Record ID: ESS-00C1C7
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
2006 T406: Braintree District, Essex: Late Bronze Age Scatter Circumstances of discovery: Whilst using a metal detector Description: A Bronze Age copper alloy awl and fragment of Bronze Age sword blade 1. Fragment of Late Bronze Age 'Saint Nazaire' type sword blade. The fragment is sub square in plan and lenticular in section. It has a rounded raised mid rid, with grooves giving definition to either side. There are a further three grooves to either side of the mid rib, to both faces of the blade. Both of the blade edges are damaged. The break edges, though not straight, are fair…
Created on: Thursday 6th September 2007
Last updated: Wednesday 6th June 2012
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Braintree District', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-EC4D04
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
A Bronze Age hoard. 1. Socketed axe, South-Eastern class A. Complete. Double mouth moulding, sub-square mouth with rounded corners. The axe is wedge-shaped in profile and almost rectangular in plan. The upper mouth moulding is worn and chipped. The cutting edge is expanded and there are slightly developed blade tip hollows. The blade edge and blade tips are missing due to corrosion damage. There are curving striations along the same plane as the blade edge on both sides of the cutting edge and lower blade. Internal ribs on both faces. The casting seams are barely visible on both sid…
Created on: Tuesday 12th December 2006
Last updated: Friday 1st February 2013
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Mid Essex', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-E90BD1
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
1. Complete, cast copper alloy Late Bronze Age socketed axe. The axe is wedge-shaped in profile and subrectangular in plan. The mouth of the axe is subsquare. There is a rounded moulded collar running around the mouth, which is now badly worn and chipped. Beneath the moulding is a wide, shallow groove or indent, beneath which is a further raised moulded band that runs around the axe. The body of the axe is rectangular with gently flaring sides that expand into the lower blade and cutting edge. The cutting edge is missing, and the exposed edge worn and pitted. The blade tips are also w…
Created on: Tuesday 12th December 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Maldon Area', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-E8A4F8
Object type: PENANNULAR RING
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
Penannular gold ring of subcircular section, with decorative banding in yellow and paler gold (Treasure case 2004 T502). The silver-rich stripes particularly have an etched appearance; examination by a Colchester Museums conservator suggested that the find had been cleaned after discovery. Analysis suggests that the ring is solid (ie does not have a base metal core). It has a dimeter of 18mm, is 6.2mm thick, has a 3.5mm gap between the terminals and weighs 14.35g. Penannular gold rings of this type are assigned to the late Bronze Age, c.1150-750 BC.
Created on: Tuesday 12th December 2006
Last updated: Tuesday 5th December 2017
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Takeley', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-E87773
Object type: BEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Complete, annular sheet gold bead. The bead has a flattened hexagonal section, having bevelled sides to top and bottom and is hollow. It has a circular piercing. The bead is undecorated. It dates from the early to middle Bronze Age, c. 2150-1150 BC. It has an external diemater of 9.34mm, an internal diameter of 4.93mm, is 3.54mm thick and weighs 0.53g. A similar example can be seen in The Treasure Annual Report 2000, page 12, number 1.
Created on: Tuesday 12th December 2006
Last updated: Tuesday 5th December 2017
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Harlow', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-7138C4
Object type: SOCKETED AXEHEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete cast copper alloy Late Bronze Age faceted socketed axe. The axe is sub rectangular in plan and wedge shaped in profile. The mouth of the axe is sub circular and damaged. The moulding is almost completely missing but a small surviving portion suggests that it was a single moulding. The sides of the axe are straight and flare only slightly towards the blade end. The front and rear faces of the axe are further 'body angled' making the axe faceted with a hexagonal section. The cutting edge and blade tips are missing and the exposed edges are worn and abraded. The side loop is i…
Created on: Friday 24th November 2006
Last updated: Monday 14th February 2022
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Boxted', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-FB0374
Object type: PALSTAVE
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Complete Bronze Age copper-alloy palstave. Is an early palstave of ‘Group I: Primary Shield Pattern’ type, probably dated to the Middle Bronze Age. All parts of the palstave are present and include a probable bar stop and a shield-shaped depression on the blade just below the stop. The shield is transfixed by a long central ridge running from it to the cutting edge, this forms a primitive version of the ‘trident’ pattern. The palstave also has roughly parallel sides above the stop and a widely splayed blade. The cutting edge and blade tips are worn but intact. The palstav…
Created on: Tuesday 19th September 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: ESS-B38D97
Object type: BARBED AND TANGED ARROWHEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Almost complete barbed and tanged flint arrowhead. The arrowhead is missing its tip, part of each barb and the tang, but is otherwise a good example. It is 59.84mm long, 35.04mm wide, 8.38mm thick and weighs 13.33g. The incomplete barbs are 9.7mm, 7.76mm wide and 7.8mm long, 6.62mm wide. The incomplete tang is 8.12mm long and 11.6mm. The arrowhead is bi-facially worked with ripple flaking and is clearly retouched along each edge. It appears that some large flakes may have been struck from one side due to subsequent damage. The two sides of the arrowhead form an angle of approximately 4…
Created on: Thursday 10th August 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Little Totham', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-75D432
Object type: SWORD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Fragment of Late Bronze Age ‘Saint Nazaire’ type sword blade. The fragment is sub square in plan and lenticular in section. It has a rounded raised mid rid, with grooves giving definition to either side. There are a further three grooves to either side of the mid rib, to both faces of the blade. Both of the blade edges are damaged. The break edges, though not straight, are fairly even, but it is impossible to tell whether the sword was deliberately cut, perhaps for inclusion in a scrap hoard. Both break edges are worn, suggesting damage occurred in antiquity. The fragment retains t…
Created on: Monday 7th August 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Braintree district', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-73FF46
Object type: AWL
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
Complete copper alloy Bronze Age awl. The awl is essentially a shaft, square in section, which tapers to a blunt point at either end. Three of the four faces of the awl show very obvious marks, somewhat like planishing. These may be decorative or possibly due to the manufacturing technique of the object. One side is plain, appearing unmarked rather than worn. The awl survives in good condition with an even dark green patina. Slight areas of abrasion reveal lighter green surfaces. The tool is 71.6mm long, 5.04mm wide and 5.24mm thick. It weighs 10.16g. Stuart Needham’s report in Lon…
Created on: Monday 7th August 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Braintree District', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-F8DBC4
Object type: SOCKETED AXEHEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
A rare, almost complete, cast copper alloy looped and socketed Late Bronze Age axe. The axe is wedge-shaped in profile. The moulded mouth of the axe is missing,the damage extending down onto the body on one side of the axe, but the continuing socket is sub square in profile. The body of the axe is faceted, being hexagonal in section, wider across the top and bottom than the sides giving it a ‘squashed’ appearance (though it is not squashed in reality). The body of the axe is tongue shaped in plan, in that it tapers and ends on each face of the blade with a slightly raised moulded c…
Created on: Thursday 20th July 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Mistley', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-939345
Object type: INGOT
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
A Late Bronze Age copper plano-convex ingot edge fragment. This fragment of ingot is sub rectangular in plan, with one distinctly curved edge, and is sub triangular in section. When complete the ingot would have been ‘bun-shaped’, having a domed upper surface and a flat lower surface. The ingot now measures 52.54mm long, 30.64mm wide, 23.74mm thick and weighs 100.67g. The surfaces of the ingot are abraded and pitted. It is mostly bright green in colour which indicates its high copper content. Copper ingot fragments are common in hoards of the Ewart Park phase of the late Bronze Age…
Created on: Monday 3rd July 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Wickham Bishops', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-B26642
Object type: PALSTAVE
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Complete cast copper alloy low flanged ‘type Blackrock’ middle Bronze Age palstave axe. The back portion of the axe has a septum that is rectangular in plan with a pronounced backstop. At their highest point, the side flanges do not rise past the backstop. They angle down gently towards the rear of the axe and reach the septum at a point just before the butt. This gives the back portion of the axe a wedge shaped, but profile with slightly curving edges. The butt of the axe is slightly chipped and worn. The blade of the axe has only a short straight section before flaring out into a…
Created on: Friday 5th May 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Great Thurlow', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-158710
Object type: SOCKETED AXEHEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Complete, cast copper alloy Late Bronze Age socketed axe of South Eastern class A. The axe is wedge-shaped in profile and sub rectangular in plan. The mouth of the axe is sub square. The mouth has a moulded rim, above which are the remains of the casting flash. Beneath the moulding is a shallow, circumfral groove, beneath which is a vestigial moulding echoing that above. The body of the axe is rectangular with gently flaring sides that expand into the fan shaped lower blade and cutting edge. The cutting edge is damaged as are the blade tips, though they remain mostly intact. Casting s…
Created on: Friday 10th March 2006
Last updated: Monday 14th February 2022
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Willingale', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-84F772
Object type: FLANGED AXEHEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete cast copper alloy Bronze Age palstave axe. The axe has broken just beyond the stop, resulting in the complete loss of the sternum portion. What remains is a small portion of the body of the axe and the blade. The body is narrow and flares sharply into the blade which is triangle in plan and wedge shaped in section. The cutting edge is fairly straight and the blade tips are not accentuated. Along the small body portion are faint signs of a flange to either edge. This, in line with the form of the blade makes this axe likely to be a low flanged axe of the Middle Bronze Age. …
Created on: Friday 3rd March 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Goldhanger', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-6F5DE7
Object type: SOCKETED AXEHEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
Fragment of copper alloy late Bronze Age socketed axe head. The fragment represents a small part of the lower blade and cutting edge. It is semicircular in plan and wedge-shaped in profile. When viewed in plan, the sides of the body flare out at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The cutting edge and blade tips are worn. There is evidence of the casting seam to one side of the axe. There is a rectangular aperture in the thicker end of the fragment, which represents the very end of the socket. The surface of the axe is damaged, but it survives mostly intact with a dark green patina. …
Created on: Wednesday 7th December 2005
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Dedham', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-72A1B3
Object type: INGOT
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
A Late Bronze Age copper plano-convex ingot edge fragment. This fragment of ingot is subtriangular in plan, with one slightly curved edge, and is plano-convex in section. When complete the ingot would have been ‘bun-shaped’, having a domed upper surface and a flat lower surface. The ingot now measures 77.44mm long, 71.18mm wide, 29.04mm thick and weighs in excess of 235g. The surface of the ingot is abraded and pitted. Original surface survives in patches of dark green, but exposed surfaces are also mid and light green. Copper ingot fragments are common in hoards of the Ewart Park …
Created on: Friday 25th November 2005
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Wethersfield', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-303B00
Object type: LITHIC IMPLEMENT
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete barbed and tanged flint arrowhead. This arrowhead has suffered some damage and is now missing the points to each barb and most of the tang. It is 33.68mm long, 27.82mm wide, 4.22mm thick and weighs 3.87g. The two long sides of the arrowhead form an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The flint is opaque and mid grey in colour, with small patches of creamy white. Flint arrowheads of this type were in use in the early Bronze Age sometime between 2200 and 1400BC. An example can also be seen in Pierpoint 1981, Prehistoric Flintwork in Britain figure 13, number 17.
Created on: Tuesday 22nd November 2005
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: ESS-80CA63
Object type: SOCKETED AXEHEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
Complete cast copper-alloy Late Bronze Age socketed axe of South-Eastern class A1. The axe is rectangular in plan and wedge shaped in profile. The mouth of the socket is sub-circular and has a double mouth-moulding. The sides of the axe are straight and flare only slightly towards the blade end. The cutting edge and blade tips are missing. The edges are now chipped and abraded. The side loop is intact and is 21.04mm long and 12.64mm wide. There is a casting seam on both side edges, which is also visible across the loop. The original surface survives well with a dark green patina, but i…
Created on: Monday 26th September 2005
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Mistley', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-9E4D12
Object type: SWORD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Fragment of copper alloy middle to late Bronze Age blade. This fragment is subsquare in plan and a flattened lentoid in section. There is no median rib or ridge. It is 31.26mm long, 37.54mm wide, 5.18mm thick and weighs 28.08g. The two cutting edges and one has a significant nick to one corner. The break edges are regular and worn. This might suggest that the blade was deliberately cut in antiquity, perhaps for inclusion in a scrap or 'founders' hoard. Some of the original surface survives with a mid green patina, but the mostly exposed lower surface is light green. There is a …
Created on: Monday 22nd August 2005
Last updated: Friday 5th January 2024
No spatial data available.