File:Iron fittings (FindID 190061).jpg

English: A slightly incomplete wrought iron socketed spearhead, dating to the Early Medieval period, between AD 400 – 720 (length: approx 430mm; width [at widest point of the blade]: 26mm; thickness [at blade]: approx 9mm; weight: unknown).

This socketed spearhead is leaf-shaped in plan at the blade and eye-shaped in section (length of blade: approx 260mm) and it tapers inwards to form a point at the tip of the blade. The leaf shaped blade becomes narrow at the start of the circular sectioned socket. The socket (length of split socket: approx 91mm; diameter of socket: 20mm; thickness of metal at open socket: 3mm) then expands outwards again and splits at approximately 91mm from the open rounded socketed at the opposing end of the spearhead. The artefact is broken in two places (broken on recovery and glued back together). The first break appears halfway down the blade as well as near the base of the blade before the spearhead expands into the socket. Overall, the spearhead is in a worn, corroded but fair condition.

A similar example is illustrated in Evison, V, 1987, ‘Dover: the Buckland Anglo-Saxon Cemetary HBMCE’, pages 26-30 & 312, fig 41.

Additionally, six fragments of lead waste, three fragments of a possible iron cooking vessel, twenty four probable animal bone fragments and eleven iron fragments were found with the spearhead. The three possible cooking vessel fragments all have an average thickness of 4mm and are flat in section (one fragment seems to have been stuck back together). Amongst the iron fragments, there appears to be an incomplete rectangular plate with a split at one end (where it width expands) (length of plate: 60mm; width of plate: 21mm; thickness at split/ forked end: 10mm). There is also a folded iron artefact with a rounded and narrowed end. Additionally, there are several hooked iron attachments, including a large artefact that has a wider square-sectioned end and folds round to one end to terminate in a flat-sectioned angular complete opposing end. Unfortunately, the identification for the iron artefacts is uncertain.