Figure 1: The relationship between selected Mesolithic sites in Northern England
At Warcock Hill South – translucent flint is present and the technology is the Star Carr type. This suggests links with Star Carr and the Vale of Pickering. The distance between the Vale of Pickering and the Pennine sites is approximately 80km.
Pointed Stone sites 2 and 3 are also of Star Carr type – 40km away from Star Carr.
Warcock Hill North and Lominot sites 2 and 3 are all stylistically Deep Carr type and are composed of 80%-99% Wolds Flint: a similar proportion to the Mesolithic sites on the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wolds. This suggests a link to these areas.
In the Trent Valley there may be secondary flint and chert raw material sources in the form of river pebbles and glacial erratics.
Glossy milky white flint is found in small proportions on Pennine sites. It is identical to material from Trwyn Du (Anglesey). This could infer a link the west (Jacobi pers. comm.), although Conneller (1999) suggests that this might actually be a subtype of Wolds flint, thereby suggesting a link to the east.
Black chert is prominent in assemblages around the Wirral and Merseyside, and is also found on the Pennines. Some of this, it is suggested, may come from an unknown source in North Wales (Cowell 2005).
It has been suggested that there are possible secondary chert sources west of the Pennines as river pebbles (Stonehouse 2001).
It is conceivable that there were links to the now submerged western low-lying Fylde lands. My doctoral research shows that here are over 900 Mesolithic sites west of the Pennine watershed, many of which are in the Mersey basin itself
There are many known black chert sources in the Northern Pennines that were exploited during the Mesolithic (e.g. see Evans et al. 2007).
A brown flint (possibly translucent flint) source is speculated to be on the now submerged north-west European plain/Doggerland. Amber and shale artefacts at Star Carr also provide a link to the coast..
Some of the flint material from Tower Hill (Teesdale) has its origins in South Yorkshire. The technology at this site is Star Carr type, suggesting links with Star Carr. This is supported by the same raw materials being present as at Star Carr (Wolds, translucent and drift flint).
Rhyolite is seen on some Pennine sites (e.g. Piethorn Brook). Rhyolite from the Borrowdale Volcanic Series can be found in pebbles in the Drift in Lancashire. Whether from a drift source or direct procurement from Cumbria, it suggests a link with the west side of the Pennines.
Translucent flint secondary sources are speculated to be near the Vale of Pickering. Drift (speckled) flint is present in drift deposits in the Vale of Pickering and along the east coast (Mellars and Conneller 1998; Conneller 1999).
There are possible secondary sources of brown/black chert in the upper Ribble Valley.
There are numerous recorded black chert sources that were exploited in the Mesolithic period (see Hind 1999).
Flint found on the central Pennines must necessarily have been brought in, as there are no flint- or chert-bearing rocks in this area.
