Between 6000 and 12,000 years ago, during what archaeologists call the Mesolithic period, the people who lived at Howick made awls, scrapers and blades from flint. The raw material for the flint tools was collected from the beaches nearby. Archaeologists found 144 flints around the Howick Burn area in a field walking survey. The flints were found most often on higher ground. The area is near a Mesolithic settlement.