File:DEV-2B4697 Late Bronze Age Barbed Spearhead (FindID 210680).jpg

English: Cast copper alloy Type I barbed spearhead. The blade is leaf-shaped with two short barbs at the base of the blade. The socket has peg holes, where a pin, (now missing) would have been fitted. In section, the spearhead is lozenge shaped. The edges of the blade are bevelled, demonstrating that the blade was re-sharpened; the tip of the blade is broken off.

Discussion: This spear head is very similar in form to the spearheads found in the Bloody Pool hoard, Devon, which were found deposited in a bog in 1854. To date, spearheads of this type have mostly been recovered from watery environments, such as rivers, lakes or bogs. In the past, it has been thought that they may have been used as fishing spears, but it is now generally thought that these spears would have been too large to hunt an average sized fish. In addition, the positioning of the barbs at the blade base, together with the peg holes being positioned in close proximity to the barbs, and the thin casting, makes them rather impractical for fishing, hunting, or, even fighting. It has therefore been suggested that these spears may well have been used for some other purpose, perhaps as a ceremonial 'parade weapon' or used in votive offerings.

It is generally accepted that many Celtic objects found in water are thought to be votive offerings, and it is noted that this spearhead is no exception to the trend of barbed spearheads being deposited in water; as it was recovered by the sea. This spearhead is important in that it was found in the same general area as the famous Bloody Pool hoard, and bears close similarities with those spearheads. The find has contributed to our understanding of Devon in the Bronze Age.