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
[Illustration: Fig. 337.—Harbyrnrigge. ½]
[Illustration: Fig. 338.—Shropshire. ¼]
In Fig. 335 is shown another blade much like that from Ballygawley,
but found near Falkland, Fifeshire. The metal appears to be nearly
pure copper, and it is doubtful whether it ever had more than one
rivet-hole, though there are notches for the reception of two besides
the rivet still left in the blade. It would, however, be fairly
secured in its handle by a second rivet in the notch on the left,
while a third at the back of the midrib would prevent the blade from
being driven into its handle by a blow.
In the Antiquarian Museum at Edinburgh are several of these
halberd-like blades, some of them curved. One from Sluie,[982]
Edinkillie, Elginshire, is 11 by 3½ inches, and has four rivet-holes
arranged in a semicircle. It was found with two flat celts. Three
others, from 10 to 13½ inches by 3 inches, were found together at
Kingarth,[983] Bute. They are described as of reddish bronze.
The original of Fig. 336 was found near Stranraer,[984] Wigtonshire,
and is now in the Antiquarian Museum at Edinburgh. It is 12½ inches
long and 4½ broad, and weighs nearly 1¾ lbs., so that if mounted as a
halberd, it must have been a formidable weapon. The rivets are an inch
in length.
In England and Wales the blades which can with any degree of confidence
be regarded as those of halberds are by no means common. I think,
however, that the example from Harbyrnrigge,[985] Crosby Ravensworth,
Westmoreland, shown in Fig. 337, must be looked upon as a halberd
rather than as a dagger. It is in the collection of Canon Greenwell,
F.R.S.
Another blade of much the same character is shown on the scale of
one-fourth in Fig. 338. It was found in Shropshire,[986] but the
exact locality is not known. Another (11¼ by 4 inches), bearing much
resemblance to that from Shropshire, was found near Manea,[987]
Cambridgeshire. It is provided with four rivets, and has a small rib
running down the thickened centre of the blade. It is now in the
Museum of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society.
The late Mr. J. W. Flower, F.G.S., bequeathed to me a blade of this
character (9¾ by 3½ inches) thickened out in the middle like Fig. 334,
and with three large rivet-holes in the base, which is somewhat of a
trefoil form. It was found with broken sword-blades and spear-heads at
Stoke Ferry, Norfolk, and appears to be formed of copper.
The only Welsh example which I have to mention was found in the parish
of Llansanffraid,[988] Cwm Deuddwr, Radnorshire. It is 9 inches long
and 4 inches wide, and weighs 15 oz. In form and character it closely
resembles the Irish and Scotch specimens (Figs. 334 and 335), having a
plain midrib, bevelled edges, and three rivet-holes.
A large blade, with a strong midrib and three rivets, found in
Zealand, and engraved by Madsen,[989] may have belonged to a halberd
of this class.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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