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SPEAR
Unique ID: SUR-0EC561
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
Early medieval iron spear head with a characteristic conical split shaft and lozenge shaped tapering blade. The blade has been purposefully bent into a curve, presumably before deposition. The socket is circular in profile, 18.2mm in diameter at the shaft, narrowing to 11.7mm in diameter at the blade and is completely filled with iron corrosion products, although the orginal socket split seam and base are clearly discernable.
The blade is bent to 130mm long, with an estimated original length of around 170mm. It has angular shoulders measuring 27.8mm narrowing to a tip of 6.7mm. The profile of the blade is lozenge shaped with a pronounced midrib around 8mm thick.
This find was recovered from a river bed adjacent to Newark priory. There is corrosion commensurate with a prolonged immersion in water and the socket has broken midway along its length since its recovery.
The spear head compares favourably to Swanton's H2 category, dating to the 6th century AD.
Notes:
Found by magnet fishing.
Subsequent actions
Current location of find: Guildford Museum
Subsequent action after recording: Donated to a museum
Chronology
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Ascribed Culture:
Anglo-Saxon style
Date from: Circa AD 550
Date to: Circa AD 650
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 220 mm
Width: 27 mm
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight: 100.6 g
Diameter: 18.2 mm
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 17th June 2018
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Spatial metadata
Region: South East (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Surrey (County)
District: Woking (District)
Parish or ward: Pyrford (District Ward)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: TQ0457
Four figure Latitude: 51.30263171
Four figure longitude: -0.50954301
1:25K map: TQ0457
1:10K map: TQ05NW
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swanton, M.J. | 1973 | The Spearheads of the Anglo-Saxon Settlements | Leeds | Royal Archaeological Institute | 106 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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