Page:VCH Norfolk 1.djvu/306

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A HISTORY OF NORFOLK at Eaton* near Norwich, comprising a mould for a socketed celt, eleven celts, and fragments of weapons ; Hellesdon Hall ^ Norwich, socketed celts and fragments of bronze ; Reepham' and Stoke Ferry,* leaf-shaped blade of halberd, two swords, about 23 inches in length and furnished with seven rivet-holes, a chape of a form unique in England, spearheads and broken swords. A second and more important find of bronze objects, made at Eaton in 1885, was exhibited and described by Dr. Boyd Dawkins at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries of London.^ The hoard contained no less than seventeen socketed celts, three swords, ten spearheads, together with chisels, gouge, knives, macehead, palstave, and various other objects, the use of which it was not possible to define with precision. The anti- quities, which were found 6 feet below the surface of the ground, sub- sequently passed into the collection of the late Mr. J. J. Colman. Many separate discoveries of bronze objects have been made in Norfolk at various times. These include sickles, one of which was found at Dereham,* another is in the Norwich Museum, and a third was exhibited at a meeting of the Arch^ological Institute' in 1851 ; a dagger-blade found in association with a contracted male skeleton, a necklace of amber beads, and some articles made of thin plates of gold at Little Cressingham ® ; a rapier-blade found at Methwold,* furnished with notches at the base instead of holes for the purpose of receiving the rivets (now in Canon Greenwell's collection) ; a sword-blade found in the River Ouse^" nearThetford, evidently intended for thrusting rather than strik- ing. Several of the bronze objects of Norfolk furnish interesting examples of ornamentation. A celt found at Caston" has three raised ribs terminating in pel- lets. Another, found at Frettenham,'^ has four ribs. Yet another, found at Rougham," has a small stop-ridge, and the lower part is ornamented with ver- tical punched lines. In the case of a socketted celt found at Frettenham Common," and it is supposed procured from a tumulus, we find a remarkable example of the survival of a form Bronze Celt-mould found in Unthanks Road, Norwich. ' Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 447 ; Jrchaoh^a, xxii. p. 424 ; Archaohgical Journal, vi. p. 387 ; Archsological Institute, Nortuich Volume, p. xxvi. 2 Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 424 ; Aichaologia, v. p. 116. ^ Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 466 ; Archaolo^a, v. p. 116.

  • Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, pp. 270, 282, 305, 314, 465.

^ Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 2nd ser., xi. 42-52. Op. cit. p. 199. 7 Arcia-ological jfoumal, viii. p. 191.

  • Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 244 ; Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 2nd

ser. iv. p. 456 ; Archaologia, xliii. p. 454, fig. 158.

  • Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 249. '" Op. cit. p. 250. 'i Op. cit. p. 121.

'* Op. cit. p. 120. 13 Qp ^it. p. 73. 1* Op. cit. p. 131. 270