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CORONER'S REPORT

The pre-conservation state of the palstaves meant that the clayey soil adhering to the surfaces may have obscured more detailed typological features. However, given their heavily corroded condition this is unlikely. Unfortunately, this does mean that the weights of the objects include the adhering soil.

Description of objects

1. Palstave. Light green coloured with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has a damaged butt, worn flanges and potentially the remains of a broken loop. There is no decoration evident. The narrow blade and apparent shape of the flanges indicates that it can be classified as a Transitional type.

L: 117.0mm; W. (blade max) 39.0mm, Th. 26.0mm, Wt: 230.0g.

2. Palstave. Light green coloured with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has a damaged butt, broken loop and worn flanges. The narrow blade and apparent shape of the flanges indicates that it can be classified as a Transitional type.

L: 131.0mm; W. (blade max) 40.5mm, Th. 19.0mm, Wt: 215.7g.

3. Palstave.Light green coloured with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has a damaged butt and blade, broken loop and worn flanges. The triangular flanges create a relatively deep stop ridge that leads down to a gently flaring blade. It can be classified as a Transitional Type.

L: 151.0mm; W. (blade max) 42.0mm, Th. 21.0mm, Wt: 345.4g.

4. Palstave. Light green coloured patina with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has a damaged blade and worn broken flanges. The narrow blade and apparent shape of the flanges indicates that it can be classified as a Transitional type.

L: 149.0mm; W. (blade max) 47.0mm, Th. 19.0mm, Wt: 235.7g.

5. Palstave. Light green coloured with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has a heavily damaged butt and blade and worn flanges. The loop is intact. The flanges are triangular shaped leading down to the gently flaring blade with visible trident decoration. It can be classified as a Transitional type.

L: 146.0mm; W. (blade max) 47.0mm, Th. 31.0mm, Wt: 374.1g.

6. Palstave. Light green coloured with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has a heavily damaged butt, broken loop and worn flanges. A casting seam is visible on either side. It can be classified as a Transitional type.

L: 144.0mm; W. (blade max) 56.0mm, Th. 26mm, Wt: 348.8g.

7a. Palstave blade fragment. The narrow blade is heavily corroded with a light green patina.

L: 58.0mm; W. (blade max) 31.0mm, Th. 11.0mm, Wt: 99.8g.

7b. Palstave butt fragment. The flanges and stop ridge are heavily worn and corroded in a light green patina. The break does not look fresh yet the fits the above fragment. This can be classified as a Transitional palstave

L: 61.0mm; W. 22.0mm, Th. 16.0mm, Wt: 96.2g.

8. Palstave. Light green coloured with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has a damaged butt, broken loop and worn flanges. The form of the flanges appears to be triangular running down to a gently flaring blade. It can be classified as a Transitional palstave

L: 146.0mm; W. (blade max) 48.0mm, Th. 29.0mm, Wt: 330.2g.

9. Palstave. Light green coloured with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has a heavily damaged butt, broken loop and worn flanges. There are visible trident markings on the narrow blade. It can be classified as a Transitional palstave.

L: 131.0mm; W. (blade max) 51.0mm, Th. 29.0mm, Wt: 300.7g.

10. Palstave. Brown coloured patina with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has a heavily damaged butt, broken loop and worn flanges. The base of the stop ridge is decorated with three straight raised lines. The blade is gently flaring and is a Transitional palstave type

L: 143.0mm; W. (blade max) 46.0mm, Th. 27.0mm, Wt: 314.5g.

11. Palstave. Light green coloured with heavy corrosion and chipping. It has been broken at the stop ridge leaving only a narrow blade and the remnants of very worn flanges. The narrow blade would indicate a Transitional type.

L: 149.0mm; W. (blade max) 47.0mm, Th. 19.0mm, Wt: 235.7g.

12a. Sheet Fragment. Rim part. Green/brown patina with some corrosion. Joins to 12b

L: 41.0mm; W. 49.0mm, Th. 3.0mm, Wt: 29.0g.

12b. Sheet Fragment. Rim part. Green/brown patina with some corrosion. Joins to 12a

L: 31.0mm; W. 34.0mm, Th. 3.0mm, Wt: 16.4g.

13. Sheet Fragment. Brown patina

L: 39.0mm; W. 39.5 mm, Th. 2.5mm, Wt: 17.0g.

14. Handle? Green/brown/White patina. Circular form tapering into a curved point.

L: 45.5mm; W. 117.0mm Th.12.5mm, Wt: 27.7g.

Discussion

The palstaves are of the Transitional type typical of the Penard phase metalworking assemblages (c. 1275-1150 BC). Whilst it is hard to define much more typological detail, there is substantial variation in the sizes and overall forms of the palstaves. Unfortunately, there has been relatively little intensive typological research regarding these palstaves since Smith (1959), Rowlands (1976) and Burgess (see Schmidt & Burgess 1981 for references). The deliberate placing of the palstaves in a pit concurs with broader patterns of metalwork deposition in the landscape. It is not thought that the three bronze sheet fragments and possible handle are associated with this deposition. It also seems unlikely that they date to the same period and are more probably post-medieval in date.

Conclusion

The objects formed a single original deposit or hoard with perhaps one dispersed from its original resting place through the actions of the plough. This material is eligible as Treasure under the new Treasure Order (2002) being a base-metal prehistoric find containing two or more metal objects.

• Rowlands, M J, 1976. The Production and Distribution of Metalwork in the Middle Bronze Age (2 vols) Oxford : British Archaeological Reports 31, pp.
• Schmidt, P K and Burgess, C B, 1981. The Axes of Scotland and Northern England Munich : Prähistorische Bronzefund IX, 7, pp.
• Smith, M.A., 1959. Some Somerset Hoards and their place in the Bronze Age of southern Britain: Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society University College L : Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 25:144-87, pp.
• Blatherwick, N. , 2007. My Bronze Age Axe Hoard. Witham, Essex : Treasure HuntingAugust 2007, 35-37, pp.

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Created: Friday 6th June 2008
Updated: Thursday 24th February 2011