Norfolk of long ago

THE NORTH NORFOLK COAST is abundantly rich in fossil remains, and as often I stroll along the deserted beaches and clamber over the rocks I find myself fascinated by the thought of discovering some new fossil to add to my collection.

The chalk beds, the gault clay cliffs, and red sandstone all contain a link with Man’s past. Centuries come and go, but small fossils, shells, sponges, insects and even bones of long-extinct animals, with dinosaurs such as stegosaurus and brontosaurus still being discovered. A few years ago I was fortunate to unearth the vertebrae of a small reptile, a Mososaurus, a few hundred yards along the Sheringham beach. However, being in a rather fragile condition it was in the need of immediate expert attention to prevent complete decay.

The most common fossils to be found in this region are those of small sea-living creatures: shellfish, bivalves, sea-urchins, corals and sponge. For every bone of bird or beast, thousands of these are discovered. Multitudes of minute shells formed the Atlantic ooze from which came the limestone and chalk cliffs. These shells, however, are not visible to the naked eye and are detectable only under a microscope.

Many larger shells are to be found, however, and these vary in shape and size from the lamp-shell (so called because of their resemblance to the lamp of classical times), to the bivalve molluscs which are akin to the cockle, mussel and oyster.

Fossils of the Ammonite – a creature closely related to the Nautilus – now extinct, are sparsely distributed through the chalk. However, these are not preserved as well as those to be found in the gault clay (see illustration).

Ammonite discovered in the gault clay at East Runton

Ammonites range in size from a few inches across to several feet. They are most attractive when split down the middle and polished, and this enables the interior structure of their shells to be seen.

The Ammonite gets its name from the classical god Jupiter Ammon on whose head were a pair of rams’ horns signifying power. The resemblance of these to the Ammonite is quite remarkable.

Belemnites or devil’s fingers, as the locals call them, are also found in
the chalk beds.

The fossil sea-urchin, one of the common objects of the seashore, is distantly related to the starfish although so different in appearance, sometimes glistening with crystals of quartz giving it a stony look, but more often than not, consisting of flint in which case it will probably pass notice.

Sea urchin found in the Runton chalk beds

The sea-urchin (Holaster planus) commonly known as fairy heart or fairy loaves. The more pointed ones are known as shepherd’s crowns or mitres. They may bristle with spines or have lost these; the bare shell looks rather like delicate basketwork.

The Cromer forest bed yields a plentiful selection of fossilised bones, probably the most notable deposit of its kind on the coast. Mammoth leg bones and tusks, rhinoceros, hyena, red deer and the small jawbone of a vole, and even Stone Age implement are to be found.

In Norfolk, Early Man’s skeletal remains are few and far between, because chances of their lasting long enough to be incorporated into geological deposits are remote.

However, Man left behind his implements with which to kill and skin game, and these are to be found in great abundance. Hand axes, scrapers, knife blades, choppers and gravers, all of these were fashioned out of the natural rock deposit – flint.

The earliest implements found are known as Eoliths or ‘dawn stones’ and there has been a great deal of controversy as to whether the flaking of these flints was made by the early men or was natural. These early efforts certainly did not result in shapely implements, on the contrary, they were so crude and only distantly resembling the later flints. From the size of the late Palaeolithic hand-axes it seems that they were used by men of considerable size and strength.

During the glaciation periods Man must have lived quite near the ice front as his flints are found in the river gravels. The abundance of flint and conditions suitable for working flint made Norfolk the meeting-ground of Early Man. Flint industries began to thrive, and as Man became more advanced so his implements became more elaborate in design, although decidedly smaller.

Norfolk long ago must have been far different from Norfolk as we know it today. The evidence lies in the soil of the countryside, the chalk cliffs and the sandy beaches, and is there for those who will take advantage of it. Fossils, bones and even flint hand-axes are to be found, and all these help to give a clearer vision of Norfolk lond ago.

This extract comes from a Jarrold Magazine of the 1960s.