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
Other specimens have been found at Forse,[1092] Latheron, Caithness
(25 inches), near the Point of Sleat,[1093] Isle of Skye (22½ inches),
with two spear-heads and a pin. Another was found in Wigtonshire.[1094]
In the Antiquarian Museum are specimens from the following counties:
Aberdeen, Argyle, Ayr, Edinburgh, Fife, Forfar, Kincardine, and
Stirling.
In peat, at Iochdar,[1095] South Uist, were found two swords like that
from Arthur’s Seat, the hilts of which are said to have been formed of
wood. A leather sheath is also reported to have been present.
A bronze scabbard tip, such as will subsequently be described,
was found, with four bronze swords (about 24 inches) and a large
spear-head, near Brechin,[1096] Forfarshire; and in Corsbie
Moss,[1097] Legerwood, Berwick, a bronze sword and spear-head were
found, the former having, it is said, a scabbard, apparently of metal,
but so much corroded as to fall in pieces on removal. This also may
have been of leather stained by the metal.
[Illustration: Fig. 353.—Edinburgh. ¼.]
A sword with a large pommel (24 inches), closely resembling Fig. 353,
was found, together with two other sword blades (one 25 inches with
slots), a scabbard end, and two bronze pins, with large circular flat
heads, at Tarves,[1098] Aberdeenshire. Some of these were presented to
the British Museum by the Earl of Aberdeen. There is a recess on the
hilt-plate for the reception of the horn or bone of the hilt, which
was fastened by three rivets still remaining.
Another sword, the blade 22 inches long, the handle, including a
round hollow pommel, 5½ inches, was found in Skye, and is engraved in
“Pennant’s Tour.”[1099] It shows four rivet-holes arranged like those
in the sword from Arthur’s Seat, so that the hilt was probably formed
as usual of horn or wood and not of bronze.
A few other swords with pommels to their hilts have been found in
Scotland. That shown in Fig. 353 was found in Edinburgh,[1100] with,
it is said, thirteen or fourteen more, a pin, and ring, and a kind
of annular button, of bronze. It is now in the Antiquarian Museum at
Edinburgh. The hilt appears to have been added to the hilt-plate by a
subsequent process of casting. The pommel has been cast over a core
of clay, which it still retains within it. Another of the swords (24¼
inches) has the hilt-plate pierced for six rivets. Two others which
have been examined are imperfect.
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