File:Bronze Age hoard (FindID 456676-427073).jpg

English: Late Bronze Age hoard consisting of 27 objects including: 1 socketed axe; 4 socketed axe fragments; 2 end-winged axe fragments; 2 spearhead fragments; 1 knife blade fragment; 1 sword hilt fragment; 1 Carp's tongue sword blade fragment; 1 sword blade fragment; 1 pinhead fragment; 2 rings; 2 copper alloy fragments; 1 casting fragment and 8 copper alloy ingot fragments

Description

1. Copper alloy socketed axe of South-eastern type. Double mouth-moulding, with square mouth and internal ribs on both faces. Single pellet decoration on both surfaces near the collar. Prominent casting seams on both sides. The cutting edge is notched, and one face of the blade surface presents horizontal and vertical grinding marks. The surface is corroded and the patina is green with bronze showing.

Length: 112.37mm; Maximum Width: 41.48mm; Maximum Thickness: 38.10mm; Weight: 276.7g

2. Copper alloy socketed axe fragment comprising the blade and a section of the lower body. The cutting edge is notched with one tip of the blade worn off. The surface of the blade is corroded. Horizontal grinding marks are present on one side of the blade. The patina is greyish green.

Length: 72.87mm; Maximum Width: 38.89mm; Maximum Thickness: 17.08mm; Weight: 73.9g

3. Copper alloy socketed axe fragment comprising part of the collar and the loop. Double mouth moulding. Casting seams prominent above the loop. The patina is greyish green.

Length: 39.39mm; Maximum Width: 32.03mm; Maximum Thickness: 20.75mm; Weight: 31.8g

4. Copper alloy socketed axe fragment comprising a section of the collar and part of the upper body. It is probably from faceted axe with a double-mouth moulding. The mouth section appears to have been square. The patina is brownish green

Length: 45.25mm; Maximum Width: 24.92mm; Maximum Thickness: 5.65mm; Weight: 26.5g

5. Copper alloy blade fragment probably from end-winged axe. The blade has a depression on the break section which suggests it was hollow. The cutting edge is very straight and slightly notched. The surface is corroded. The patina is greyish green.

Length: 39.48mm; Maximum Width: 33.19mm; Maximum Thickness: 13.76mm; Weight: 69.7g

6. Copper alloy socketed axe fragment comprising the lower part of the body missing the blade. Casting seams visible on the remaining side. The break is jagged. It appears to have an inside rib on one side, although not very pronounced. The socket wall thickens from the mouth to the bottom break. The section seems so have been sub-rectangular. The patina is greyish green.

Length: 49.93mm; Maximum Width: 26.78mm; Maximum Thickness: 18.71mm; Weight: 50.9g

7. Copper alloy blade fragment probably from end-winged axe. The cutting edge is broken but seems to have been very straight. The blade is rectangular shaped but with a jagged break. Some marks are present on the surfaces which appear to be the result of use. The patina is greyish green.

Length: 30.53mm; Maximum Width: 38.40mm; Maximum Thickness: 12.69mm; Weight: 47.6g

8. Copper alloy socketed spearhead fragment missing the blade tip and the socket. Both edges are notched. The midrib has marks probably made by other tools. The patina is olive green.

Length: 76.27mm; Maximum Width: 32.74mm; Maximum Thickness: 16.87mm; Weight: 55.6g

9. Copper alloy blade fragment from socketed spearhead. Two grooves run parallel and along the midrib. Both edges of the blade are broken. The patina is greyish green.

Length: 30.35mm; Maximum Width: 20.20mm; Maximum Thickness: 10.03mm; Weight: 14.8g

10. Copper alloy blade top fragment probably from a knife although missing the tip. It has a very thin section with bevelled edges. The edges are notched probably from use. The patina is olive green.

Length: 51.50mm; Maximum Width: 34.33mm; Maximum Thickness: 5.77mm; Weight: 47.2g

11. Copper alloy sword hilt fragment. Four vestigial holes and one intact hole are present. Both edges are bent and one of them is broken. The patina is light green.

Length: 48.84mm; Maximum Width: 30.54mm; Maximum Thickness: 8.24mm; Weight: 43.9g

12. Copper alloy sword blade fragment. Slightly notched edges. The patina is green.

Length: 17.14mm; Maximum Width: 36.05mm; Maximum Thickness: 7.23mm; Weight: 17.7g

13. Copper alloy Carp's Tongue blade fragment. Groove defined midrib. One edge is broken and the other one is notched. The patina is olive green.

Length: 23.37mm; Maximum Width: 34.57mm; Maximum Thickness: 7.56mm; Weight: 23.1g

14. Copper alloy pin head fragment missing the body. There is a hole present in the centre of the pinhead top. The patina is greyish green.

Length: 15.77mm; Maximum Diameter: 16.76mm; Minimum Diameter: 7.14mm Weight: 16.0 g

15. Copper alloy ring. A rib goes across the external side of the cord. The section seems to be rectangular shaped. The patina is brown.

Maximum Diameter: 28.55mm; Minimum Diameter: 26.58; Cord Thickness: 2.19mm; Weight: 4.1g

16. Copper alloy ring. Hollow section. Casting seam visible across the external surface. Jagged break on the edges on one side. The patina is dark green.

Maximum Diameter: 30.22mm; Minimum Diameter: 29.74mm; Thickness: 7.59mm; Weight: 23.1g

17. Copper alloy casting fragment.

Length: 54.51mm; Maximum Width: 31.32mm; Maximum Thickness: 22.57mm; Weight: 110.8g

18. Copper alloy fragment possibly from socketed object. No decoration. The patina is greyish green.

Length: 27.14mm; Maximum Width: 16.73mm; Maximum Thickness: 6.07mm; Weight: 13.2g

19. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length: 64.43mm; Maximum Width: 44.07mm; Maximum Thickness: 24.31mm; Weight: 221.2g

20. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length: 44.54mm; Maximum Width: 38.43mm; Maximum Thickness: 25.66mm; Weight: 179.3g

21. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length: 38.96mm; Maximum Width: 31.04mm; Maximum Thickness: 13.85mm; Weight: 52.0g

22. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length: 35.92mm; Maximum Width: 32.06mm; Maximum Thickness: 17.73mm; Weight: 58.2g

23. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length: 35.16mm; Maximum Width: 25.71mm; Maximum Thickness: 16.39mm; Weight: 47.9g

24. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length: 27.03mm; Maximum Width: 19.44mm; Maximum Thickness: 10.81mm; Weight: 21.7g

25. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length: 22.45mm; Maximum Width: 21.25mm; Maximum Thickness: 16.46mm; Weight: 25.3g

26. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length: 26.81mm; Maximum Width: 16.11mm; Maximum Thickness: 14.02mm; Weight: 22.1g

27. Copper alloy fragment. Was found inside socketed axe (No 1). Parallel edges. One end is semi circular shaped and the other concave. No decoration. The patina is greyish green.

Length: 31.76mm; Maximum Width: 20.44mm; Maximum Thickness: 6.96mm; Weight: 24.3g

Discussion

The objects in the 'Stockbury' hoard can be dated to the Ewart Park/Carp's Tongue metalwork phase (c. 1000-800 BC) of the Late Bronze Age on the bases of the Carp's Tongue Sword fragment, the South-eastern socketed axe fragments and the end-winged axe fragment.

The South-eastern socketed axe can be typologically classified as Class A2 (Needham 1990, 28). This type of axes are concentrated in south-east England, along the Sussex coast, the Thames estuary, up the lower Thames Valley, north-west Essex, south-east Suffolk and northern Hertfordshire (O'Connor 1980, 161). The distribution of the Carp's Tongue swords also encompasses southeast England but stretches towards southwest England and north into Yorkshire (Burgess and Brandherm 2008,151-153).

This hoard represents one of the Ewart Park/Carp's Tongue metalwork phase hoards found in recent years in Kent such as the Crundale hoard (TAR 2003, 22-25), the 'Staple' hoard (2011 T268) and the vast 'Boughton Malherbe' hoard (2011 T464) to add to earlier finds in Kent (see Turner 2010). However, it is earlier than the nearby recent find of a Hallstatt C horse-bit and copper alloy fragments (2011 T110) and therefore probably not related.

Conclusion

The objects qualify as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act (1996) (Designation Order 2002).

References

Burgess C. Brandherm D. 2008. Carp's-Tongue Problems. Verlag Marie Leidorf GmbH Rahden/Westf

Needham, S. 1990. The Petters Late Bronze Age metalwork: an analytical study of Thames Valley metalworking in its settlement context. London: British Museum Occasional Paper No 70.

O'Connor, B. 1980. Cross Channel Relations in the Later Bronze Age. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports 91

Treasure Annual Report 2003. Department for Culture, Media and Sport, London.

Turner L. 2010. A Re-interpretation of the Later Bronze Age Metalwork Hoards of Essex and Kent. BAR British Series 507.

Authors

Mafalda Raposo (Volunteer) 5^th September 2011

Ben Roberts (Curator of European Bronze Age)