Object: Casting waste
Period: Bronze Age
Collection: Lane, Mr. B - Private (1981),2 Castle Road, Clacton, Essex
Site: England,Essex,Little Bentley,Little Bentley Hall Farm,Found about June 1979 by Mr. Lane on the surface of an arable field at GR TM 131246 - established by Ml.J. Winter (Colchester M.) who found no further archl. information.
Discovery context: farm
Parish: Little Bentley
County: Essex
Country: England
Grid reference: TM 131 246
Year of discovery: 1979
Length (mm): 69
Weight (g): 186.8
Composition: Metallurgy - Analyst: BM Res. Lab - Craddock; Bibliog: File 4532; Composition: CU 66.5; Pb 21.6; Sn 8.2; AS 1.5; Sb 0.23; Bi 0.8; Ni 0.24; Ag 0.06; Co 0.014; Zn 0.02; Fe 0.03
Associations: 8a. Single Find
Description: Dimensions: max dimension 69.0mm; EL tube possibly full L 43.5; B tube (middle) 24.7; Wt. 186.8g,Typology: craggy lump of bronze incorporating half-melted implements: (1) tube with flanged opening on one side at presumed centre, and tube here a little swollen with rounded ridge encircling and continuing onto flange to give very slightly lentrical shape to opening; edge of flange not a regular shape in profile and pres. broken, but surface more smooth; more intact end of tube with slight expansion to ridge and outer bevelled perimeter; basically amorphous lump protruding from this end, may be part of an original rod-like extension; side opening is blocked just below level of tube surface-apparently continuous casting, no crack apparent. (2) short stretch of curved rod of eye-shaped section; length of 13mm of concave face exposed before swallowed by lump; outer face concealed; outer end very rounded - looks most like runner of casting jet, more elliptical than known fleshhook prongs. (3) 'strip' in edge of lump EL 15mm, T 1.5-2.5 - apparently a little twisted along length W of end exposed on face (1) 7.3. (4) 'strip' - with 3 apparent mouldings on exposed face - parallel; EL 10.8; W 9.5 (5) A few other small projections - more amorphous and uncertain whether parts of object.
Remarks: PIF; DF(S); SI; RSO 29/5/79; CI; Rec.: SN Aug. 80; Source: Sb. A.; Sub. Inf.: D.T.D. Clarke, Colchester Mus. 23 May 79; Cont. Card. 1