HISTORIC FINDS ARE TREASURE
THREE historic finds dating from as far back as 800 BC have been declared as treasure. Two Bronze Age hoards and a medieval silver brooch were discovered by metal detectorists and were declared as treasure by a coroner at Newport Coroners’ Court.
The first hoard of bronze tools was found by Brendan Bishop who discovered them while metal detecting in woodland in Monmouth between June 2016 and January 2017.
Included in the hoard were two fragments of a bronze-socketed knife, two bronze-socketed axes with rib decoration on their faces, and a blade fragment from another bronzesocketed axe.
The inquest heard that the tools were buried together nearly 3,000 years ago – around 1,000-800 BC – and were probably a religious offering placed within an isolated pit. It also heard that the hoard was discovered around 600m south-east of a hill fort that was possibly occupied during the late Bronze Age.
A report from Adam Gwilt, principal curator of prehistory, and Mark Lodwick, finds coordinator, at National Museum Wales, said that some of the items found were similar to other hoards discovered in Anglesey, the Vale of Glamorgan, and elsewhere in Monmouthshire.
The second Bronze Age hoard of bronze tools was found by Darren Jessett while metal-detecting in Llanover, Monmouthshire, on three separate occasions in May and July 2017.
Mr Jessett discovered five artefacts in total including two bronzesocketed axes with rib decoration, the fragment of a plain bronzesocketed axe, a bronze winged axe fragment and a bronze casting jet.
Mr Gwilt and Mr Lodwick’s report said the items discovered were consistent with artefacts from the Ewart Park phase of the late Bronze Age but could be narrowed down further as part of the Carp’s Tongue complex, a late Bronze Age tradition of metal working.
The hoard found by Mr Bishop is set to be acquired by Monmouth Museum, while Abergavenny Museum hopes to acquire the hoard discovered by Mr Jessett.
Monmouthshire Museum curator Anne Rainsbury said: “Bronze Age hoards are one of the many mysteries from prehistory and there are fascinating theories about why people may have deliberately buried collections of broken, as well as whole, bronze axes and other tools.
“The locations of these hoards are being carefully mapped to provide another piece of information in this jigsaw so these finds are really important. We are very pleased that they can take a place in our museums and help tell the stories of people who lived in Monmouthshire thousands of years ago.”
Also declared as treasure by the coroner was a small decorative medieval brooch inlaid with niello, which was found in January 2019 by Steve Cashmore and Mark Jones in Langstone, Newport.
A report from Dr Mark Redknap, deputy head of archaeology collections and research at National Museum Wales, which was heard by the inquest, said that the brooch style was 13th or 14th century.
Dr Redknap said: “Worn primarily as dress-fasteners, this particular brooch form has a curved cross-bar to prevent snagging of textile.
“This new discovery adds to our understanding of its widespread circulation within medieval Wales.”
Newport Museum and Art Gallery intends to acquire this brooch.