Object: Hoard (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE (-1000 to -800)
Material: Copper alloy 
Found: Newbald, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire (Yorkshire and the Humber)
Discovery method: Building work
Description: TREASURE CASE : 2017 T1115.



A hoard of six Bronze Age copper-alloy axe heads, found in a stream. Five of the axe heads are socketed axes and one is a relatively rare example of a late palstave from a Ewart Park hoard (although other examples are known from East Yorkshire, see discussion, below). All six of the axe heads date to the Ewart Park phase of the Late Bronze Age (c. 1000 - 800 BC). Socketed axe specialist Dr Dot Boughton has suggested a very late 9th - early 8th century BC date (pers. comm.).



Note on condition: All axes have suffered the effects of being deposited in water, with patchy green and light brown copper-corrosion and some encrusting. One of the socketed axes (No. 2) was sand-blasted after discovery. This has markedly affected the condition of the axe.



Four of the axe heads are of the Yorkshire type typical of the area. It is possible that some of the Yorkshire types may be from the same mould.



(1) Complete copper-alloy socketed axe head with loop, Yorkshire type. The axe head is wedge-shaped with a square socket mouth of uneven thickness and single mouth-moulding forming a heavy collar. The loop sits below this; it is broadly lozenge-shaped in section and wide in plan, narrowing at the juncture towards the socketed end of the axe head. The cutting edge of the axe head is flared and still sharp. A casting seam is visible externally running longitudinally down both sides of the axe head and down the outer surface of the loop. Further casting seams are apparent running down all four faces internally and a small casting lip protrudes straight up from the middle of the edge of the socket mouth on the wide face (with the loop to the right). Of all the Yorkshire type axe heads within this hoard, this example has survived in the best condition; while there is a large degree of light brown and green copper-alloy corrosion, there are also smooth dark brown patches and the outline of the axe head is clear. The smooth brown surface is marked with shallow scratches and dents. Surface detail has been largely obscured by patches of corrosion at the socket end of the axe head, but three equally spaced ridges can just be made out running longitudinally down from below the socket collar on each face; these apparently terminate before the halfway point although it is not clear exactly where. The interior surface of the socket is covered with lumpy green and white accretions from being deposited in water.



Dimensions:



Length: 83.96mm. Socket Width: 38.03 x 39.35mm. Socket wall thickness: 6.63mm. Blade width: 51.63mm. Loop - exterior dimensions: 23.27 x 10.42mm; interior dimensions: 11.16 x 4.36mm. Weight: 226g.



(2) Complete copper-alloy socketed axe head with double-mouth moulding and loop, Yorkshire type. The axe head is wedge-shaped with a ridged sub-rectangular socket mouth of unequal thickness. There is a less prominent ridge running parallel below the socket mouth and three ridges running downwards from this at a right-angle can just be made out. Unfortunately, however, the original surface and much of the detail has been lost due to the axe head being sand-blasted after discovery. This may affect the measurements of the axe head. The surface of the axe head is now a dull grainy light brown. A loop protrudes from the less prominent ridge on one of the narrower faces of the axe head. The loop is broadly D-shaped in section and narrows at mid-point. The cutting edge of the axe head flares. There is a small lip protruding straight up from the long edge of the mouth socket (with the loop on the right), a relic of the casting process. A casting seam is also still visible running longitudinally down both of the narrow faces and down the outer surface of the loop. Sand-blasting has altered the top fifth of the inner surface of the axe head, but the bottom part retains a rough light-green patina from copper-alloy corrosion. There is an irregularly-shaped white stone wedged in the socket from the stream bed.



Dimensions:



Length: 84.03mm. Socket Width: 34.38 x 41.00mm. Socket wall thickness: 6.46mm. Blade width: 49.29mm. Loop - exterior dimensions: 18.97 x 6.78, narrowing to 3.95mm; interior dimensions: 9.17 x 6.13mm. Weight: 219g.



(3) Copper-alloy socketed axe head with loop, apparently deliberately crushed. The axe head is broadly sub-rectangular in shape with both of the short ends flaring, but only narrowing at the cutting edge. The socket mouth is now sub-rectangular in shape, with curved corners. The socket mouth is ridged and compression has caused fractures to appear. There is a less prominent ridge below the socket mouth, running parallel with it. A loop protrudes from this ridge to one side; it is broadly lozenge-shaped in section. A casting seam runs longitudinally down both narrow faces and the loop, visible externally. The surface of this axe head is very patchy, mainly rough light brown patches with some smooth dark brown areas and green copper-alloy corrosion. There is slight encrustation due to the deposition of the axe in water. Some of the roughness of the surface is caused from casting flashes that have not been filed away; this may suggest that the axe head was unfinished. The cutting edge of the axe head is bevelled, however, suggesting that it has been subject to sharpening. It is impossible to tell whether sharpening extended to the full length of the blade on both sides on account of the encrusted nature of the axe head.



Dimensions:



Length: 90.56mm. Socket Width: 25.39 x 47.78mm. Socket wall thickness: 6.97mm. Blade width: 52.64mm. Loop - exterior dimensions: 20.69 x 8.58mm; interior dimensions: 5.89 x 4.35mm. Weight: 239g.



(4) Complete copper-alloy socketed axe head with loop. The axe head is wedge-shaped with a square ridged socket mouth of uneven thickness. There is a section missing from the ridge at the corner between the wide face and the face with the loop (with the loop to the right). This probably occurred during manufacture. The loop is wide and rectangular in section, narrowing very slightly at the juncture towards the socket mouth. There is a casting seam visible running longitudinally down the opposite face and a seam running longitudinally between the socket mouth ridge and the loop, but not below it. The cutting edge of the axe head flares and is slightly notched. Within the socket is a sandy concretion of organic matter and white stone from the stream bed. Small white mineral deposits have also formed accretions on the exterior surface. Otherwise, the axe head has a rough light brown surface with light green patches of copper-corrosion and smooth dark brown patches.



Dimensions:



Length: 82.21mm. Socket Width: 37.85 x 38.32mm. Socket wall thickness: 7.54mm. Blade width: 51.83mm. Loop - exterior dimensions: 20.43 x 9.98mm; interior dimensions: 9.54 x 4.29mm. Weight: 218g.



(5) Complete copper-alloy faceted axe head of the Meldreth type. The axe head is long and slender with a convex cutting edge that flares and curves round into two sharp points. At the other end is a trumpet-shaped collar at the socket mouth. A ridge with central groove runs around the edge of the square-shaped socket mouth. The other side of the trumpet collar is demarcated by a parallel, although less prominent, ridge. There are four facets on each side of the blade. A loop projects to the side from the bottom of the trumpet collar; this is broadly lozenge-shaped in section with a casting seam running longitudinally down the middle of both sides. The casting seam on the outer side extends to the length of the axe head, with a matching seam on the opposite side of the axe head. These are not apparent internally. View of the socket is obscured by stone and organic detriment built up from the stream. Casting flashes remain on the outer surface of the axe head, giving it a bumpy outline. Otherwise, the axe head has a rough light brown patina with some smooth dark brown patches and areas of light green copper-alloy corrosion.



Dimensions:



Length: 105.75mm. Socket Width: 32.54 x 36.41mm. Socket wall thickness: 7.32mm. Blade width: 54.04mm. Loop - exterior dimensions: 23.70 x 7.57mm; interior dimensions: 7.57 x 4.98mm. Weight: 227g.



(6) Complete copper-alloy palstave with loop. The palstave belongs to the Late Palstave group (Schmidt & Burgess 1981, 158-64), and can be placed within Type Isleham (Ibid., 161-2). The palstave is broadly rectangular in profile, widening towards the cutting edge. It is lozenge-shaped when viewed from the side, tapering to the sharp cutting edge and narrowing at the opposite end to a squared butt. It has a rectangular septum with a curved depression in the middle of the short outer edge that forms the butt end; the septum separates the straight-sided open flanges on either side which flare out from a point below the butt end to a stop ridge, forming the widest part of the lozenge-section. The flange on the side of the loop (when the loop is to the left) is missing a section, leaving a rectangular gap. The loop similarly protrudes from the widest point of the lozenge; the loop is pentagonal in section, having a wide, shallow ridge running longitudinally down the outer face and a sharper casting ridge running longitudinally down the inner face. Three ribs extend longitudinally down from the stop ridge on the two wider faces. The palstave has a rough patchy patina, with light brown and green corrosion and smooth dark brown patches. Stony white accretions from the water have built up in the juncture between the flanges and the septum and sandy organic material has built up in the loop.



Dimensions:



Length: 142.49mm. Length of blade (from cutting edge to stop ridge): 83.91mm. Blade width: 37.53mm. Length of septum: 52.87mm. Width of septum: 23.40mm. Loop - exterior dimensions: 24.77 x 9.80mm; interior dimensions: 12.16 x 4.99mm. Weight: 382g.



Discussion:



This hoard is notable for containing a range of axe types dating to the Ewart Park phase of the Late Bronze Age (c.1000 - 800 BC) (cf. Rohl & Needham 1998, 105-6). Some are very common in Northern England (e.g. Yorkshire types: Nos. 1 and 2, above) while others have stronger affinities with the south of England (e.g. Everthorpe and South-Eastern types: Nos. 3-5, above). The palstave axehead (No. 6, above) is a notable addition to a small number of late palstaves from Northern England (see Schmidt & Burgess 1981, 158-64; Burgess 1968, 14, f.n. 60). In this respect the hoard can be compared to the Sproutley hoard, East Riding, which contained a late palstave (of type Worthing) along with South-Eastern, Yorkshire and Everthorpe (and other) type socketed axes (Schmidt & Burgess 1981, pl. 66). The large hoards from Driffield, East Riding (Treasure cases 2016 T239 & 2016 T240), also contained a similar mixture of socketed axe types, although they did not include any late palstaves (see Huisman & Haldenby 2018 for full discussion). In short this hoard is consistent with what we know of depositional practices and hoard composition during the latest centuries of the Bronze Age in East Yorkshire (c.1000 - 800 BC).



It is interesting that one of the axe heads seems to have been deliberately damaged prior to deposition. While the stream in which these axe heads were found appears to be modern, it may follow the route of an original gully. A nearby road name contains the name 'mire' and the area looks to be on the margins of a small island which sits above an area of carr/moss. It seems, therefore, that these axe heads were deposited within the context of a liminal boundary between wet and dry land, potentially on the very edge of the wetland or within a stream which runs seasonally (Peter Reavill, pers. com.).



Conclusion: 



The hoard qualifies as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996 regarding prehistoric metalwork assemblages.



Author and title: Date: 



Lydia Prosser 4th January 2018



FLA for North and East Yorkshire



Checked and updated:



Neil Wilkin



Curator, The British Museum



2nd March 2018



References:



Burgess, C. 1968. Bronze Age Metalwork in Northern England c.1000 to 700 BC. Newcastle: Oriel Press



Husiman, F. & Haldenby, D. 2018. 'Two late Bronze Age Hoards from the Yorkshire Wolds', Prehistoric Yorkshire 55, 2018, 75-96



Needham, S.P. 1990. The Petters Late Bronze Age Metalwork. An analytical study of Thames Valley metalworking in its settlement context. London: The British Museum, Occasional Paper 70



Rohl, B. & Needham, S. 1998. The Circulation of Metal in the British Bronze Age: The Application of Lead Isotope Analysis. London: The British Museum, Occasional Paper 102



Schmidt, P.K. and Burgess, C.B. 1981, The axes of Scotland and northern England, München: C.H. Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung.
Subsequent action: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure