Object: Bracelet (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE ( to )
Material: Gold 
Found: Rimington, Ribble Valley, Lancashire (North West)
Discovery method: Metal detector
Description: Bracelet 1



A complete and well crafted penannular bracelet with a band of thin, ‘C’ section. The section is, however, thickest at the centre, thinner, rounded and highly polished along the edges. The band tapers gently towards the squared off terminals, which are defined by a narrow beading created by turning the metal outward slightly. 



The bracelet has many dents and scratches visible under magnification. Slight compression of the band around the middle has caused limited distortion and misalignment of the terminals. One of the latter is damaged by a small nick.



Diameter 78 x 67 mm;  width band at terminals 15.5 mm;  maximum width band (undistorted) 18.5 mm;  thickness edges c. 0.7 mm;  weight 47.3 g



Bracelet 2



A complete and highly polished penannular bracelet with band of near ‘D’ section, but the inner face is marginally hollowed. The band tapers gently towards either end then expands into oval, buffer-like terminals with flat ends; the expansion is slightly asymmetric, bulging externally. There are many tiny dents and scratches visible under magnification.



Diameter 68.5 x 54 mm;  width band 7.0 – 5.5 mm;  thickness band 4.3 – 3.2 mm;  terminals 8.5 x 6 mm, 8 x 6 mm;  weight 53.1 g
Notes: Both may be compared with Late Bronze Age styles of bracelet, but of very different types. No 2 is the more regular type and is widely distributed in Britain. Bracelet no 1 is much more unusual; its closest British parallel is a new find from Donhead St Mary, Hampshire, which is a reworked bracelet slightly thickened at the terminals rather than out-turned (Treasure case 2005T1). A group of three C-section bracelets in a hoard from Matignon in Brittany are similar (Eluère 1982, 181 fig.169). The Tisbury hoard, Wiltshire, includes two bracelets again with broad C-section bands, but these have large tongue-shaped terminals very different from the vestigial ones at Gisburn (Eogan 1994, pl.11 nos 4&5). 



In addition to having an unusual form, bracelet no 1 has an unparalleled composition. Taking account of the specific gravity of the piece and the preferential loss of copper at the surface due to corrosion, the scientific work makes it clear that this object had either an extremely low gold content throughout, or a thickish coating of gold around a base-metal core. Neither of these compositions has been encountered in Bronze Age goldwork before.



These two bracelets broadly conform to types known in the Late Bronze Age of Britain and north-west Europe, one (D-section) being more common than the other. Certain typological details and the composition of bracelet no 1, however, cannot as yet be matched among Bronze Age metalwork. Without cutting a section for full metallographic analysis, it is not possible to be more specific about its internal composition, but even the surface composition is highly unusual.



Dr S.P. Needham



Department of Prehistory & Europe



British Museum
Subsequent action: Returned to finder after being disclaimed as Treasure