Record ID: DOR-28AC7E
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Discovery: Found on 14th May 2020 and reported to Ciorstaidh Hayward Trevarthen, Finds Liaison Officer for Dorset. 1] Axehead. A complete cast palstave axe head. The axehead has high side flanges which are lozenge-shaped in profile and are fused to the stop ridge. The tops of the flanges on both sides project above the stop, creating wing-like patterns.  The stop ridges are rounded at the top, on one side the ridge is curved, while the other is straight. On one side the stop is undercut with a ‘blowhole’ like casting flaw. The butt of the axe head is the most corroded…
Created on: Monday 18th May 2020
Last updated: Friday 29th September 2023
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Sturminster Newton', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SUR-68C46E
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Published
A hoard of three items dating to the Taunton phase (c.1400-1275 BC) of the Middle Bronze Age and found buried together: A complete cast bronze rapier, 535mm in total length, with a solid copper alloy hilt which has been modelled in imitation of a wooden one. The rapier has been broken into three pieces. The tapering blade is 60mm wide at the handle and a maximum of 7.5mm thick with a "triple arris" shaped cross-section throughout its length. It is broken in two fragments, the larger, which is slightly bent, weighing 188g and the smaller, 23.34g.…
Created on: Friday 14th February 2020
Last updated: Monday 25th March 2024
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Stalbridge area', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: DOR-113453
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Two Palstave axeheads. 1] An early looped palstave of Western type. It has a broad, curved cutting There is a wide moulded central ridge on both faces which tapers and thins to around. There is a clear casting line visible along both sides. The septum is U-shaped with a high , curved stop ridge on both faces. The flanges are curving and short so that the butt projects beyond them. The butt is straight at the end. There is a cast small side loop which has not been finished after casting. Date 1400 - 1200 BC Dimensions: 158 mm x 60 mm x 35 mm Weight: 484 g 2] An unlooped…
Created on: Thursday 5th September 2019
Last updated: Thursday 22nd July 2021
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Child Okeford', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SOM-A7FCE7
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A hoard of Middle Bronze Age Palstave axes. Date: Middle Bronze Age - 1300-1150 cal BC Description:  A hoard of four near complete palstave axeheads in a generally good condition. Axe 1: Axe 1 is a near complete copper alloy single looped palstave axe with high, protruding stop-ridge and flanges in addition to a well-preserved side loop. It dates to the Middle Bronze Age c. 1300 to 1150 cal BC. It is broken in half just below the stop-ridge on the blade side but these fragments refit such that the object is practically complete The butt of this axe is complete and has a f…
Created on: Tuesday 14th May 2019
Last updated: Wednesday 22nd November 2023
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'West Stour CP', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: DOR-2A5A13
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A gold working hoard dating to the Early Bronze Age consisting of a flat axe, gold bar ingot fragment and 8 pieces of scrap gold. These are discussed below. 1) An incomplete cast copper alloy flat axe or chisel of Early Bronze Age date (c. 2000 - 1700 BC). The axe probably best fits within the Migdale metalworking tradition The object is sub-trapezoidal in plan expanding from one broken terminal, marked by an irregular transverse break, down most of its length before narrowing again at an incomplete crescent blade edge. This blade is missing a chip at one of its wings, giving it a di…
Created on: Wednesday 8th May 2019
Last updated: Tuesday 30th January 2024
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Melcombe Horsey', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: DOR-31AD21
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
The four objects were found within a small area (between 4 and 10 inches depth) on cultivated stubble, with ‘no other materials nearby’. The find was made on the 28th July 2016 in the course of metal detecting with the permission of the land-owner. Description: The find consists of four Middle Bronze Age palstave (axeheads), three of local, English type (Nos. 1-2 & 4), and one of probable French type (No. 3). Complete copper alloy palstave. Looped. Pronounced mid-rib. In relatively good condition albeit with patches of green corrosion. The casting seams ar…
Created on: Thursday 4th August 2016
Last updated: Wednesday 24th June 2020
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Bere Regis', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: DOR-17B0DA
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: IRON AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Published
Items from an Iron Age crouched inhumation: A copper alloy vessel with handle, a pottery vessel, two copper alloy brooches and an iron implement Grave assemblage: 1] A copper alloy vessel with ornate handle. In excavation the vessel was observed to comprise two layers of horizontally ridged copper alloy sheet. Adjacent to it was the probably handle in two pieces. The handle consists of a rectangular copper alloy bar, which constricts into right-angled ends which then expand into right-angled, squared escutcheons. The handle is decorated with longitudinal grooves on the main body and…
Created on: Friday 4th December 2015
Last updated: Thursday 20th July 2023
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Maiden Newton', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: DOR-A094DD
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
One incomplete socketed spearhead (two pieces) and a fragment of spear tip. Date: Middle Bronze Age - c. 1600 - 1000 1] 96.38 mm x 18.50 mm x 31.24 mm. 61.84 g 2] 25.98 mm x 17.21 mm x 6.45 mm. 5.13 g
Created on: Thursday 11th December 2014
Last updated: Friday 15th May 2020
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Chickerell', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: DOR-A0720E
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A group of three socketed axe fragments. Date: Late Bronze Age - c. 1000 - 800 BC 1] 39.39 mm x 26.41 mm x 6.46 mm. 24.77 g 2] 26.72 mm x 15.09 mm x 4.75 mm. 7.24 g 3] 22.66 mm x 14.90 mm x 4.10 mm. 5.30 g Description: Three fragments of Late Bronze Age socketed axes. 1. Socketed axehead fragment. Small fragment from the mouth of a socketed axehead, carries a single mouth moulding, a line of the casting seam is visible on the external surface of the axehead, the fragment has a green/brown patina. Dimensions: Length: 22.66mm; Width: 14.90mm; Thickness: 4.1mm; Weight: 5.3g 2. …
Created on: Thursday 11th December 2014
Last updated: Friday 15th May 2020
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Chickerell', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: WILT-8CBFA4
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Published
A hoard of two incomplete Middle Bronze Age rapiers dating to the period c. 1400 - 1100 BC. Both blades best described as rapiers and best placed in Burgess & Gerloff's 'Group III' (Burgess, C.B., and Gerloff, S. 1981. The Dirks and Rapiers of Great Britain and Ireland. Prähistorische Bronzefunde IV, 7 Beck: Munich). The rapiers will be discussed as rapier A and rapier B. Rapier A consists of six fragments of the blade along with six rivets from the handle. One of the breaks between two of the fragments may be deliberate, the other breaks appear to have occured during dep…
Created on: Tuesday 4th November 2014
Last updated: Tuesday 3rd March 2015
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: HAMP-893364
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Published
CORONER'S REPORT A hoard of 197 bronze socketed axes, broken socketed axes and socketed axe fragments. A full catalogue has been produced for this hoard but is not offered here; it is available on request from the Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum. Rather, the axes, all being similar, are discussed as a group. All of the axes in this hoard appear to be of Type Portland (Bruns pers. comm), which dates to the Llyn Fawr stage of the Bronze Age (LBA4) (800-600BC) (Needham et al 1997; O'Connor 2007). This type is distributed in…
Created on: Tuesday 3rd February 2009
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Langton Matravers CP', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: HAMP-2865F1
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Dorset
Workflow stage: Published
CORONER'S REPORT A hoard of 303 bronze socketed axes, broken socketed axes and socketed axe fragments. A full catalogue has been produced for this hoard but is not offered here; it is available on request from the Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure at the British Museum. Rather, the axes, all being similar with one exception, are discussed as a group. All but one of the axes in this hoard appear to be of Type Portland (Bruns pers. comm.), which dates to the Llyn Fawr stage of the Bronze Age (LBA4) (800-600BC) (Needham et al. 1997; O'Connor 2007). Thi…
Created on: Friday 13th June 2008
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Langton Matravers CP', grid reference and parish protected.