Find Spot record MNL 550 - Undley

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Summary

'About three bronze swords' found circa 1918 at Undley (S1). Possibly rapiers or spearheads rather than swords?

Location

Grid reference TL 692 797 (point) Approximate
Map sheet TL67NE
Civil Parish MILDENHALL, FOREST HEATH, SUFFOLK

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

'About three bronze swords' found circa 1918 at Undley (S1). Possibly rapiers or spearheads rather than swords?
'After discovery stood in farmer's barn for years' (Silver Willows Farm [formerly Hick's House]?).
NGR correct to area of farm buildings only.
Note circular enclosure (?) cropmark MNL 473 just to North.
Hoarded?

A 12th C BC bronze rapier, 51.5cm long, was found
on Undley Fen (Undley is at TL 6981) and is now in the Bury St.
Edmunds Museum, Acc. No. F 27. Two other bronze rapiers, of the
11th C BC, were found at Undley. One is 14.2cm long and is in
Cambridge Museum, Acc. No. FB 230; the other is 17cm long and
is in the possession of Mr S Ford, West Row. (S2)

Other Bronze Age metalwork found at Undley include: a dirk with a trapezoidal butt (Ashmolean Museum Oxford (1927.2347), rapier with spade-shaped butt (Bury St Edmonds Museum F28), dirk with notched butt (Horniman Museum 28.17), rapier blade with notched end (Toronto Museum) and a dirk or rapier point (Cambridge 99.122). (S3)

Sources/Archives (4)

  • <S1> Unpublished document: Pendleton C F. The Distribution of BA Metalwork in NW Suffolk, BA Dissertation, Nottingham 1985.
  • <S2> Bibliographic reference: Piggott, S. 1968. Studies in Ancient Europe.
  • <S3> Bibliographic reference: Burgess, C. Gerloff, S.. 1981. Dirks and Rapiers of Great Britain and Ireland.
  • <S4> Digital archive: Historic England. National Record Of the Historic Environment.

Finds (3)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

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Record last edited

Oct 6 2021 1:58PM

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