HOARD

Cast copper alloy metalworker's hoard of Late Bronze Age fragments of weapons, tools and ingots, including six socketed axes, one chisel, four blade fragments, one sword fragment, one pommel, two buckles, twenty-four ingot fragments, eight object fragments and two slag fragments.

The hoard contains 49 objects in total, 45 of which were initially excavated and the remaining 5 came up in the subsequent inspection of the loose soil from near the surface, above the main hoard.

Report to H.M. Coroner for Cornwall 2009 T557 Circumstances of discovery On the 20^th July 2009 48 Late Bronze Age copper alloy artefacts were found during the clearance of bracken on the north-west slope of St. Michael's Mount in the surface in the parish of Marazion, Cornwall (SW51399 29922) tucked under a rock in a cavity 12.15 inches below. The finds include five socketed axe heads, four blade fragments, a probable hogs-back knife, a unique buckle/horse fitting/scabbard decoration, a chape, a hilt terminal, 10 copper alloy fragments and 24 ingot fragments. These artefacts were found by Mr. Darren Little on land owned by the National Trust. The objects were cleaned, conserved, photographed, X-rayed, measured and at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, Exeter by Andrew Hughes and K. Williams. Description Complete copper alloy socketed axe head 1. Conservation No. C107763 SF: AA Copper alloy three ribbed socketed axe head (Type South Welsh) with a flaring collar and sub-rectangular mouth (Schmidt and Burgess 1981: 239). The three ribs run parallel and terminate approximately 48mm down the body. Part of the mouth is missing and the cutting edge is damaged and chipped. The surface is matte brown with spots of corrosion. Max. Length: 109.13mm Cutting edge: 57.76mm Mouth: 44.74 x 49.7mm Weight: 363.8g Socketed axe head fragments 2. Conservation No. C107749 SF: AB Copper alloy faceted socketed axe head fragment (Type Meldreth) with a trumpet mouth and wide collar (21.14mm) (Schmidt and Burgess 1981: 204). There are ten facet faces on the axe body with the cutting edge missing. There is a c-shaped piece of metal lodged in the socket (casting jet - AT). It is matte green with numerous encrustations and corrosion nodules on the surface. Mouth: 35.4 x 36.5mm Weight: 155.4g 3. Conservation No. C107764 SF: AC Copper alloy socketed axe head fragment with three converging ribs. The mouth is missing and the body of the axe appears to have been compressed. The surface is corroded with corrosion nodules near the cutting edge. Probably originally connected to no. 4 Length: 66.33 mm Width blade: 51.17mm Weight: 135.2g 4. Conservation No. C107764 SF: AD Copper alloy socketed axe head blade and body fragment with three parallel ribs. Both the cutting edge and mouth are missing. The body has been compressed and the surface is heavily corroded. Probably originally connected to no. 3. Length: 58.34 Width: 45.02mm Weight: 137.9g 5. Conservation No. C107761 SF: AE Copper alloy socketed axe head body and blade fragment with the cutting edge in good condition. The body has been compressed. The surface is matte green with areas of corrosion nodules. Length 58.35mm, Cutting edge: 57.62mm Weight: 69.8g 6. Conservation No. C107765 SF: AQ Copper alloy socketed axe head collar fragment with a single rib. Length 21.91mm Weight: 14.3g Hog's-backed or Carp's Tongue knife 7. Conservation No. C107761 SF: AF Probable hog-backed knife fragment. Part of the central perforation can still be seen and two worked sides are still intact. The surface is matte green. Length 51.31mm Width 39.35mm Weight: 45.6g Gouge fragment 8. Conservation No. C107761 SF: AG Copper alloy gouge fragment. Unable to determine whether it was socketed or tanged. The surface is matte green with areas of corrosion nodules. Length: 45.12 Width: 14.27 Weight: 30.1g Blade fragments 9. Conservation No. C107747 SF: AH Copper alloy blade fragment with rounded mid-rib and bevelled edges. The surface is matte green with areas of corrosion. Length: 87.22 Width 32.46 Weight: 46g 10.Conservation No. C107747 SF: AI Copper alloy blade fragment with rounded mid-rib. Length: 25.63 Width 35.11 Weight: 30.1g 11. Conservation No. C107748 SF: AJ Copper alloy blade fragment with corrosion products across the surface. Length 30.41mm Width 23.46 Weight: 18.4g 12.Conservation No. C107748 SF: AK Copper alloy blade fragment with a pronounced mid-rib and grooves either side. Corrosion products found across the surface. Length 16.88 Width 23.12 Weight: 11.9g Sword hilt terminal 13. Conservation No. C107766 SF: AP Copper alloy as-cast sword hilt terminal fragment (Type Ewart Park). T-shaped terminal with flash still attached on one side. It is thicker than most Ewart Park sword hilt which suggests that it was deposited as-cast. The surface is matte green with areas of corrosion. Terminal end: 41.37mm Weight: 50.2g Chape 14. Conservation No. C107768 SF: AO 'Bag'- shaped chape with a concave mouth and shape (O'Connor 1980: 190). A small rib running around the mouth and a moulding forms the bottom of the chape. There is a central perforation on either side. Length: 59mm Width: 49mm Weight: 55.1g Buckle or horse fitting 15.Conservation No. C107762 SF: AM Copper alloy hollow-backed buckle, horse harness fitting or scabbard decoration in two pieces but otherwise in very good condition. The object appears to be a composite of two different object types usually found separately: a moulded ornament bar with four teeth and a flat bugle-shaped object together with a decorated rectangular terminal. The object has two holes on either side on the side plates, which suggest that a back plate would have fitted on the back. It also has linear decoration around the edge comprising 6 parallel incised lines. The surface is matte green with corrosion nodules. Length: 82mm Width: 56mm Weight: 44.4g Unidentified copper alloy fragments 16.Conservation No. C107765 SF: AR Copper alloy plate fragment with a crack running up one side. The surface is heavily corroded. Weight: 15.1g 17.Conservation No. C107765 SF:AS Copper alloy fragment Weight: 10.3g 18.Conservation No. C107762 SF: AL Copper alloy plate fragment. Length: 65mm Width: 50mm Weight: 62.7g 19.Copper alloy fragment. SF: BR Weight: 46.65g 20.Copper alloy fragment. SF: BS Weight: 16.85g 21.Copper alloy fragment. SF: BV Weight: 9.3g Metalworking Debris 22.Conservation No. 107770 SF: AN Copper alloy two-pronged casting jet. Length: 42.88 Width 32.40 Weight: 68.5g 23.Copper alloy casting run-off. SF: BP Weight: 221.5g Copper ingot fragments 24.Copper ingot fragment. SF: AT Weight: 519.9g 25.Copper ingot fragment. SF: AU Weight: 326.6g 26.Copper ingot fragment. SF: AV Weight: 355.2g 27.Copper ingot fragment. SF: AW Weight: 248.1g 28.Copper ingot fragment. SF: AX Weight: 25.6 29.Copper ingot fragment. SF: AY Weight: 36.3g 30.Copper ingot fragment. SF: AZ Weight: 53.8g 31.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BA Weight: 58.4g 32.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BB Weight: 136.7g 33.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BC Weight: 150g 34.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BD Weight: 57.4g 35.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BE Weight: 145.1g 36.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BF Weight: 64g 37.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BG Weight: 362g 38.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BH Weight: 243.6g 39.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BI Weight: 76.6g 40.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BJ Weight: 303.4g 41.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BK Weight: 107.4g 42.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BL Weight: 75.5g 43.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BM Weight: 115.7g 44.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BN Weight: 136.2g 45.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BO Weight: 174.8g 46.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BQ Weight: 206.5g 47.Copper ingot fragment. SF: BU Weight: 14.1g Discussion The South Welsh and Meldreth socketed axes (O'Connor 1980, 166-8; Schmidt and Burgess 1981: 239), the bag-shaped chape (O'Connor 1980: 190), the hog's back or Carp's Tongue knife (Burgess 1968, 38, fig 13, 10; O'Connor 1980, 179) and Ewart Park sword terminal (Burgess and Colquhoun 1988) dates this hoard to the Ewart Park phase (1000-800 BC) of the Late Bronze Age. The gouge fragment, blade fragment and multiple ingot fragments are also typical for hoards throughout southern and eastern England during this time and has been demonstrated in southwest England (Pearce 1983: 307). The hollow-backed buckle, horse harness fitting or scabbard decoration in two pieces appears to be unique though is comprised from two familiar forms found in Late Bronze Age hoards. The moulded ornament bar section at one end with four teeth is known from fragments in hoards such as the seven toothed fragment from Isleham, Cambridgeshire (O'Connor 1980, fig 45 no. 52) as well as double ended five toothed fragment from Cassiobridge Farm, Watford, Hertfordshire (Huth 1997, fig 6.) which date to the Wilburton-Ewart Park metalwork phases (c. 1140BC-800BC) (see Burgess 1968, 38, Appendix V g, fig 13 no. 26). The bugle-shaped object at the centre is a well known shape from Ewart Park hoards (such as Petters, Surrey (Needham 1990, 60-61) and is found in tubular and flat forms (see O'Connor 1980, 194). They are usually thought to have been associated with horse harnesses. It is not directly comparable to the contemporary sheet plaques though the size, sheet-working and decorative techniques are related (Coombs 1991). Conclusion The hoard fulfils the requirements for being considered Treasure under the 1996 Treasure Act (2002 Amendment). References Burgess, C.B. 1968. The Later Bronze Age in the British Isles and North-Western France. Archaeological Journal 125, 1-45. Burgess, C., and Colquhoun, I. 1988. The Swordsof Britain. Munich: Prähistorische. Bronzefunde : IV.5. Coombs, D. 1991. Symbolisme à l'Âge du Bronze final en Europe atlantique plaques décorées de type Watford.Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française. 88, (2), 58-64. Huth, C. 1997. Westeuropäische Horte der Spätbronzezeit. Fundbild und Funktion. Regensburg: Universität Regensberg. Needham, S. 1990. The Petters Late Bronze Age Metalwork: An analytical study of Thames Valley metalworking in its settlement context. Occasional Paper No. 70. British Museum: London. O'Connor, B. 1980. Cross-Channel Relations in the Later Bronze Age. BAR International Series 91. Pearce, S.M. 1983. The Bronze Age Metalwork of the South Western Peninsula. Oxford: British Archaeological Report 120. Matt Juddery (Volunteer) Ben Roberts (Curator of European Bronze Age) 30.11.10