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-E9CCB4
Object type: PENANNULAR RING
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
A Middle Bronze Age bipartite composite penannular ring, complete but pulled out (possibly post-deposition). The piece comprises two lightly c-sectioned gold strips joined longitudinally. Length 30.5mm; width 5.3mm; thickness 1.3mm; weight 1.62 grams. This is a well known Middle Bronze Age type, decorative in nature, dating to circa 1300-100BC.
Created on: Tuesday 12th December 2006
Last updated: Thursday 21st March 2024
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Coggeshall', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-E97973
Object type: PENANNULAR RING
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
Gold penannular ring with body of circular cross-section tapering gently to flat terminals. The ring bears decorative narrow stripes of yellow and paler gold but this is heavily worn, especially at the circumference and outer surfaces. Slight damage to one terminal suggests that the ring comprises a gold covering over a base metal core (this was subsequently confirmed in the laboratory).The ring has an external diameter of 16x14.5mm, an internal diameter of 6mm, a breadth of 5mm and weighs 5.28g. Non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis of the surface of a striped penannular rin…
Created on: Tuesday 12th December 2006
Last updated: Tuesday 5th December 2017
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Kelvedon', 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-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-8B16C7
Object type: AWL
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Published
Cast copper alloy object, probably a Bronze Age awl. The awl is essentially a shaft; rectangular in section, with a swelling approximately two thirds along its length, which gives it an elongated, flattened lentoid shape in plan and profile. The longer end of the awl, before the swelling, tapers to a semi-sharp point, whilst the other, shorter portion terminates with a broad blunt point. The original surface survives only in small patches with an even mid green patina, whilst exposed surfaces (the majority of the object) are a brighter green. The tool is 37.82mm long, 3.24mm wide and 3…
Created on: Tuesday 8th August 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Mashbury', 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-356856
Object type: HOARD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A late Bronze Age hoard. No scientific analysis of the finds has been undertaken but it is clear that the artefacts (numbers 1-9) are bronze. The remaining items are complete or fragmentary copper ingots created by smelting copper ores and allowing the molten metal to solidify in the rounded base of the furnace. 1. Socketed axe blade fragment 2. Complete South-eastern socketed axe (Schmidt & Burgess,1981, The Axes of Scotland and Northern England (Prähistorische Bronzefunde 9.7) Munich, page 212). 3. Complete South-eastern socketed axe 4. Complete South-eastern so…
Created on: Friday 4th August 2006
Last updated: Tuesday 10th May 2022
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'East of Colchester', 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-88D0F1
Object type: LITHIC IMPLEMENT
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Lithic implement. Hazel Martingell kindly notes that this is a Bronze Age side scraper. It is sub circular in plan and sub lozenge shaped in section (twisted). It is made from a primary flake off of a cobble and is very worn, probably due to water rolling. There is retouch along the right edge and a clear bulb of percussion indicating a hard hammer strike. The scraper is 41.46mm long, 40.14mm wide, 12.42mm thick and weighs 22.17g.
Created on: Monday 15th May 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Walton on the Naze', 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-232023
Object type: LITHIC IMPLEMENT
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Lithic implement. Hazel Martingell kindly notes that this is an early Bronze Age bi-facially worked knife. It is rectangular in plan and lentoid in section. It is made on a piece of rich brown flint with a patch of mid grey. Each face is clearly carefully flaked and the edges retouched. The knife is broken, having snapped at one end. It has a surviving length of 37.58mm, is 17.24mm wide, 5.36mm thick and weighs 5g. Knives of this date are considered to be unusual finds in Essex.
Created on: Thursday 2nd February 2006
Last updated: Tuesday 5th March 2024
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Layer Breton', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: ESS-230B77
Object type: LITHIC IMPLEMENT
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Essex
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Lithic implement. Hazel Martingell kindly notes that this is a piercer of the later prehistoric period, dating from the late Bronze Age to as late as the Iron Age. It is subsquare in plan with one clearly extended point to one corner. The bulb of percussion is visible. The flint is dark grey with small white patches and a small patch of beige cortex. It is 35.94mm long (including the point), 22.84mm wide, 8.94mm thick and weighs 5.71g.
Created on: Thursday 2nd February 2006
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Sible Hedingham', grid reference and parish protected.