A group of Early Bronze Age axes from Lydd

Introduction In May 1985 five bronze low-flanged axes were retrieved within a short space of time from the Pioneer gravel quarry north of Lydd in the Dungeness foreland. They are important both as the largest group of flat or low- flanged axes yet known from a single site in southern Britain, and as a further indication of the date of formation of the barrier beach at Lydd. The finds were made by Mr. Ken Atkinson in the course of gravel workings which had begun at the Pioneer Quarry, Whitehall Farm, in about January 1985. Gravel extraction was achieved by drag-line in a flooded pit and extended to a maximum depth of about six metres. Mr. Atkinson kindly supplied the following details of discovery. The objects were not spotted in the ground, nor in the drag-line buckets, but only after extraction. The axes were retrieved from cobble-sized gravel passed on to Mr. Atkinson (a sub-contractor who deals with pebbles larger than about 40 mm) after screening by the Pioneer plant. He thought it probable that all had originated in one pile of gravel dumped at the end of the Pioneer line. At this time of working each pile represented the dump from one day's extraction and was subsequently fed by a mechanical shovel, through a hopper, and thence on to a second conveyor belt which passed Mr. Atkinson's watchful eye. The axes were spotted quite easily since heavier items like the axes tend to ride to the top of the material on the belt. The broken axe (no. 5) came up late one afternoon, the two halves still together (but not held by anything). The four further axes appeared on the following morning. At the time only a limited area of the gravel permission was being worked to create a sump of about 50 X 50 metres and the finds location could be refined further to an area about 20-30 metres across. Mr. Jim Bradshaw kindly investigated the location and deduced a grid reference of TR 0466 2194. This supersedes the grid reference of TR 050 2 19 given for axe no. 5 (Willson 1987, 164). Willson reports a stratigraphy of deep deposits ofshingle and clays, overlaid in places by a thin deposit of brown clay-loam at about 4 m OD. Shortly after discovery the axes were dispersed (with the knowledge of the pit owner) and fell into four different ownerships. Fortunately in July 1985 Mr. J. Wilton brought his axe to the attention of the British Museum and thereafter it was possible to track down the others. Through the generosity of Mr. Wilton, Mr. Atkinson and the Friends of Lydd it has been possible to re-unite axes nos. 1-4 in the British Museum. It is hoped that the fifth will join them. Description At the time of writing conservation work is continuing on four of the objects and the fifth has yet to be examined. Consequently it is not possible to give definitive descriptions at this stage. While the overall form of the axes was clear from the outset, allowing for a little loss of outline at the vulnerable butts and cutting edges, substantial corrosion deposits had variably concealed surface detail, including the vestiges of punched decoration. 1. Low-flanged axe; class 4E; length 173.5 mm; limited corrosion scarring; straight transverse stop bevel; two curved bevels low on blade border a broad furrow; from here rain-pattern decoration extends up blade and on to haft end; a further bevel backs the well-curved edge; sides shaped into longitudinal triple facets. BM P1986 11-1 1 (Fig. 5.1), donated by Mr. K. Atkinson. 2. Low-flanged axe; class 4E; length 167.2 mm; patches covered in a thick hard corrosion product; straight transverse stop bevel; probable double curved bevel backing cutting edge and defining a broad furrow; traces of vertical punchmarks on blade faces - likely rain- pattern ornament; slight suggestion of lenticular facet survives on one side. BM P1986 11-2 1 (Fig. 5. l), donated by Mr. J. Wilton. 3. Low-flanged axe; class 4E; length 170.5 mm; extensive corrosion layer covering faces - mechanical lifting is revealing rain-pattern on the blade with a broad curved furrow near the cutting edge; straight stop bevel; outline of sides suggests original lenticular faceting - perhaps three facets on each side. BM P1986 1 1-3 1 (Fig. 5.2), donated by the Friends of Lydd. 4. Low-flanged axe; probably class 4E; length 176.5 mm; extensive corrosion layer covering faces - mechanical lifting is revealing traces of punched decoration on the blade and a broad curved furrow beneath; curved stop bevel; indication of lenticular facets on the now corroded sides. BM P1986 11-3 2 (Fig. 5.2), donated by the Friends of Lydd. 78 Stuart Needham 5. Low-flanged axe; probably class 4E; length 138 mm; not yet examined. In temporary custody of Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit; submitted by Mr. Atkinson via Mr. F. Spence (Willson 1987). (See postscript). Affinities The five Lydd axes are all developed flat axes bearing both low Ranges and transverse stop bevels. Although outlines are variably altered by corrosion, it is almost certain that all can be attributed to class 4E, in which the sides diverge only gradually from the butt giving relatively slender proportions to the haft and most of the blade (Needham et al. 1985, iii, 18). Towards the well- curved cutting edge, however, the blade expands rapidly. Minor variations in morphology occur amongst the Lydd axes, but they are typical of axes attributable to Metalwork Assemblage V (Needham et al. 1985, iii) dating to circa 1800-1600 BC. The most divergent of the group is axe no. 4, which has a curved stop bevel and a slightly broader flare to the upper blade. A few axes amongst class 4E and their typological precursors, class 4C, closely parallel axe no. 4. One of the best parallels is an axe from Carno, Powys (Savory 1980, l00 no. 109, 165 Fig. 17). Attention might also he drawn to a homogeneous group of four large flat axes, which are comparable in most details, but have more pronounced blade tips which may have been lost from Lydd axe no. 4. In addition to face furrow and side lozenges which appear on many axes at this stage, including some of the Lydd examples and that from Carno, this group also carries distinctive punched face designs of a consistent style. It is unclear yet whether Lydd axe no. 4 might correspond in this respect. Burgess and Richardson (1985) have recently linked three of these finds together - those from 'York' (Evans 1881, 44-5 Fig. 4), Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd (Megaw and Hardy 1938, 300 no. 55) and a new find from Mosedale House Farm, Cumbria, (Burgess and Richardson 1985, 46, 52 Fig. 5) - and have suggested their production in the same workshop. A fourth example from near Matlock, Derbyshire (Wilson 1972, 6, Fig. I no. 3, Fig. I11 no. 5 - mistakenly provenanced Markham Morr, Notts.), may be added to this group, which might usefully be referred to as the Penrhyn- deudraeth Style. Those authors further suggest an Irish origin for many axes in the general class (Greenlees/Scrabo Hill) which contains this style, apparently based on the pre- dominance of examples from Ireland over those from Britain. In the writer's opinion Burgess and Richardson have vastly underestimated the numbers of relevant British finds. As many as one hundred class 4E axes have been identified in Britain by the writer, and the number of truly comparable Irish pieces may not be much greater. Lydd and comparable associations While the context of the Lydd axes cannot now be retrieved, their consistent typology would argue that their deposition was interrelated. Either they represent a sequence of deposits over a restricted period of time or, perhaps more likely, they were a closed group in the nature of a hoard. The uncertainty surrounding the association is unfortunate since few secure associations are known for axes of this stage. There are only three well-documented hoards, from Wold Farm, North Yorkshire (Needham et al. 1985, 17-20), Low Glenstockdale, Dumfries and Galloway (Coles 1968-9, 109, 14 Fig. 11.8-9) and Glenalla, Co. Donegal (Harbison 1969, nos. 936-7, 1582-3), with other possible examples from Trenovissick, Cornwall (Hen- cken 1932,68,69 Fig. 19A, D), Connor and Scrabo Hill, Co. Antrim (Harbison 1969, nos. 883-5; 998-100 1, 1732, 1900). At least one of three axes stated to have been found together at Bandon, Co. Cork (Harbison 1969, no. 846), is comparable in type, but is associated with a slightly more developed axe (ibid. no. 1669). A class 4E axe from Ballinacree, Co. Derry, was found in the same garden as a small knife (Megaw and Hardy 1938, pl. L11 bc). Although class 4E axes can occur in graves, such specimens tend to be specialised variants: they are usually diminutives and only occur one at a time. We can therefore effectively rule out the possibility that the Lydd axes had accompanied burials, for the group, with at least five axes, would appear to represent the largest deposit of MA V axes yet encountered in Britain. This is a point of some note in view of the distribution of MA V material. The mainly single finds of class 4E axes, numbering about one hundred, are most densely distributed in a band across central Britain from North Wales to Yorkshire and the Fen edge (Fig. 5.3). Previously finds have been rather rare south of the Thames, only two being known from Kent itself: one from Westbere Marshes (Canterbury Museum 6324) and one recovered from Medway Brassworks at Maidstone (Ashbee 1952, 181-2, Fig. 3). The addition of five examples from Lydd not only alters the regional balance but also provides a perhaps expected prelude to the concentrations of succeeding Arreton axes that occur in Sussex, Kent and indeed in the lower Thames Valley. Conceptualising the dissemination of EBA axes to Europe One may press the importance of the Lydd axes a little further. Much has been written on the 'export' of Hiberno-British axes to northern Europe (e.g. Megaw and Hardy 1938; Butler 1963, 27-47; Harbison 1968). There are some differences in opinion on exactly which continental finds are of Hiberno-British manufacture, but nevertheless it can be shown that almost all the likely candidates are mature flat axes in the insular series, that is belonging to Metalwork Assemblage V. Furthermore Early Bronze Age Axes from Lydd Fig. 5.1 Lydd low-janged axes nos. I and 2 (scale 112). Fig. 5.2 Lydd low-janged axes nos. 3 and 4 (scale 112). Stuart Needham 0 200 km 0 6: Q** 0 Hoards / groups Single axe provenance Fig. 5.3 The distribution of class 4E axes in Britain and Ireland. Early Bronze Age Axes from Igdd these axes are frequently decorated specimens. Against this background the coastal location of the Lydd axes merits consideration. This is not to suggest simply that these axes lie on a trade routeper se. The important point they illustrate is that accumulations of metal objects were beginning to accrue in those coastal situations which overlook the short crossings to the continent, thus setting the preconditions for the ready transfer of such 8 1 understanding of its formation. Bowden and Taylor (1984) have recently drawn attention to a pair of Late Bronze Age bronzes imprecisely provenanced to 'Hythe, Kent'. These might have come from the dispersed hoard found in June 1872 at Haines (also Hayne or Heane) Wood in Saltwood parish just north-west of Hythe (Waller 1873). Part of the hoard is in Folkestone Museum, part in the private collection of Mr. Lemmon objects to the opposite shores. Coastal accumulations manifested in the form of hoards became a feature of the succeeding Arreton stage (MA VI) and became bountiful in the Taunton stage (MBA 2). In this way it can be appreciated that the mechanisms responsible for conveying prestigious metal and other goods across the Channel need not be construed in terms of long trade routes bearing directly into the heart of Britain, indeed Ireland. It is more probable that such exchanges in fine goods were incidental to a growing desire or need for cross-channel contact. This is not to deny that fine metalwork gained an important place. It may well have been an important medium for establishing bonds and off-setting debts and obligations. As such the metal exchange functioned as part of a particular social circumstance; it was not conceptualised as a commercial goal, nor was it an entirely erratic phenomenon dependent on the errant wanderings of aimless smiths or traders. We still, however, need to explain the fact that Hiberno-British axes in Europe concentrate away from the immediate contact zone with British waters. We must not necessarily expect the extant distribution to be a shadow of the initial process of dissemination away from British shores. Whatever it was that attracted European societies to Hiberno-British metalwork at this stage, whether for example the often fine and perhaps symbolic decoration, or whether the superior nature of the metal with its regular tin constituent at about 10% (e.g. Butler 1963, 40), it is probable that there would have been some further relaying of such objects to ever more distant societies. The distribution is in fact telling us more about the character of societies in receipt of the axes than about the organisation of trade and exchange. The areas yielding these finds were occupied by groups who, firstly, received more Hiberno-British axes than they passed on, but who secondly tended to deposit these foreign pieces rather than melt them down for recasting. A complex interplay between those factors and others (such as recovery patterns) could create bronze metalwork distributions which have little relationship to patterns of 'trade' or exchange. More difficult as it might be to conceptualise the archaeological record in these terms, the approach is possibly more in keeping with a view of small-scale socio-political entities with an almost entirely agricultural base-line. The land form at Lydd during the Bronze Age Finds oflater Bronze Age metalwork are known from the vicinity of Dungeness, but they do not directly help the earlier this century (NBI), and one axe came to the British Museum (1879 3-12 1). It is possible then that Pitt Rivers could have acquired two members of the hoard during his 1878 campaign at Caesar's Camp, Folkestone, as speculated by Bowden and Taylor (1984, 349). The hoard was disturbed in digging a cutting for the Hythe-Sandgate branch railway line and was situated on the side of the vallum of a hillfort which occupies high ground inland from the early post-glacial cliff at Hythe. This find cannot be related therefore to Dungeness deposits. A fragmentary bronze blade, probably belonging to a Middle Bronze Age rapier, does however come from a more relevant context. It was found on August 29, 1937, on the coast between Pett Level and Fairlight. It was resting on clay among the rocks beneath the cliffs at low tide (NBI). The more specific location of the Lydd find could however be of importance in dating the early formation of the Dungeness foreland. One should perhaps allow the small possibility that the axes originally belonged to a sea-bed find, for example a wrecked cargo comparable to those of MBA date found elsewhere on the British coast (Muckelroy 1981), a find which subsequently and hypothetically became buried by the accumulating shingle deposits forming Dungeness. In this context it is worth mentioning two sea finds from nearby. An Early Bronze Age flanged axe (class 5) was taken from the sea an unknown distance off Hastings (Rouen Muske), while a Late Bronze Age sword was dredged from East Wear Bay, Folkestone, just 40 metres from the shore (Cowen 1952). However, a land deposition seems more likely for Lydd. The findspot lies directly on the line of the shingle bar, which was created by longshore drift at an early stage in the formation of Romney Marsh (Eddison 1983, 41-4). This shingle bar is thought to have been developing, from south-west to north-east, during the Flandrian and Eddison's suggestion that it would have been well established, to the south-west of Lydd at least, by the period 3500-2000 bc is confirmed by Tooley and Switzur (1988). This model would seem to allow for the presence of the barrier beach at the Pioneer Pit, just one kilometre north of Lydd, by Early Bronze Age times (circa 1800-1 100 bc, i.e. 2300-1400 BC). Sadly, the lack of a context for the axes precludes their firm attribution to a landlshore site and therefore also their use as a terminus ante quem for coastal development at that location. If the supposition proves in due course to be well founded then we can envisage the depositional context of the axes to have been a broad sand and shingle bar fronting directly on to open sea and backed by a 82 Stuart Needham large salt-marsh inlet, which was later to become Romney Marsh. Acknowledgements The study of this important group of material from the Dungeness foreland has been made possible through the kind assistance of a number of local people, most especially the finder, Mr. K. Atkinson, but also Mrs. D. Higgins and Mrs. Gillett of the Friends of Lydd, Mr. J. Wilton and Mr. J. Bradshaw. Mrs. J. Eddison kindly References Ashbee, P. 1952: Two Early Bronze Age axes. Arch. Cant. 65, 180-3. Bowden, M. and Taylor, R. 1984: Two bronze axes from Hythe in the Pitt Rivers Collection at Salisbury Museum. Arch. Cant. 101, 349-52. Burgess, C. B. and Richardson, C. 1985: Unpublished bronze axes in Carlisle Museum and a recent find from Carrock Fell, Cumbria. Trans. Cumberland and Westmorland Antiq. and Archaeol. Soc. 85, 43-52. Butler, J. J. 1963: Bronze Age Connections across the North Sea. Palaeohistoria 9. Coles, J. M. 1968-9: Scottish Early Bronze Age Metalwork. Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scotland 101, 1-1 10. Cowen, J. D. 1952: A bronze sword from Folkestone. Arch. Cant. 65, 9G2. Cddison, J. 1983: The evolution of the barrier beaches between Fairlight and Hythe. Geogr. Journ. 149, 39-53. Evans, J. 1881: The ancient bronze implements, weapons, and ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland. (London, Longmans). Harbison, P. 1968: Irish Early Bronze Age exports found on the Continent and their derivatives. Palaeohistoria 14, 175-186. Harbison, P. 1969: The axm of the Early Bronze Age in Ireland. (Munich, Prahistorische Bronzefunde IX, 1). commented on the topographic implications of the discussion. At the British Museum, I wish to acknowledge the work of Simon Dove, who is undertaking the difficult task of conservation, and Meredydd Moores for the illustrations. Postscript Axe no. 5 has now been donated to the British Museum by Mr. F. A. Spence and is receiving attention. Hencken, H. O'N. 1932: The archaeology ofcornwall and Scilly. (London. Methuen). Megaw, B. R. S. and Hardy, E. M. 1938: British decorated axes and their diffusion during the earlier part of the Bronze Age. Pror. Prehist. Soc. 4, 272-307. Muckleroy, K. 1981: Middle Bronze Age trade between Britain and Europe: a maritime perspective. Proc. Prehist. Soc. 47, 275-297. Needham, S. P., Lawson, A. J. and Green, H. S. 1985: Early Bronze Age hoards. British Bronze Age itfetalwork, Associatcd Find.< Series, AI4 (London, British Museum). NBI: National Bronze Implements Index, British Museum. Savory, H. N. 1980: Guide Catalogue to the Bronze Age Collections. (Cardiff, National Museum of Wales). Tooley, M. J. and Switsur, V. R. 1988: Water level changes and sedimentation during the Flandrian Age in the Romncy Marsh area. In this volume, chapter 3. Waller, J. G. 1873: Remarks on some bronze objects found at Haynes Hill, Kent. Archaeol. 3. 30, 279-83. Willson, J. 1987: A bronze age axe from Lydd. Kent Archaeol. Review 87, 164-6. Wilson, C. M. 1972: Archaeological notes, l97 1. Lincolnshire Hi~tory and Archaeologv 7.