Monument record MNL 086 - Gravel Drove, Mildenhall

Rapier and dirk from same findspot. Excavations 1976 determined subsoils and found worked and calcined flints, pottery and animal bone.

1966 : Bronze rapier with attached portions of hazlewood scabbard found during ploughing - 41.6cm long with trapeze shaped butt, with rounded upper edges and with notches which still hold rivets, flat blade mid-rib. Trumps Lisburn class (S1), Rowlands Class III (S10). Fragments of hazlewood scabbard still adhere to blade. Hazel laths were held together by strips of bronze or copper. Detailed description in (S1). Longest Lisburn class rapier found in Fens and only Lisburn class rapier to retain both rivets. Only MBA weapon to produce remains of scabbard (S1, S2, S3 ,S6). Various incorrect map references cited (S4, S5, S8, S9).

1972 : Bronze rapier/dirk found on ploughsoil surface - 22. 1cms long with trapezoid hilt with two incomplete rivet holes. Lonzenge blade section with edge bevel. Crescent shaped hilt mark on one face. Recent linear grazes on surface. Rowlands Class II, type I (S3). For detailed description see (S7).

January 1976 : Trial excavation, 8 feet x 1 foot 8 inches, on approximate site of above finds revealed peat subsoils with worked flint, burnt flint and bone remains, above an artefact rich clayey-loam soil (layer IV) which produced one bone, one tooth, nine flakes, one flint tool and one burnt flint. A single flint gritted pottery sherd and a single bone were found at the junction of layers III (peat) and IV.

1987 : Fenland survey fieldwalking results not yet available.

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