like England has much better supplies of flint and I might have to visit, happy hunting

 

[munkiboi182]

Pop over here to Suffolk, or even Norfolk, the ground is paved with flint

Plus 1 to that. Norfolk is nothing but flint. Great for knapping and fire lighting. Rubbish for garden ing and agriculture. I know some farmers who have to clear it from the fields after plowing cos you can't see the dirt for flint

 

[Paul W]

I don't know if this helps

http://www.flintsource.net/nav/frm_mapflint.html

 

[THOaken]

I live near the South Downs and volunteer at Butser Ancient Farm. There are hundreds of flint nodules lying in piles. I could perhaps send some over to you?

 

[Jazz006]

I live near the South Downs and volunteer at Butser Ancient Farm. There are hundreds of flint nodules lying in piles. I could perhaps send some over to you?

Any chance you could send some up my way as not much flint around here.I would pay for postage.
Jazz

 

[THOaken]

Any chance you could send some up my way as not much flint around here.I would pay for postage.
Jazz

I'm back at the farm on the 8th. I'll see about it then, Jazz.

 

[Ochre]

Thanks Paul W but unfortunately all the flint is on the coastline

 

[Ochre]

I live near the South Downs and volunteer at Butser Ancient Farm. There are hundreds of flint nodules lying in piles. I could perhaps send some over to you?

That would rock, I'll pay for postage but how can I send it?:You_Rock_

 

[adestu]

I have a chalk quarry on my permission. Lots of un excavated flint
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

 

[rancid badger]

I can't help thinking about how and why flint must have been traded back in the various stone ages. There would be some people who needed it but struggled to find it in their own areas and others with it going spare so, presumably it will have been fairly common to use it almost as currency?

Steve

 

[Oldwoodyrock]

In North America, lithic materials (knappable stone) were traded from coast to coast. I am sure the same happened on your side of the pond. Arrow points have actually been found here that had been knapped from English flint. Most likely sourced from ballast material from early sailing ships. We can still find English flint on our beaches.
Woody

 

[Blood]

In North America, lithic materials (knappable stone) were traded from coast to coast. I am sure the same happened on your side of the pond. Arrow points have actually been found here that had been knapped from English flint. Most likely sourced from ballast material from early sailing ships. We can still find English flint on our beaches.
Woody

That's fascinating. It's crazy to think how much the sea farers have dumped over the side of the centuries, it could be an archeologists nightmare or dream come true in years to come.

Remember to be carefully if you're napping when in the bush, leave a coin in the area you are in if you aren't sure you have collected all the shards or tools used

 

[Paul W]

I can't help thinking about how and why flint must have been traded back in the various stone ages. There would be some people who needed it but struggled to find it in their own areas and others with it going spare so, presumably it will have been fairly common to use it almost as currency?

Steve

There are parts of Europe with no flint as well as parts abundant in it. England for example is full of flint but it's rare in Scotland, Scandinavia has a lot of flint, but none in Finland,Germany and Austria have little flint while France is full of the stuff. So flint got traded a lot, I heard a report but have been unable to confirm it that English flint got traded as far a Russia during the stone age.

However the big prehistoric trade was the obsidian trade. Flint was common but obsidian rare and of great value, it travelled great distances from source. It's believed Catalhoyuk in Turkey the 9000 year old Neolithic proto-city was built largely on the obsidian trade.

 

[The Chill Pilgrim76]

I would happily pay for postage for some flint or maybe some kind of bartering system ? .




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