Page:VCH Worcestershire 1.djvu/248

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A HISTORY OF WORCESTERSHIRE xiv. Worcester. A socketed and looped celt was found in the black soil within the base of the Earth Hill, Worcester, when it was being excavated. A great part of the socket and ring is broken away from the specimen, which is in the Victoria Museum at Worcester. It has four parallel indented tapering grooves on each side (Allies, p. i8, pi. i. No. i ; Evans, p. 120). XV. Worcester. A bronze spearhead found at Diglis near Worcester and thus described by Allies : — In the year 1844 about i^ miles below Worcester and a mile below the Diglis Lock a bronze spearhead of very unusual shape was dredged up by some work- men employed in the improvement of the navigation of the Severn. It is 10^ inches long, 2f inches broad and weighs 8 ounces. It is figured in Archaological Journal., ii. p. 87 {Proceedings of the Archaeological Institute at York., 1846, p. 39, pi. v. fig. 4, and noticed in p. 34 of that work). It was also exhibited at a meet- ing of the Society of Antiquaries of London, May 29, 1851, when a paper was read by Mr. Akerman ' On some of the Weapons of the Celtic and Teutonic Races.' xvi. Worcester. A fragment of a torque was found in 1840 at Perdeswell, about 2 miles from Worcester, in a gravel pit about 2 feet deep. It was rather more than a third of a circle, 8 inches long in the curve, and weighed a pound. An iron rod ran through its centre connecting the bronze pieces or vertebras, which are twenty in number and are curiously twisted and tooled. Be- tween each piece there is a thick ring shaped like a pulley and the whole is fitted close together. The circumference of the perfect torque must have been about 18 inches. At the date of the publi- cation of his book, 1852, this torque was in the possession of Mr. Allies. It is figured in Archaologia, xxx. p. 564 ; The Archceo- logical Journal., iii. p. 34 ; and in Allies, p. 230, pi. vi. ; Evans, p. 381. xvii. Kempsey. A spearhead with loops at the base of the blade which connect it with the socket was dredged out of the Severn between Kempsey and Pixham Ferry by some workmen employed in the navigation works. It measures io| inches in length. There were also found at the same spot in the bed on the west, the Powick side of the river, the remains of oak piles and of planking which had been fastened to the piles. These extended about half way across the river (Allies, p. 60 ; Evans, p. 330 ; Journal Archaeological Institute, iii. p. 354). xviii. Malvern Link. It is stated in Nash's Worcestershire (circa 178 I ), vol. ii. p. 139 : 'In the Link in the parish of Malvern was lately found, many feet underground, a celt weighing 10 ounces, about 5I inches long, of a mixed metal between brass and copper, with a small ring or loop. It has a beautiful patina upon it.' Nothing further is known of this except that Allies, at p. 167, reproduced the account with a figure. 196