Between 6000 and 12,000 years ago, during a period archaeologists call the Mesolithic, people used flint to make tools. Seven microliths and three scrapers have been found in the sea at Budle Bay. The microliths, would have been used to make a serrated blade for a larger tool such as a knife or a sickle. The scrapers were used to prepare animal skins, and possibly for other purposes such as woodworking or preparing vegetables. Some of the flints are stored at the Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle upon Tyne. Others are at the British Museum, London.