Sources of Flint

[match]

I suspect the answer to this will probably be 'there isn't' - but does anyone know of any good sources of flint that are available in Scotland?

So far, the only information I've been able to glean on the subject is that there are very small pockets in the North-East (Aberdeen area) and that most Prehistoric/Neolithic flint finds in Scotland originated in the chalk beds of Antrim, Northern Ireland, but I might have missed something!

Otherwise its a trip down south for me to collect some! ack:

 

[Snufkin]

Can't help you locate any local stuff but could send you a few spalls if you are desperate. There is a guy by the name Grooveski who posts on paleoplanet who is a scottish knapper. He may know of a source local to you.

 

[Toddy]

Whoohoo, an archaeo question ....there are only three acknowledged ways that we get flint in Scotland.
Seawashed pebbles sometimes crop up on the South western shores having been washed in from Antrim, there's one site in Boddam in Aberdeenshire, or someone brought it in. We do have lots of chert though and good chert is as good a tool as mediocre flint. In prehistory Arran pitchstone was also used as was the blood stone on Rhum.
The site in Aberdeenshire, Den of Boddam, is a scheduled ancient monument though, (NK113415) That said, it's only part of an ancient buried flint cobble beach called the 'Buchan Ridge Gravel' and there must be other parts that don't have archaeological significance that could be accessed.....vague memories from Uni Geography that there's a burn that cuts through it somewhere and that might provide access to flint.
Toddy

 

[Toddy]

Oh nice site, thank you.
Toddy

 

[match]

Thanks for the info guys! :wave:

I suppose my next question is going to be obvious... where can I find sources of Chert? ): Anything in Central Scotland/Lothians? Or is this also quite specific sites?

 

[Rod]

Hi Match,

I live on the edge of the Chilterns and you can't go anywhere round here without tripping over the stuff. If you can't get any locally, let me know and I can arrange to send you some.

cheers

 

[Toddy]

Chert is found widely scattered. I know that some came from the Leadhills, but I can pinpoint one site down just past Girvan, in the cliff behind Bennane Cave on the raised beach north of Lendalfoot....I don't know about on the Ochils but I've got a feeling there might well be some there too, I know we found masses of geodes there a few years ago. I'll pester some friends and see what we can come up with to get more central/accurate sites to investigate.
Scraped a deer hide clean with flint once, took a while but the flint stayed sharper longer than my knife did and did every bit as good a job.
Toddy

 

[Tantalus]

yeah please toddy

only bits of flint i have are brought back from "dahn sarf"

any more info on the bloodstones from Rhum ?

i have a few pebbles of something extremely hard with a bright red and black sorta colouring that i find from time to time on local paths

nobody has been able to help me identify it tho

Tant

 

[Toddy]

yeah please toddy

only bits of flint i have are brought back from "dahn sarf"

any more info on the bloodstones from Rhum ?

i have a few pebbles of something extremely hard with a bright red and black sorta colouring that i find from time to time on local paths

nobody has been able to help me identify it tho

Tant

Sorry I did mean to reply, but the brain drew a blank
That sounds like chert. Try knapping a bit and look for the characteristic bulb of percussion on the flakes. Bloodstone artefacts are found in Mesolithic sites throughout the Western Isles and mainland; I've got written stuff I could send, but have a look at:-
http://www.shef.ac.uk/assem/2/2war1.html
http://www.sair.org.uk/sair3/sair3_chap02.pdf
see para 2.5.1 in the latter.

These are examples of what it was used for and where it was found. My geological friend says there's a hill on Rhum called, 'Bloodstone Hill', which suggests that the stone is pretty common.
Arran pitchstone (cryptocrystaline pitchstone, similar to obsidian) can be found on the beach at Broddick, and it looks a bit like glassy tar.
Someone on the site must know a lot more about stones for knapping than me, I've only used what I had to hand and not done much research or practice. A good stone edge is sharper than steel though....watch your fingers
Toddy

 

[R-Bowskill]

Try anywhere that's a source of agate as the two are closely related, both being cryptocrystaline silicon dioxide. If you don't get any flint then you can always knap agate in the same way, I've seen photos' of agate arrowheads in use by the inuit which are a beautiful translucent orange and it is sometimes used in microsurgery, although now lasers are doing more of this work.

The hard red and black coloured stones from paths could be one of a couple of things: if it's opaque it might be a variety of jasper but if it's a clearer stone with reddish bits in a dark grey to black mass it sounds more like 'mocha stone' which is similar to moss agate but coloured differently by different imputities.