The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons, and Ornaments, of Great Britain and Ireland.Evans, John
History
The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons, and Ornaments, of Great Britain and Ireland.
Evans, John
Bronze age -- Great Britain; Bronze age -- Ireland; Great Britain -- Antiquities
The same form is found among the Lake habitations of Switzerland. Dr.
Gross has specimens from Auvernier and Mœrigen,[410] which closely
resemble English examples.
[Illustration: Fig. 118.—Canterbury. ½]
[Illustration: Fig. 119.—Usk. ½]
A celt of the same general character as Fig. 114, but of peculiar
form, narrowing to a central waist, is shown in Fig. 118. The original
was found at Canterbury, and was kindly presented to me by Mr. John
Brent, F.S.A.
Broad socketed celts nearly circular or but slightly oval at the
neck, and closely resembling the common Irish type (Fig. 167) in
form and character, are occasionally found in England. That shown in
Fig. 119 is stated to have been discovered at the Castle Hill, Usk,
Monmouthshire.
I have seen another (3¼ inches) in the collection of Mr. R. Fitch,
F.S.A., which was found at Hanworth, near Holt, Norfolk.
Among those found at Guilsfield,[411] Montgomeryshire, was one of
somewhat the same character, but having a double moulding at the
top. Another,[412] with a nearly square socket, has above a double
moulding, a cable moulding round the mouth, like that on Fig. 172.
In the same hoard were looped palstaves, gouges, spears, swords,
scabbards, &c.
Another, that, to judge from a bad engraving, had no moulding at the
top, which was oval, is said to have been found under a supposed
Druid’s altar near Keven Hirr Vynidd,[413] on the borders of
Brecknockshire.
[Illustration: Fig. 120.—Alfriston. ½]
Another variety, with a nearly square socket and long narrow blade
is shown in Fig. 120, the original of which was found at Alfriston,
Sussex. The loop is imperfect, owing to defective casting. The socket
is very deep, and extends to within an inch of the edge. Instruments
of this type are principally, if not solely, found in our southern
counties. The type is indeed Gaulish rather than British, and is very
abundant in the north-western part of France. It appears probable that
not only was the type originally introduced into this country from
France, but that there was a regular export of such celts to Britain.
For I have in my collection a celt of this type, 4½ inches long, that
was found under the pebble beach at Portland, and in which the core
over which it was cast still fills the socket, the clay having by the
heat of the metal been converted into a brick-like terracotta. It
could, therefore, never have been in use, as no haft could have been
inserted. It is waterworn and corroded by the action of the sea, the
loop having been almost eaten and worn away, so that it is impossible
to say whether the surface and edge were left as they came from the
mould. In the large hoard, however, of bronze celts of this type which
was found at Moussaye, near Plénée-Jugon, in the Côtes du Nord, the
bulk were left in this condition, and with the burnt clay cores still
in the sockets.
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