The Contents and Context of the Boughton Malherbe Late Bronze Age Hoard

THE CONTENTS AND CONTEXT OF THE BOUGHTON MAL HERBE LATE BRONZE AGE HOARD SOPHIA ADAMS The Boughton Malherbe hoard of copper and copper alloy artefacts and fragments was found in arable land in 2011. It has been dated to c.850- 750 BC in the Late Bronze Age. The hoard was buried in a pit in 344 pieces derived from no more than 340 objects, two of which were pushed inside other socketed objects prior to deposition. Previous references to 352 items relate to the condition of the objects as presented for the Treasure valuation committee rather than the real quantity of deposited remains. This paper sets out the full contents of the hoard, as deposited and their current state. Details are given of the condition and type of the contents and comparisons are drawn with other known contemporary objects. Initial results of investigation into the deposition and landscape context of the find add to the complex set of data for this impressive assemblage. The paper is intended as a preliminary study from which further research can develop. The Boughton Malherbe hoard of Bronze Age copper and copper alloy objects was discovered crammed into a pit below the plough soil in August 2011 by metal detectorists Messrs Hales and Coomber in the parish of Boughton Malherbe (Figs 1 and 2). The discovery was reported to the Finds Liaison Officer for Kent, Jennifer Jackson, who led further archaeological investigation of the findspot. It was designated as treasure under the 1996 Treasure (Designation Order) 2002 (PAS ID: KENT-15A293). Initial cataloguing was carried out by staff and volunteers at the British Museum (Ben Roberts, Mafalda Raposo, Steven Matthews and Jessica Leedham (Matthews et al. 2011) to produce a report for the Treasure Valuation Committee. This catalogue contained every individual piece (pieces stuck together were reported as a single object) making a total of 352 items. The hoard was assigned to the Carp's Tongue complex of Late Bronze Age metalwork owing to the presence of sword fragments of this type and their combination with other specific object types and fragments. Dated to between c.850-750 BC on typological grounds (see below), this is the largest hoard of its type in Britain. It has been described as the third largest Bronze Age hoard but neither the largest nor the second largest are contemporary. The Isleham hoard from Cambridgeshire contained 6,500 items dating to c .1150-1000 BC and the Langton Matravers hoard in Dorset dated to c.800-600 BC contained 777 items recovered from four pits (Matthews et al. 2012; Roberts et al. 2015). 37 SOPHIA ADAMS Fig. 1 Photograph of the hoard as received by the Portable Antiquities Scheme. PAS CC BY. From top to bottom: ingots and ingot fragments, sword pieces, spearheads and mould fragments, socketed axes and fragments, winged axes and fragments, miscellaneous tools, ornaments, fixtures and fittings. The hoard was purchased by Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery after financial support from the local community enabled the successful application for grants from The Art Fund, the MLAN &A Purchase Grant Fund and the Headley 38 CONTENTS AND CONTEXT OF BOUGHTON MALHERBE LATE BRONZE AGE HOARD Grays Thurrock I e ■ Holborough Quany e Holllngboume Yaldlng ■ • Lanham Boughton Malherbe * Minnis Bay ■ Hlghstead, Chlslet MIii HIii, Deal ■ Saltwood. Fig. 2 Location of the Boughton Malherbe hoard, other local sites and hoards mentioned in the text. PAS hoard sites are marked by centre of parish only. Trust. A further grant was obtained from the Kent Archaeological Society Allen Grove Local History Fund to enable the hoard to be catalogued for the museum archive, photographed, repackaged and researched in preparation for talks to the local community. The objects were accessioned with sequential numbers from MNEMG 2014.13.1 to MNEMG 2014.13.352 corresponding with the treasure report (see the KAS website for the full list). Where specific artefacts are referenced below the last part of the number is quoted in parentheses, for example MNEMG 2014.13.213 is (213). This work was carried out by the author with support from museum staff including Samantha Harris, Pemille Richards and Rebecca Amott. The local interest in this hoard has been vital to its preservation and continued research. In return a number of the finds were made accessible to the public as part of talks held at Grafty Green Village Hall and Maidstone Museum. A selection of the finds is currently on display at Maidstone Museum (Adams 2014). Since its discovery the hoard has also received academic attention and is central to debates about the practice of hoarding during the final stages of the Bronze Age (e.g. Matthews 2013; Brandhem and Moskal-del Hoyo 2014). This paper presents the initial results of further work carried out on the hoard as part of the process of cataloguing and preparing it for storage at Maidstone Museum. As a result it has been possible to revise the original catalogue in terms of the quantity and type of objects and assess the contents of the original deposit versus their condition as presented to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. It is anticipated that publishing the evidence at this stage will be a pertinent reminder of the need for continued support and funding to conserve this collection. Conservation work that would provide much needed careful cleaning to enable precise recording and assessment of the hoard and to provide remedial work to preserve and maintain the collection for the future. 39 SOPHIA ADAMS The hoard contents In its current condition the hoard is in 358 metal pieces including every small fragment, part of an object and complete objects (Table 1). It entered the ground as 344 pieces derived from no more than 340 copper and copper alloy objects (and potentially fewer). Preliminary results of X-ray fluorescence analysis, undertaken by Xose-Lois Armada and the author, show the alloys to be bronze with variable lead content. The full results of this analysis will be published in due course. In its current condition the total weight of the hoard is 64 .2kg. This is slightly heavier than the weight of the metal owing to the presence of sediment still attached to and filling some of the objects. Once the objects are cleaned and conserved the total weight is still estimated to exceed 60kg. The lightest fragment weighs less than 0. l g (342: the smallest fragment from the long decorated plaque) but the lightest complete object is a copper alloy ring (269) weighing 11. l g. The heaviest object is a complete, plano-convex copper ingot (213) weighing 7.446kg. The objects and fragments range in size from a few millimetres to 238.5mm diameter (ingot 213). One object, a fragmented decorated plaque, was originally over 244mm long but was deposited in the ground folded in half so it occupied a space no longer than 142.43mm. The folding of the object caused it to weaken and snap so that is it now in four pieces (322,323,342 and 347). The median object or fragment weight for the hoard assemblage is 54.2g; the median length 50.34; median width 34.18 and median thickness 13.57 (all averages TABLE 1. THE BOUGHTON MALHERBE HOARD CONTENTS Organised by object category, listing the number of fragments (pieces), maximum number of objects from which these pieces are derived and the total weight for each category. Percentages relate to percentage of the entire hoard/assemblage. For a breakdown of the type of objects in each category see Table 2. Current no. %of Max. %of hoard Total % of hoard Object Group of pieces hoard no. of objects weight (g) weight pieces objects Tools 151 42.18 147 43.24 17,006.60 26.48 Edged Weapons 78 21.79 75 22.06 3,268.20 5.09 Metalworking 67 18.72 67 19.71 43,128.63 67.15 remains/equipment Personal ornament, 48 13.41 38 11.18 744.50 1.16 fixture and fittings Vessels 0.28 0.29 25.30 0.04 Miscellaneous sheet 13 3.63 12 3.53 51.30 0.08 fragments Total 358 340 64,224.53 40 CONTENTS AND CONTEXT OF BOUGHTON MALHERBE LATE BRONZE AGE HOARD are similar with the exception of the weight which is distorted by the heavy ingots giving an average weight of 181. 94g). Given the weight and bulk of the hoard this is not a particularly portable collection without the aid of a wheeled vehicle or pack animal or several people to assist with transport or several return trips by a single person. Table 1 and Table 2 show that the different ways in which the contents are described can give a different emphasis to the hoard contents. For example, the hoard appears to be dominated by tools whether one is looking at the total quantity of fragments ( 42.18 per cent of the total hoard) or the total quantity of objects represented as complete or fragmentary items ( 43 .24 per cent). This is followed at some distance by sword fragments and spearhead fragments (Edged Weapons: 21.79 per cent of pieces and 22.06 per cent of maximum number of objects). In contrast comparing the weight of the items in the hoard shows it to be distinctly dominated by metalworking remains and equipment: copper ingots, copper alloy casting waste and moulds ( 6 7 .15 per cent of the total weight of the hoard). Ingots alone make up 64.49 per cent of the total weight of the entire hoard owing in part to the size and density of the seven complete copper ingots but also to the large quantity of ingot fragments: 4 7 pieces. It has not yet been possible to assess whether any of these fragments derive from the same ingot but this may be addressed in future research into the source of the ingots (by Xose-Lois Armada and Sophia Adams). Furthermore, the way in which the material is grouped affects the overall concept of the hoard's contents. For example, a far greater variety of items have been classified as objects of personal ornament and fixtures and fittings than as edged weapons. We must remain cautious as to whether a Bronze Age person would have grouped their artefacts in the same way. For example, in the Bronze Age objects might have been grouped together based on who used them or the way in which they were worn or carried rather than whether they were a tool or a weapon. Swords dominate the assemblage in terms of objects that are only included in fragments. Complete objects are dominated by axes. Patterns or lack of patterns in the pieces in the hoard will be discussed further below. What is clear at this point is that there is no simple pattern to the composition of this or other comparative hoards. This has led to debate about the reason for each collection and episode of deposition in the ground. Hoard Type The hoard has been identified as belonging to the Carp's Tongue tradition (Matthews et al. 2011; Matthews et al. 2012; Matthews 2013) but it has also been proposed as the British type-site for a cross-Channel hoard tradition: the Boughton-Venat hoards (Brandherm and Moskal-del Hoyo 2014). These equate to a period of metalwork deposition in the Late Bronze Age in north-western Europe from the ninth to eight centuries BC when copper alloy objects, often in fragments, and copper ingots were buried in discrete groups that archaeologists describe as hoards. The Carp's Tongue hoards are named after this sword type. It is a distinctive slashing and thrusting weapon that was cast in bronze complete with hilt and grip (over which was attached a handle of organic material) and a straight blade that narrowed towards the tip to form a long point (the 'Carp's Tongue'). 41 SOPHIA ADAMS TABLE 2. THE BOUGHTON MALHERBE HOARD, CONTENTS AND FRAGMENTS BY OBJECT TYPE Complete objects include those where all parts of the object are present even if they are damaged. Not one complete object is in pristine, unused condition. Pieces references those individually catalogued fragments. Fragments marked with an* mean the list includes as a single entry any fragments that join together to make a single larger piece. The fragments column includes both large and small pieces. Object Group Object Type Pieces Total Whole Whole Fragment no. of but in only objects pieces Total Assemblage All Objects 358 340 59 4 279 Tools Adze Axe lll 108 25 82* Chisel Gouge 5 4 2 Hanuner Knife 30 30 3 27 Socket unspec. type Blade unspec. type Edged Weapons Sword 50 50 50 Spearhead 28 25 23 Metalworking Ingots 54 54 7 47 remains/equipment Axe moulds 4 3 or4 3 Casting Waste 9 9 9 Personal ornament, Armring 3 2 2 fixture and fittings Band Bracelet 13 12 12 Bugle-shaped 2 2 2 Button Hollow Cap 9 4 6* Hub Cap Loop Pendant Pin Decorated Plaque 5 2 Ring 8 8 2 6 Squared strap-fitting Stud Vessels Bucket frag. Miscellaneous Sheet metal 13 12 12* sheet fragments 42 CONTENTS AND CONTEXT OF BOUGHTON MALHERBE LATE BRONZE AGE HOARD Although many swords and sword pieces are identified as Carp's Tongue there is some disagreement amongst scholars over what are the defining characteristics of such swords. A number of sub-types of the form exist but the only consistent feature of classic Carp's Tongue swords is an even, unbroken curve from the grip into the shoulders (i.e. the part where the handle widens before it steps back in to the blade) (Brandherm and Burgess 2008, 13 5). This precise piece is absent from the entire Boughton Malherbe hoard, so too are any tip fragments although a couple of pieces are derived from the point at which the blade narrows (43 and 47). Most of the pieces in the hoard identified as Carp's Tongue are recognised by the presence of a 'narrow midrib defined on either side by grooves' (Ibid.). The Carp's Tongue hoards are identified not only by the presence of the sword fragments but also the composition of the contents. These include items that are typical of the hoards and those that are often included in the hoards. The difficulty arises with defining the main object forms that occur in the hoards and commonly associated but not primary components. Steven Matthews proposed that the Boughton Malherbe hoard contains both objects primary to the Carp's tongue complex and those that are often found in the hoards but are not specific to the complex (Matthews 2013, 57-9). The primary objects include: a specific Carp's Tongue sword form, the Type Nantes; lozenge sectioned pommel pieces; bugle-shaped objects and hogs' backed knives (Table 2). The secondary and tertiary types include socketed axes, bracelets, decorated plaques and casting debris. In contradiction to this interpretation the hoard does not contain other items typically recovered in these hoards such as bag-shaped sword chapes and