Record Details

NHER Number:29157
Type of record:Find Spot
Name:Middle Bronze Age ceremonial bronze dirk from My Lord's Wood

Summary

In 1988, a Middle Bronze Age ceremonial bronze dirk was discovered by chance, set vertically in the ground. It is now in display in the British Museum.

Images

  • A Bronze Age dirk from Oxborough.  © Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service

Location

Grid Reference:TF 74 00
Map Sheet:TF70SW
Parish:OXBOROUGH, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

1988. My Lord's Wood. [1].
Owner tripped over the butt end of a ceremonial bronze dirk which was vertical in the ground. Findspot only located as area 8m wide, 50m long.
Dirk seen in NCM 1989, and in British Museum 1990.

1 May 1990. Site visit by A. Rogerson and member of the public. [2]
Precise findspot could not be relocated.

Dirk 709mm long with parallels in Holland and France. A small example from Kimberley (NHER 8891) in British Museum. See (S1).
E. B. Green (NCM), 29 May 1992.

Purchased by British Museum in 1995.

Monument Types

  • FINDSPOT (Middle Bronze Age - 1450 BC to 1300 BC)

Associated Finds

  • CEREMONIAL OBJECT (Middle Bronze Age - 1450 BC to 1300 BC)
  • DIRK (Middle Bronze Age - 1450 BC to 1300 BC)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

---Unpublished Document: Letter.
---Map: Finder's Map..
---Serial: Butler, J.J. & Bakker, J.A.. 1961. Helinium.. Vol 1.
---Publication: Butler, J.J. & Sarfatij, H.. 1970. ROB.
---Monograph: Burgess, C.B. and Gerloff, S. 1981. The Dirks and Rapiers of Great Britain and Ireland. Prahistorische Bronzefunde. 4 Bd. 7.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1994. [Articles on the purchase of the Oxborough ceremonial bronze dirk].
---Newspaper Article: Lynn News. 1995. 3,400-yr-old dagger sells for £52,000. 21 February.
---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. pp 239-240.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Illustration: Finds Illustrations.

Related records - none

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