TREASURE ANNU AL REPORT 2005/6 - Portable Antiquities Scheme

to overlap the remaining side-plate. The face-plates are
decorated with fine, close-set concentric ridges. Part of a
core is visible. External diameter: 31.5mm; weight: 1.22g.
5. Lock-ring fragment, about half, crushed and torn. The
junction of the top and bottom edges of the tube and
face-plates is too damaged to be able to discern the
method of securing it, but the surviving side-plate does
appear to be integral with the tube. The face-plates are
decorated in the same way as no. 4. There is a visible
core. External diameter: 30.03mm; weight: 1.35g.
6. Lock-ring fragment, about half, crushed and with
tube and side-plate absent; however enough detail
remains to suggest that the ends of the face-plates
had overlapped the side plates; the face-plates overlap
slightly to join at the outer rim. The face-plates are
decorated in the same way as nos. 4 and 5 and there is
a visible core. External diameter: 30.12mm;
weight: 1.18g.
bronze:
7. Penannular bracelet, in four joining fragments.
Hoop of slightly oval section, expanding suddenly and
asymmetrically outwards at the terminals. Their ends
are very gently convex. Reconstructed diameter: 76.5 x
74.5mm; max. diameter of terminals: 9.2mm;
weight: 35.0g.
8. Penannular bracelet, in three fragments; two join
but there is a missing portion before the second
terminal. Hoop of oval section, expanding suddenly
and asymmetrically outwards at the terminals.
Reconstructed diameter c. 64mm; diameter of
terminals: 5.2 x 6.0, 5.2 x 5.7mm; weight: 10.2g.
9. Bracelet or large ring fragments, two fragments with
a possible weathered join. Hoop of slightly oval section,
the terminals lacking. Reconstructed diameter: 71mm;
weight: 17.3g.
10. Coiled rod bracelet, four fragments – two pairs
having probable abraded joins between, but no join
survives at the middle break. Thin rod of ‘D’ section, a
narrow flattened face opposite a well rounded one.
The terminals taper steadily to acute wedge-like ends.
If no significant loss at non-joining break, the terminals
overlap by about a quarter circuit. Reconstructed
external diameter: 70mm; thickness of the terminals
0.6mm; weight: 9.9g.
11. Large annular ring, complete. Hoop of slightly oval
section. Dimensions vary a little round the circuit,
potentially due to differential wear. Diameter: 8.9–
9.2mm; weight: 13.8g.
12. Large annular ring, complete, but broken in two.
Hoop of slightly oval section. Dimensions vary a little
round the circuit, potentially due to differential wear.
Diameter: 8.9–9.6mm; weight: 11.8g.
13. Large annular ring, two fragments possibly with
abraded join. The remaining ends are weathered and
around one-eighth of the circuit is missing. Diameter:
8.6mm; weight: 5.4g.
14. Large annular ring fragment, just under half extant.
Hoop of slightly oval section. Maximum dimension:
48.5mm; weight: 7.6g.
15. Large annular ring fragment, approximately onethird
extant. Hoop of sub-pentagonal section, with
four flattish facets around the sides and inner face, but
a broad and convex outer face. Maximum dimension:
50mm; weight: 3.8g.
16. Large annular ring fragment, approximately onesixth
extant, with hints of faceted section similar to no
14. Maximum dimension: 34mm; weight: 1.5g.
17. Pin fragment, nail-headed? The tip is lacking and
the head severely reduced by corrosion leaving a strong
projection on just one side, but presumed originally
to have been a symmetrical disc head. The shank is
sub-square in section. Length: 81mm; maximum width
head: 7.0mm; weight: 4.1g.
18. Pin shank, in two fragments, probably joining. Head
lacking. Round section shank tapering steadily towards
now-lost tip. Diagonal grinding marks all round. Length:
69.3mm; weight: 3.3g.
19. Pin shank fragment, from mid-shank. Round
section, highly polished surface. Length: 27.7mm;
weight: 0.9g.
20. Bugle-shaped fitting. Ring-and-loop part of twopart
fitting; complete but with some cracking. Sub-
D-shaped ring hollow-cast with thick round to oval
section. A staple-like loop with a rough sub-triangular
section is appended to the flatter side. Underneath it
is a long cast perforation in the ring wall, allowing the
original clay core to be seen. A second, oval perforation
pierces the inner wall of the ring diametrically opposite.
Length: 55.5mm; width: 61.0mm; weight: 73.4g.
21. Curved plate-like fragment, possible bugle-shaped
fitting. Crescent-shaped piece with ragged fractures all
round. Also curved in section, thus from hollow-backed
or tubular object. Curvatures very similar to those on
no. 20. Maximum dimension: 32mm; weight: 2.5g.
22. Socketed axe, a variant of the South-eastern type.
Wooden haft remains in the socket. Blade slightly
expanded, very shallow blade tip hollows. Well-defined
casting flashes, removal attempts on the lower blade.
Length: 95.6mm; width of blade: 42.7mm;
weight: 206.6g.
23. Socketed axe, features in common with both
Type Meldreth and Type Portree; relatively slender,
unfacetted body. Square socket, flat top and unusual
inverted step as second moulding. Very expanded blade
edge as cast. Prominent and untrimmed casting flashes.
Length: 85.5mm; width of blade: 50.4mm;
weight: 127.0g.
24. Socketed axe, Type Portree, Variant Kalemouth.
Rounded mouth with flat top. Short internal ribs in the
bottom of the socket. Expanded blade, with projecting
tips as cast. Length: 70.7mm; width of blade: 48.1mm;
concreted weight of 24, 25, 28 & 29 together: 470.7g.
25. Socketed axe, Type Gilespie, Variant Culloden.
Trumpet mouth moulding. Untrimmed casting flashes.
There is a hollow, possibly from a gas bubble mid-way
down this side, and during casting, the two parts of the
mould were misaligned creating a ledge on one side.
Concreted to no. 24 by corrosion products, nos. 28 &
29 wedged in socket. Length: 81.5mm;
width of blade: 59.9mm.
26. Socketed axe, Yorkshire type. Incomplete. Three
widely spaced ribs. Biconical moulding below collar.
A large area is missing from the mouth and upper
blade from one side and face. At this point on the
side, the metal is extremely thin and there is a casting
fault in the form of an oval perforation, only part of
which survives. There is also an elongated narrow oval
perforation on one face. Fine horizontal striations at
the blade edge. Off-centre casting flashes and the
ghost of casting flashes from a model that were not
removed before moulding. Considerable copper-alloy
corrosion products within the socket and on the
faces, incorporating a body fragment which is almost
certainly part of the chape (no. 35). Length: 85.2mm;
width of blade: 56.4mm; weight: 204.1g.
27. Socketed axe, possibly Type Everthorpe. Incomplete,
lacking upper body and most of the loop. Expanded
blade, developed blade tip hollows on both sides. The
loop stump is low. Crisp, rectangular-sectioned body.
Length: 75.5mm; width of blade: 52.9mm;
weight: 107.1g.
28. Socketed gouge. Circular socket, deep flat collar,
underlined by a neat groove. Wedged inside axe no 25.
Diameter of socket: 17mm.
29. Socketed gouge. Gouge facet not visible, but almost
certainly a gouge. Casting flashes not removed at the
mouth. Wedged inside axe no. 25.
Diameter of socket: 17.2mm.
30. Socketed gouge. Circular socket. The casting sprues
are removed unevenly. Length: 72.4mm; Diameter of
socket: 19.5mm; weight: 55.9g.
31. Knife (or rapier) blade fragment. Flat midrib with
slightly hollowed edge bevels. Length: 95.3mm;
weight: 19.5g.
32. Bifid razor blade portion. Broad, heel-shaped blade
and stump of the tang. There is both a notch and a
central circular perforation in the blade. Both faces have
two ribs, skirting to either side of the perforation. Edge
bevel visible on one blade wing on one face only. Fine
striations along the blade on both sides of each face.
Length: 59.9mm; weight: 17.1g.
33. Razor blade fragment. Fragment from the blade
midrib. Two parallel central ribs on each face. The
perforation may be present but is uncertain due to
fractured edges. The shape of the blade is unknown due
to extensive edge loss. Length: 46.5mm; weight: 4.8g.
34. Spearhead blade fragment. Leaf-shaped blade,
tapering midrib and eye-shaped socket section. Hollow
edge bevels 5.5mm from blade edge. Length: 87.2mm;
weight: 40.2g.
35. Tongue chape fragment. Three joining lower body
fragments including the ‘button’ terminal. The body
is of rhombic section, but with narrow flattened sides
throughout its length. The applied oval button-stud
is intact. The body fragment attached by corrosion
products to axe no. 26 is almost certainly part of this
chape. Length: 63.5mm; weight: 16.2g.
36. Ingot, pear-shaped. An asymmetric pear shape in
plan, one end rounded, the other more pointed, planoconvex
in section. Length: 157mm; maximum thickness:
19mm; weight: 758.1g.
37. Pottery sherds. Twenty sherds (excluding several
small chips) are all of a similar fabric, coloration and
thickness and seem likely to belong to a single vessel.
Most have weathered or worn edges and only two joins
were found. One other has an eroded rounded edge
which may represent a simple rim. Weight: 325.6g.
38. ?Refractory sherd: One sherd is of a different, finer
fabric, seemingly mid grey throughout, and highly
eroded. The fabric is suggestive of clay mould or
crucible. Weight: 17.4g.
Note: Surface analysis indicated gold content for
the six lock-rings of approximately 79–83% and
established that the cores of the gold objects, where
present, were made of beeswax. The haft fragment in
axe no. 22 is of hazel wood (identification:
C Cartwright).
Discussion: Despite the rarity of hoards in the
region and the unusual dominance of ornaments, the
components of the Berwick hoard are all familiar from
the Ewart phase of the Late Bronze Age countrywide,
reinforced by a new radiocarbon measurement on the
haft remnant in Berwick axe 22. The result is 2771 ± 26
BP, calibrating to 1000–840 BC (2-sigma; OxA- 15102),
and suggests that the Berwick hoard was deposited
before the close of the phase. This assumes some
importance in relation to the assumption that most of
the numerous Ewart stage hoards were deposited very
late on, as bronze became redundant.
Ingot no. 36 is of special interest because it is of alloyed
bronze rather than copper. This may help explain why
the ingot is of an unfamiliar shape, deriving from a
different stage of the production/recycling sequence.
The pear shape is likely to be a by-product of the
crucible in which the metal was last melted down. A
(near) complete pear-shaped crucible is known from a
Bronze Age context at The Breiddin, Powys.
The six socketed axes represent an interesting variety
of types all different from one another. No. 23 is
particularly interesting in that it does not belong to an
as yet defined type; it combines features of both Type
Meldreth and Type Portree, but also has an unusual
inverted step moulding or upwards facing ledge,
parallels for which are very few. Axes 24–27 are types
that occur widely in the North of England and Scotland,
but axe 22 is closest in form to the South-eastern type
which becomes very rare north of Yorkshire (Schmidt
& Burgess 1981, 217). It is perhaps worthy of note that
where secondary mouth mouldings exist on these axes,
they are consistently poorly defined.
Both razors are bifid Class II examples (Piggott
1946, 138–40). The tang and perforation on no. 32
are positioned similarly to those of Type Dowris
(Jockenhövel 1980, Taf. 11 nos. 190–96), although the
four central ribs on the Berwick example appear to
mark a new variant.
42 BRONZE AGE BRONZE AGE 43