Record Details
| NHER Number: | 9790 |
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| Type of record: | Find Spot |
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| Name: | Bronze Age rapier, possible from grounds of Caistor Hall (Caistor St Edmund, marginal) |
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Summary
An unfinished Bronze Age copper alloy rapier was found at Caistor St Edmund prior to 1938, possibly in the grounds of Caistor Hall (NHER 9817).
Images - none
Location
Full description
Before 1938. Stray Find.
Found by Rev. J. W. Corbould Warren at Caistor St Edmund:
Bronze Age rapier in two pieces (516 mm length).
Donated to Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 1938.161 or NWHCM : 1944.121.1).
This object is figured in (S1), where it is described as "…a bronze rapier in unfinished state [with] the casting…rough on one side but smoother on the other." It is also noted that "the holes for the pins to fasten the hilt to the butt of the blade have not been drilled through but their position is marked as though the mould had been made from another weapon."
Also noted in (S2). Information from (S3).
The location of this find and the circumstances of its discovery are not recorded, although the Norwich Castle Museum's records suggest that it was "…found in the garden of Caistor Hall" (see [1]). As noted in (S4) Caistor Hall (NHER 9817) was the home of Rev. Corbould Warren - who had been an amateur archaeologist.
This object is amongst those listed in (S5), where it is described as a "Rapier with trapezoidal butt, unfinished without rivet-holes and with unsharpened edges…". It is also discussed in (S6).
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 10 August 2024.
Monument Types
- FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
Associated Finds
- RAPIER (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Article in Monograph: Warmenbol, E. 2024. Unfinished business? Blunt questions about the Caistor-St-Edmund - Melle rapiers. Larger Than Life: The Ommerschans hoard and the role of giant swords in the European Bronze Age (1500-1100 BC). Amkreutz, L. and Fontijn, D. 289-309. |
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| <S1> | Article in Serial: Wake, T. 1942. Some Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXVIII Pt I pp 23-30. pp 25-26; Plate I. |
| <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. Caistor St Edmunds. |
| <S4> | Unpublished Document: Watkins, R. [unknown]. Caistor Hall Hotel & Conference Centre - Brief History. |
| <S5> | Monograph: Burgess, C.B. and Gerloff, S. 1981. The Dirks and Rapiers of Great Britain and Ireland. Prahistorische Bronzefunde. 4 Bd. 7. No 135. |
| <S6> | Article in Serial: Needham, S. 1990. Middle Bronze Age Ceremonial Weapons: new finds from Oxborough, Norfolk and Essex/Kent. Antiquaries Journal. Vol LXX Pt II pp 239-252. |
Related records - none
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