Record Details

NHER Number:21469
Type of record:Find Spot
Name:Bronze Age palstave moulds

Summary

Metal detecting recovered two halves of a Bronze Age copper alloy mould for making palstaves. In 1987 only six other examples of palstave moulds had been found in Britain. No others had been found in East Anglia. Five flint flakes, fragments of medieval pottery and a copper alloy medieval cauldron foot were found nearby.

Images

  • A Bronze Age mould used for making palstaves found in Harling  © Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service

Location

Grid Reference:TM 01 87
Map Sheet:TM08NW
Parish:HARLING, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

September 1984. Metal detecting. From [1].
(S1) in file.
Two halves of bronze moulds for casting unlooped palstave with shield pattern. Found 10m apart in ploughsoil. In fine condition, complete and undamaged. Green patina. Given basic conservation treatment by NCM. Moulds and casts made in rubber latex.
See (S2, S3, S4 and S5).

Associated finds (not considered as necessarily connected with the moulds).
Lead square sectioned bar (5.5cm long, 1 by 1cm) around 12m from moulds to south.
Small bronze foot of stand or statuette (Roman?).
Five flint flakes.
Identified by J.J. Wymer (NAU).
J.J. Wymer (NAU), 11 June 1985.

September 1984. Found around findspot of Bronze Age mould. See (S1).
Six medieval sherds.
Identified by A. Rogerson (NAU). Omitted from above in error.
J.J. Wymer (NAU), 14 June 1985.

Correction to above and previous.
Context 2.
The five flint flakes and one medieval sherd were found 'within 30m' to east or northeast of moulds.

Context 3.
One damaged rim of medieval unglazed sherd, one medieval bodysherd and a bronze medieval cauldron foot were found 'about 20 to 39m' south of moulds. This is presumably that described as foot of Roman stand above.

February 2006.
The moulds were identified as being one of the finest examples ever found in Britain of this very rare class of prehistoric antiquity. No other palstave moulds are known from Norfolk or anywhere else in East Anglia. Only six others have been found in Britain and only four complete pairs have been found.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Unknown date)
  • FINDSPOT (Prehistoric - 1000000 BC to 42 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • FINDSPOT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Finds

  • UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Undated)
  • FLAKE (Lower Palaeolithic to Late Iron Age - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
  • MOULD (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
  • FIGURINE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • VESSEL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
  • POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • VESSEL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Article in Serial: Wymer, J. J. 1987. A Pair of Bronze Palstave Moulds from Harling. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XL Pt I pp 122-126.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Map: Finder's Map..
<S2>Photograph: CPK.
<S3>Illustration: Wymer, J. 1984. Drawing of a Bronze Age palstave mould.. Film. Unknown.
<S4>Illustration: Wymer, J. 1984. Drawing of a Bronze Age palstave mould.. Film. Unknown.
<S5>Illustration: Wymer, J. 1984. Drawing of a Bronze Age palstave mould.. Film. Unknown.
<S5>Illustration: Wymer, J. 1984. Drawing of a Bronze Age palstave mould.. Paper. Unknown.

Related records

40340Parent of: Multi-period finds (Find Spot)

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