Object: Palstave (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE (-1150 to -950)
Material: Copper alloy 
Found: Conwy, Conwy, Conwy (Wales)
Discovery method: Metal detector
Length: 141 mm
Thickness: 33.4 mm
Weight: 483.7 g
Description: Late Bronze Age copper alloy palstave, probably of Type Guilsfield.



The palstave is complete and has an overall length of 141.0mm and is comparatively heavy at 483.7g, implying a heavily-leaded bronze. The butt has a width of 24.7mm and is irregular, appearing to have suffered from casting problems with the bronze at the surface appearing to be porous, there is also some hollowing on both sides of the septum adjacent to the butt. This damage may be a result of insufficient bronze when casting. The butt was likely to have been straight and angled slightly towards the unlooped side. The septum is thick, as is typical for the type, with a thickness at the butt of 5mm and 15mm at the base of the stop. The flanges are concave and end well before the butt (17mm), with the flanges on the looped side appearing shorter than on the other. The sides before the stop are straight. The stop is rounded, suggesting the type to be 'Guilsfield' and projects prominently above the blade surface. The top of the stop overhangs the septum with a height of 18-19mm. At the stop the palstave blade has a width of 28.3mm (43.0mm including the loop) and has a thickness of 33.4mm. The sides of the blade are concave and diverge to a slightly expanded blade, producing a curved blade edge of 50.0mm width. Both sides exhibit the casting seams, which have been finished, probably initially through hammering and then filing. The sides are comparatively straight across their thickness. The loop has an external width of 27.9mm (13.9mm internal), a maximum thickness of 9.4mm and projects 15mm above the side of the palstave. The exterior of the loop carries small faceting, possibly as a result of multi-directional filing. The blade has a comparatively deep convex curve near the stop, which becomes weaker as it approaches the edge, the blade is otherwise undecorated. Both blades display some hammer-marks. The blade edge survives near the unlooped side and prominent sharpening striations are evident running along the blade on both faces. Deep striations are also present running up the blade. The palstave has good surface preservation with a black patina at the rear and dark brown patina on the blade.
Notes: This palstave is part of a hoard of five objects, found around 1975. The hoard consists of another similar palstave (NMGW-632296), a socketed axe (NMGW-75C4F7), a socketed gouge (NMGW-75FE70) and a blade of an uncertain object (NMGW-7621D3).



Both palstaves in this assemblage (this one and NMGWPA 2005.93.1) share many features and are similar in size and weight. Differences in the recurved blade may be a result of eroded blade tips on NMGWPA 2005.93.1, which is generally slightly less well preserved. It appears likely that both palstaves were produced at the same time and possibly from the same mould pairs. Within Wales, as the type may suggest, the palstaves can be best paralleled with the palstaves recovered amongst the hoard found at Guilsfield, Powys. One palstave in particular shares the same flange profile and drop from the stop onto the blade (Savory 1966, Fig.1 (14)).



This hoard can be fairly confidently dated to the Late Bronze Age, resolution within this time period however, is problematic and requires metallurgical analysis to resolve. The palstaves (NMGWPA 2005.93.1-2) are suggested as being of 'Guilsfield' type and suggest manufacture during the Wilburton metalworking industry. Wilburton metalworking corresponds to Needham's (1996) Period 6 and is dated to c. 1150-950 BC. The socketed axe (NMGWPA 2005.93.3) of Type Gillespie can be dated from late Wilburton to Ewart Park (Schmidt & Burgess 1981, pp 193), although Wilburton associations are known (ibid.). Savory (1980, pp 55)1 has suggested that a simple mouth moulding on socketed gouges suggests a later date within the type, probably implying a Ewart Park date for the gouge NMGWPA 2005.93.4, within Needham's (1996) Period 7, dated to c. 950-750BC, though socketed gouges are known from the Wilburton phase.

The highly tentative parallel drawn between the blade fragment NMGWPA 2005.93.5 and the Acton Park hoard may present a slight possibility of an earlier association dating to the later Middle Bronze Age and of Acton 2 metalworking stage, corresponding to Needham's (ibid.) Period 5 and dated to c. 1500-1150BC. However, the blade may also plausibly represent the lower part of a tanged chisel, such as those seen in the Late Bronze Age hoards from Penwyllt, Powys, and Brogyntyn, Shropshire (Savory 1980, No.284(9); No.288(3)). It is the Identifier's opinion that these complex dating issues may only be resolved through metallurgical analysis to identify the alloying group as outlined by Northover (1980).
Subsequent action: Returned to finder