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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 April 2011
The discovery in 1719, at Brough-on-Humber [North Humberside, SE 93 26], of a hoard of Late Bronze Age weapons and casting matrices is described from contemporary manuscript and printed sources. The subsequent passage of its component artefacts through antiquarian collections is carefully documented, and four pieces are recognized as surviving in the British Museum. These comprise two rare two-piece casting moulds together with one example of each casting product. One mould is a Welby, the other a Meldreth, type, formerly provenanced respectively to ‘Yorkshire’ and ‘Quantock Hills, Somersetshire’. All are described in detail and suggestions made as to the casting techniques in which they were employed. The hoard, possibly originally comprising more artefacts than were recorded, was accompanied by a spearhead, a socketed chisel and a tanged awl or spike, now lost. These are attributed to Burgess's ‘Ewart Park phase’ of LBA2, with parallels scattered throughout the north-east, east, south-east and south of England.
1 The typology of socketed axes presented here follows that of Schmidt, P. K. and Burgess, C. B., The Axes of Scotland and Northern England, Prahistorische Bronzefunde, xi (7) (Munich, 1981)Google Scholar, and Burgess, C. B. and Miket, R., ‘Three socketed axes from north-east England, with notes on faceted and ribbed socketed axes’, Arch. Aeliana, 5th ser. iv (1976), 1–9Google Scholar.
2 Radley, J., ‘The prehistory of the Vale of York’, Yorks. Arch.J. xlvi (1974), 20Google Scholar F. Hoards s.v. Elloughton.
3 Brailsford, J. W. (ed.), Later Prehistoric Antiquities in the British Museum (London, 1953), 34, 36, fig. 12.5Google Scholar.
4 North Humberside, O.S. SE 93 26 (East Yorkshire).
5 For Warburton, see D.N.B. and Evans, J., A History of the Society of Antiquaries (Oxford, 1956), 48, 50-1, 70, 93, 109, 118nGoogle Scholar.
6 Anon., ‘Journal in 1718-19 of John Warburton, F.R.S., F.S.A., Somerset Herald’, Yorks. Arch. J. xv (1900), 61–84, esp. 83.Google Scholarsketchbook, Buck, ‘The East Prospect of Brough Hall the seat of Sr Hen. Lawson Bart’: British Library Lansdowne MS 914, fo. 251Google Scholar.
7 Hunter, J. (ed.), The Diary of Ralph Thoresby 1677-1724, 2 vols. (London, 1830), 11, 264–5Google Scholar.
8 Society of Antiquaries of London Minute Book, Vol. 1, 1 January 1718 to 26 October 1732, p. 40, and Society of Antiquaries of London MS 265, p. 60 (Stukeley's version; also known as the Society's Commonplace Book). There is a third version in the copy of the minutes in the British Library: Egerton MS 1041, fo. 12 (bis) (the ‘Amis Minute Book’). Both the latter two state (with very minor differences) ‘Mr. Warburton Drought an abundance of the Antiquitys of the Romans found at Brough in Yorkshire… and likewise some Celtic Antiquitys in Brass with their Matrices… depicted page 61 [or 65].’ In neither case is there an accompanying illustration, but the allusion to Stukeley's drawings on page 61 (which must mean in the Society's MS 265) surely suggests that this was undertaken as an official, rather than as a personal, record. The absence of drawings from both ‘Amis’ and official minutes demonstrates the indecent haste with which Stukeley removed the illustrated record, or at least restricted its availability.
9 Soc. Antiq. London MS 265, p. 61.
10 Nichols, J. (ed.), ‘Reliquiae Galeanae’, Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica, III, ii (1) (1790), 248Google Scholar.
11 Borlase, W. C., Antiquities, Historical and Monumental, of the County of Cornwall, 1st edn. (London, 1754), 265Google Scholar.
12 Ibid., 272; this assertion was taken up in some detail by Michael, Revd Lort in his ‘Observations on Celts’, Archaeologia, v (1779), 107–9Google Scholar.
13 Smith, M. A. (ed.), ‘Grave-groups and hoards of the British Bronze Age 2’, Inventaria Archaeologica, Great Britain 18 (1956).Google Scholar With five bronze matrices this is the richest such deposit.
14 e.g. Borlase, , op. cit. (note 11), 272Google Scholar, and Lort, , op. cit. (note 12)Google Scholar.
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16 D.N.B.
17 Soc. Antiq. London Minute Book, Vol. VIII, 18 January 1757 to 20 May 1762, p. 170 and plate opposite. According to Lort, op. cit. (note 12), in, Warburton gave only one artefact to Stukeley. If this had been the case, it would still need to be explained how Stukeley came by the rest of the find.
18 The sale was by Paterson of London, 19-24 November. We have examined the annotated catalogue in the Coin Room at the British Museum. Details of this and other catalogues cited here are taken from Lugt, F., Repertoire des Catalogues de Ventes (La Haye, 1953)Google Scholar.
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20 Stukeley, W., Itinerarium Curiosum. Or, an Account of the Antiquities and remarkable Curiosities in Nature or Art, observed in travels through Great Britain (London, 1724)Google Scholar.
21 Cardiff Public Library MS 4, 26. We are indebted to Mr Daniel Huws, Keeper of Manuscripts, National Library of Wales, for kindly drawing this to our attention. At least some of the essays on bronzes appear to have been written in February 1723/4 (fos. 133 ff.).
22 Stukeley, , op. cit. (note 20), 91–2Google Scholar.
23 The same plate is bound in with the manuscript Celtic Religions (note 21), fo. 132 [bis]; however, here the annotations differ. They include a socketed chisel entitled ‘Anglesey’ and two palstaves, one with, the other without, a loop, the former labelled ‘Ld Winchelsea’, but, beneath the latter, Winchelsea is scored out and replaced by ‘Stukeley’.
24 Stukeley, W., Itinerarium Curiosum. Or, an Account of the Antiquities and remarkable Curiosities in Nature or Art, observed in travels through Great Britain, 2nd edn. (London, 1776), 11, pl. xcvi. The identity of the compiler of this posthumous edition remains a mystery. We are indebted to Professor Stuart Piggott for discussion of this important pointGoogle Scholar.
25 Lort, , op. cit. (note 12)Google Scholar.
26 Ibid., pl. VII, nos. 2–5, facing 106.
27 Sale by Paterson of London, 15-16 May 1766: Munby, A. N. L. (ed.), Sale Catalogues of Libraries of Eminent Persons, x: Antiquaries, ed. Piggott, S. (London, 1974), 420Google Scholar.
28 D.N.B.
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32 National Library of Ireland Larcom MS 789, 119 (undated letter addressed to either Thomas Larcom or George Petrie).
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35 Soc. Antiq. London MS 700 (A. Way MSS), 1, Notebooks, 15 ‘Celts and Celt Moulds’.
36 The mould is illustrated in a drawing prepared for that occasion and now housed in the British Museum, Department of Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities, portfolio I, fo. 18c.
37 Evans, J., The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons, and Ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland (London, 1881), 447.Google Scholar Whoever first confused the labels may well have had in mind the palstave and amulet published by Harford, Charles Joseph, ‘An account of some antiquities discovered on the Quantock Hills, in Somersetshire, in the year 1794’, Archaeologia, xiv (1808), 94–8Google Scholar.
38 Hodges, H. W. M., ‘Studies in the Late Bronze Age in Ireland: 1. Stone and clay moulds, and wooden models for bronze implements’, Ulster J. Arch. 3rd ser. xvii (1954), 80Google Scholar.
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40 Schmidt, and Burgess, , op. cit. (note 1).Google Scholar In suggesting (209) two pairs of matrices from this hoard (nos. 1254 and 1255) they have misunderstood Lort's illustration. Here the present whereabouts of the hoard is thought unknown. See Radley, , op. cit. (note 2)Google Scholar.
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42 Ibid., pls. 145 B27, 148 D5, and 150 B5.
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44 Burgess, C. B., Coombs, D. G. and Davies, D. G., ‘The Broadward complex and barbed spearheads’, in Lynch, F. and Burgess, C. B. (eds.), Prehistoric Man in Wales and the West: Essays in Honour of Lily F. Chitty (Bath, 1972), 217–18Google Scholar.
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48 Dorchester Museum, accession 1850.1.6.
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