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Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Record Details

NHER Number:	4032
Type of record:	Find Spot
Name:	Bronze Age axehead (Bressingham, poorly located)

Summary

A Bronze Age flat axehead, made of copper alloy, found before 1900. The axehead was mistakenly labelled as being found in Bressingham, when it was actually found in Castle Acre.

Images - none

Location

Parish:	BRESSINGHAM, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK
	CASTLE ACRE, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Found before 1900. Stray Find.
Found at unrecorded location in Castle Acre parish:
Early Bronze Age copper alloy flat axehead. Length 122mm; width; edge 75mm, middle 31mm.
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1908.22.1 : A - ex Beloe Collection, ex Plowright Collection).
Noted in (S1) and (S2).
Information from (S3).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 July 2018.

1981.
This is in fact the same as the larger of two axeheads depicted in a watercolour drawing in the Norwich Castle Museum's Bulwer collection (S5). These are labelled as being from Bressingham but bearing in mind Bulwer's inaccuracy over locations, Castle Acre is more likely to be correct [1].
Compiled by A.J. Lawson (NAU) 6 November 1981. Information from (S5).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 12 July 2018.

This object is amongst those illustrated in (S6) - see copy of drawing in file.
P. Watkins (HES), 12 July 2018.

Monument Types

FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)

Associated Finds

FLAT AXEHEAD (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---	Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TF 81 NW 16.
---	Secondary File: Secondary File.
---	Photograph: BYN 1.
<S1>	Publication: Norwich Castle Museum. 1910. Catalogue of Antiquities in Norwich Castle Museum. p 21; No 22.
<S2>	Archive: British Museum. 1913 onwards. Bronze Age Index.
<S3>	Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Bronze Age. Castle Acre.
<S4>	Illustration: Sandys, F. Pre 1904. 'Two flat bronze axes from Bressingham'. Watercolour on paper.
<S5>	Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
<S6>	Article in Monograph: Needham, S. 1979. The extent of foreign influence on Early Bronze Age axe development in southern Britain. The Origins of Metallurgy in Atlantic Europe. Ryan, M (ed.). pp 265-293. Fig 2.