TREASURE ANNU AL REPORT 2005/6 - Portable Antiquities Scheme

42. poulton, Gloucestershire: middle bronze Age
metalwork (2005 T79)
Date: c. 1500–1250 BC
Discovery: Found by Mr I James while metal-detecting
in September 2004.
Description:
1. Palstave, broad-bladed. Complete, deliberate
hammer-rippling on the cutting edge bevels, and on
the sides and faces of the blade. Below a thick stop on
either face is a deep pendulous shield motif defined by
a near V-shaped rib enclosing a depression and, on one
face, also a fine central rib. Casting flashes are reduced,
but the butt retains a fractured surface from removal
of the sprue. Length: 163mm; width of blade: 74.5mm;
weight: 463.0g.
2. Palstave butt fragment. Small piece broken off the
butt end of a palstave. Length: 26mm; weight: 14.0g.
3. Rapier/dirk fragment, reworked into a cutting tool.
This object evidently started life as a rapier or dirk,
the hilt-plate then reworked into a spatulate-shaped
cutting edge. Hammer ripples here are probably the
result of the secondary working. A rounded medial
ridge runs from the hilt-plate towards the blade where
it becomes a flattened, but narrow midrib; this appears
to be the original section of the weapon blade. The
lowest 30mm of the blade before the break has been
reworked by flattening the formerly sharpened edges.
This has created incipient flanges and a section suitable
for mounting in a wooden handle. Length: 104.5mm;
width of hilt-plate: 39.2mm; weight: 44.1g.
4. Rapier/dirk blade fragment. The fragment extends
to an intact tip. It has a thick lenticular section with
rounded medial ridge and lightly hollowed flanks
before a hollowed step bevel close to the cutting edges
(2–3mm). Length: 175mm; weight: 110.6g.
5. Blade fragment. The fragment extends to the tip and
is tightly bent in profile close to the broken end. The
blade section is a thin lozenge creating a neat but slight
medial ridge. Length: 65.3mm (extended c. 80mm);
weight: 9.2g.
6. Swollen-neck pin with amber setting. Two joining
fragments, a bend at the junction of the two pieces,
another further down and the tip missing. The amber
setting, let into the flanged head of the bronze pin, has
probably sheared across such that its top is lacking,
exposing five neat perforations. These are likely to
have been aids for keying the amber in its mount
and not originally visible. The encircling flange is tight
around the amber. Below its tulip-like head the pin
has a constriction before a lentoid swelling and then
contraction again to the main shank. A second, much
slighter swelling of elliptical section on the shank
supports a delicate side loop.
Much of the pin bears incised decoration: a row of
vertical strokes around the head with a band of three
or four horizontals beneath; a panel of neat interlocked
diamonds on the main swelling, each hatched in
different directions to create a basketry pattern. This
panel is constrained top and bottom by a band of
cross-hatching within multiple horizontals. The next
zone, stretching down to the loop, involves sets of
opposing diagonals, again delimited by a horizontal
groove set. There is another at the base of the loop and
at least one diagonal stroke beneath before substantial
surface loss removes all trace of decoration. Length: 63
& (extended) 99mm; diameter of head: 8.2–8.9mm;
diameter of neck: 4.5mm; weight: 21.6g.
7. Plate-like fragment. One edge is original, two other
edges appear to be fractures. Max. dimension: 28mm;
weight: 9.4g.
8. Plate-like fragment. An almost flat piece, slightly
thicker towards the middle. Most edges are rounded
to flattened rather than fractured. Max. dimension:
35.5mm; weight: 20.3g.
Discussion: The most closely identifiable objects
among this group (nos. 1–4 & 6) are all of Middle
Bronze Age types. Closer phasing within this period is
made difficult by the reworking of no. 3, the lack of
the hilt of no. 4 and the tiny surviving portion of no.
2. The pin is of a distinctive type often called Picardy
type because of close parallels on the near Continent.
However, a number are known from southern Britain
and they may well have been in local production.
They are datable to the Taunton stage, c. 1400–1250
BC, and this is also the most likely dating of the
damaged rapiers. The complete palstave is of a type
normally associated with the previous, Acton stage,
but it is possible there would have been some overlap
in respective currencies. The chronology of this group
of objects is probably limited to the earlier stages of
the Middle Bronze Age, but may not be confined to a
narrow horizon.
Disposition: Corinium Museum, Cirencester.
S P NEEDHAM
43. yarmouth, Isle of Wight: middle bronze Age
base-metal hoard (2005 T274)
Date: c. 1400–1250 BC
Discovery: Found by Mr S Cooke during construction
work in July 2005.
Description:
1. Palstave. In two halves, the break being fresh.
Complete except for the loop. The flanges meet the
stop in a sub-rectangular shape. In profile, the flanges
are of half-leaf form. The blade is broad with a crinoline
shape. Length: 160mm; weight: 414.7g.
2. Palstave. Essentially complete, but some extremities
severely reduced by corrosion. Flanges of full leaf
shape. The blade is of broad, crinoline shape. Length:
142.5mm; weight: 369.9g.
3. Palstave. Essentially complete, but some extremities
severely reduced by corrosion. One little-damaged
flange suggests a full-leaf shape. The blade is broad,
and triangular or crinoline in shape. Length: 152.5mm;
weight: 424.7g.
Discussion: All three are broad-bladed palstaves
typical of the earlier parts of the Middle Bronze Age,
specifically of the Taunton phase. The looped palstave
(no. 1) is of the ‘side-flanged’ type frequent in many
parts of southern Britain. No. 2 and probably also no.
3 are of the distinctive Werrar type, which has a tight
regional distribution largely confined to the Isle of
Wight and neighbouring south-central England.
Disposition: Isle of Wight Museum Service.
S P NEEDHAM
44. Roxby cum Risby, North Lincolnshire: middle
bronze Age spearhead fragments (2006 T551)
Date: c. 1200 BC
Date: Found by Mr P Schmidt & Mr J Lockwood while
metal-detecting in July 2006.
Description: Three fragments of copper alloy
representing parts of two, or possibly three, spearheads.
The remains consist of sections of the blades, consisting
of tapering tubes either side of which are flukes,
separated from the tubes by well-defined grooves. The
cross-sections suggest that these fragments come from
basal looped spearheads, a form used during the Middle
Bronze Age.
Disposition: North Lincolnshire Museum hopes to
acquire.
K LEAHY
45. bampton, oxfordshire: Two middle bronze Age
base-metal spearheads (2006 T470)
Date: 1500–1150 BC
Discovery: Found by Mr B Hewitson & Mr P Mander
while metal-detecting in July 2006, 50m apart but
from the same ploughed field.
Description:
1. Spearhead. Lozenge side loops with leaf shaped
blade and bevelled edges. The surface and blade edge is
lightly corrosion damaged and slightly abraded. Inside
the socket there is a wooden shaft fragment. Length:
171.0mm; max. blade width: 33.0mm; weight: 104.5g.
2. Spearhead. Lozenge side loops with leaf shaped
blade and bevelled edges. The blade edge is corrosion
damaged and chipped. The casting flashes are visible on
the haft. Length: 117.5mm; max. blade width: 14mm;
weight: 36.8g.
Discussion: The presence of a wooden shaft fragment
allows the possibility of radiocarbon dating that might
achieve greater chronological resolution to the Middle
Bronze Age date. Various forms of side-looped spears
are encountered throughout southern England during
this period (e.g. Rowlands 1976; Ehrenberg 1977) when
the bronze spear can be considered as the predominant
weapon.
Disposition: Oxfordshire Museums Service hopes to
acquire.
S WORRELL
46. Arundel area, West sussex: middle bronze Age
base-metal group (2006 T272)
Date: c. 1500–1400 BC
Discovery: Found by Mr T Jones while metal-detecting
in May 2006 within 2m of each other.
Description:
1. Unlooped palstave; almost complete. The blade
starts parallel then expands progressively towards
the convex cutting edge. Single medial rib on either
face extending from the base of the septum. Light
horizontal striations close to blade edge. Corrosionreduced
flange crests, butt and considerable loss at
cutting edge. Length of blade: 92.1mm; width of blade:
57.4mm; weight: 423g.
2. Fragment, palstave. Lower blade end. Moulded midrib
visible on one face only. The other face is heavily
corroded and any decoration is now invisible. Strain
cracked. Length: 46.7mm; weight: 71g.
3. Fragment, palstave. Butt and parts of septum and
upper blade. Very heavily corroded. Length: 51.9mm;
weight: 99g.
Discussion: These finds represent a minimum of two
unlooped midribbed palstaves; a standard type for
the Middle Bronze Age and specifically the Acton Park
phase, dated as above.
Disposition: Littlehampton Museum hopes to acquire.
S WORRELL
47. maulden, bedfordshire: middle or Late bronze
Age base-metal group (2006 T260)
Date: 1800–900 BC
Discovery: Found by Mrs E Homer while metaldetecting
in April & May 2006.
Description:
1. Rapier/dirk fragment. Part of the blade and hilt. The
blade expands progressively towards the hilt. Broad
central single rib on either face. Joins to no. 2 below.
Length: 59.0mm; blade width: 16.0mm; weight: 18.0g.
2. Rapier/dirk fragment. Part of the blade. Broad central
single rib on either face. The blade edge is corrosion
damaged and scratched. Length: 48.5mm; width:
12.0–10.5mm; weight: 11.6g.
3. Rapier/dirk fragment. Part of a narrow tapering
blade. The blade edge is corrosion damaged, scratched
and chipped down the blade edge. Length: 91.0mm;
max. width: 15.0mm; weight: 29.1g.
Discussion: The two rapier/dirk fragments can be
dated as above when these objects were in circulation.
The lack of diagnostic features means that further
chronological resolution through typology is not
possible.
Disposition: Bedford Museum hopes to acquire.
B ROBERTS
26 BRONZE AGE BRONZE AGE 27