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Treasure case 2018 T769

A Late Bronze Age hoard of two gold lock-rings encased in a lead wrapping

County: Shropshire

Date: Late Bronze Age, c.1000-800 BC

Date of discovery: 28^th September 2018

Circumstances of discovery:

Found during metal detecting on cultivated land (pasture/grassland) with the permission of the landowner. The find was made in the field adjacent to the gold ‘bulla’/pendant (Treasure case 2018 T343). The findspot is considered to have been a wet environment during the Late Bronze Age, although investigations into the exact nature of the prehistoric environment and landscape are ongoing. In early September 2019, fieldwork was undertaken at the site, close to the findspot of the Treasure case, by Dr Ben Gearey (University College Cork) and Kristina Krawiec (Trent & Peak Archaeology). At the time of writing the results of the fieldwork were not yet available.

Description:

This unusual find comprises of a lead sheet that has been used to wrap two gold ‘lock-rings’ - ornaments probably worn in the hair or clothing as jewellery (see Eogan 1969, 95-6; 1994, in passim). The act of wrapping the lock-rings in a lead sheet was clearly intentional and served to hold the gold lock-rings in place. Soil and other organic material can be seen in patches within the ‘parcel’ and need to be retained for analysis in conjunction with the ongoing fieldwork analysis. The lead sheet has number of holes across its surface which appear to be ‘natural’ rather than intentionally perforated. These holes may be the result of production, when the lead sheet was cast as an oval-shaped plate either for use as such a wrapping or as an ingot for trade and exchange. The edges of the sheet appear ‘lipped’ in places; it is not clear how this formed but it may be a result of the way the lead has been cast (i.e. an ingot in a mould) rather than representing the use of the lead as an object per se (e.g. the bottom of a container) which seems unlikely (see Discussion). There are a number of deliberate cuts to one end of the parcel. Judging from their presence on difficult surfaces, these appear to have been made after the sheet was wrapped around the gold lock-rings and before deposition. On the ‘bottom’ of the parcel is a small modern dent caused by the finder at the time of discovery. Its presence supports the suggestions (made by the finder), that the surface of the parcel on which the lock-rings are visible was facing downward when discovered.

Completeness and condition:

An X-Ray image of the parcel revealed that the gold lock-rings were placed in the parcel as complete objects, possibly in good condition at the time but were crushed in the act of wrapping. The lock-rings overlap one another, the top lock-ring (‘A’) is therefore more visible than the lower ring (‘B’) which is partly obscured by ‘A’. The face-plates of both lock-rings, some traces of the core of one (‘A’) and the edging of both lock-rings are visible, while other components: central tubing and side plates are either not visible or difficult to make out among the crushed gold. In the case of lock-ring ‘B’, the ‘c’-shaped tubing has come away from the face-plates, highlighting the way in which it was applied and the use of a strip of gold fashioned into a ‘c’-shaped used to bind the two face-plates together (cf. Eogan 1969, 105).

Decoration and construction of the lock-ring pair:

Both lock-rings are constructed and decorated in a similar fashion. In terms of construction, the edging was made using c-sectioned binding. As Eogan (1969, 106) has noted, this is characteristic of lock-rings in Ireland and (sometimes) northern England but is not well represented in the south of England or in western France. Wood appears to be present in the core of lock-ring ‘A’ and requires additional, expert examination. La Niece and Cartwright (2009, 309), were able to identify a core of charred wood (Salix sp., willow) in the hollow centre of a lock-ring from Whalley, Lancashire (BM BEP registration no. 1966, 1208.1), with wax found in the core of an other lock-ring, from near Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland (Ibid., 208). There is considerable potential for further/future analysis of the core material.

In terms of decoration, both of the ‘Shropshire Marches’ lock-rings have incised, grooved decoration in the form of fine concentric circles of their visible face-plates. The lines (or grooves) are packed tightly and uniformly and present a neat and crisp decorative effect that beguiles the eye and poses the question of how the effect was achieved without the use of modern high-precision equipment. In some cases this decorative effect is achieved using skilled wirework rather than through the use of a ‘tracer’ (Eogan 1969, 104; Niece & Cartwright 2009, 309-12; Cahill 2009). Further examination of how the decorative technique and effect was achieved is required in the case of the ‘Shropshire Marches’ lock-rings. Some of the same decorative effects (concentric circular lines) are evident on the ‘Shropshire bulla’, and the dating and metal composition of both finds suggests close technological, cultural and chronological connections between the two finds.

Dimensions:

The lead parcel has dimensions of 125mm by 78mm (min) / 92mm (max). It has a maximum thickness (as a parcel) of 22mm. The lead sheet itself is around 5-7mm thick. The total weight of the ‘parcel’, including the two lock-rings and residual soil that the lead encloses is 698.4g.

Lock-ring ‘A’:

Diameter: 46mm; Diameter of central opening: 13mm; Width of plate (visible face): 17mm. It is not possible to provide a weight for this lock-ring due to its present condition.

Lock-ring ‘B’:

Measurements are difficult to obtain, x-ray analysis suggests it was similar in form to Lock-ring ‘A’ and this is supported by the one possible measurement – of the width of the plate, which is also of 17mm. It is not possible to provide other dimensions for this lock-ring due to its present condition.

Metal composition:

Non-destructive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis undertaken by the British Museum indicated that lock-rings A and B had similar surface compositions of approximately 80-82% gold, 14-16% silver, the rest being copper. The lead sheet was also analysed using surface XRF and confirmed as being of reasonably pure lead (tin was not found to be present above the detection limit of the technique, i.e. less than c. 0.2% in this case).

Discussion:

Lock-rings are known in relatively small numbers from Ireland, Britain and western France (Eogan 1969). Most of the finest examples have been found in Ireland. Although damage inflicted during prehistory makes the full examination and appreciation of the ‘Shropshire Marches’ lock-rings impossible, they are very fine examples of their kind (cf. Eogan 1969). The lead sheet wrapping may have been made from an oval-shaped ‘ingot’ either for use as such a wrapping or as an ingot for trade and exchange. Our knowledge of how lead was transported and exchanged during the Late Bronze Age in England is extremely limited. Writing in 1988, Needham & Hook noted that the ‘general dearth of metallic lead in British Bronze Age contexts is surprising as there can be little doubt that by the Late Bronze Age…lead and lead-based alloys were readily available’ (1988, 259). Indeed, lead was heavily used as an alloying metal for the large amount of metalwork deposited in this period, and yet lead is rarely seen in its pure or near pure state, especially when compared to the amount of copper alloy raw material deposited. At the time of writing Needham and Hook were only able to identify 20 examples of tin/lead finds from Britain, and of these 20 only 10 were pure (or near pure) lead, the rest being tin/lead alloys. The largest of these are cast into objects: socketed axes and pommels (Ibid., app. 1). To the author’s knowledge there is no record of an oval-shaped relatively thin object having been discovered in a Late Bronze Age hoard. It is perhaps notable that the oval shape of the piece is comparable to copper and tin ingots of a similar period and the wrapping could represent a rare example of a Bronze Age lead ingot.

The purpose of the lead wrapping is open to discussion and debate. It may have been designed to conceal the lock-rings (if so it damaged them beyond repair in the process) or to help ‘sink’ the light lock-rings when they were deposited in what appears to have been a wet and watery location. The lead itself may also be considered a significant ‘sacrifice’, a point perhaps underlined by the relative rarity of ‘pure’ lead in the archaeological record for the Late Bronze Age. In order to more fully understand the motivations for deposition, more work is required on the immediate context of the find using palaeo-environmental techniques at the findspot, a process that is gladly underway thanks to the co-operation of the finder and landowner, and which should yield results in the near future.

The other finds in close proximity to the lead parcel should also be considered when discussing the significance and wider implication of the find. The finder of the parcel has discovered at least one other notable lead object in the vicinity and, although it does not qualify as Treasure and is un-diagnostic of any particular period, could be the subject of future study using lead-isotope analysis as part of a wider project in order to address a number of questions surrounding trade/exchange and provenance of lead during this period (cf. Needham & Hook 1988).

Taken together with the Shropshire bulla (Treasure case 2018 T343), which was found close-by, there appears to have been a relatively close connection between this region of Shropshire and Ireland during the later Bronze Age (cf. Hook & Needham 1989). The degree to which this was a direct connection, and the nature of the relationship remains to be established in the course of future research (in prep). Finally, the finds, the two gold lock-rings and lead sheet are now fused together. It represents a ‘moment in time’ when a Bronze Age person or group decided to create a parcel, very likely with the clear intention of deposition with limited prospect of recovery (given the wet/water context into which it was placed). This act or ‘moment’ is an important element of the objects cultural and archaeological significance.

Conclusion:

As a group of two objects that comprise of precious (in considerable excess of 10% of their weight) wrapped in a sheet of lead, this find constitutes Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act (1996).

Bibliography:

Cahill, M. 2009, ‘Working with wire – the functional and decorative uses of gold wire in Bronze Age Ireland, 2200–700 BC’. In G. Cooney, K. Becker, J. Coles, M. Ryan and S. Sievers (eds), Relics of Old Decency: Archaeological Studies in Later Prehistory. Festschrift for Barry Raftery, 91–105

Eogan, G. 1969, ‘“ Lock-rings” of the Late Bronze Age’. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 67C, 93–148

Eogan, G. 1994, The Accomplished Art: Gold and Gold-working in Britain and Ireland during the Bronze Age (c. 2300–650 BC), Oxford: Oxbow Monograph 42

Hook, D.R. & Needham, S.P. 1989, ‘A comparison of recent analyses of British Late Bronze Age goldwork with Irish parallels’, Jewellery Studies, 3, 15-24

La Niece, S. and Cartwright, C. 2009, ‘Bronze Age gold lock-rings with cores of wax and wood’. In T.L. Kienlin and B.W. Roberts (eds), Metals and Societies. Studies in Honour of Barbara S. Ottaway, 307–12

Needham, S.P. & Hook, D.R. 1988, ‘Lead and Lead Alloys in the Bronze Age – Recent Finds From Runnymede Brigde’, In E.A. Slater & J.O. Tate (eds), Science and Archaeology. Glasgow 1987, Proceedings of a conference on the application of scientific techniques to archaeology, Glasgow, September 1987, Oxford: BAR British Series 196

Author:

Neil Wilkin, Curator, The British Museum

September 2019