Find Spot record MLI85897 - Late Bronze Age spearhead found on land at Main Street, Washingborough
Summary
A late Bronze Age spearhead was recovered during archaeological evaluations on land at Main Street, Washingborough
Type and Period (1)
- FINDSPOT (Middle Bronze Age - 1400 BC to 1250 BC)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
PRN 62986
A socketed copper alloy, lunate opening spearhead belonging to the Wilburton tradition of the late Bronze Age (1150-950 BC) was recovered during archaeological evaluation (trial trenching) on land at 81 Main Road, Washingborough. It is likely that the spearhead was either a ritual deposit or a casual loss, and is contemporary with three leaf-shaped swords which were found locally near the River Witham (PRN 61295). {1}{2}
A reassessment of this spearhead notes that the X-ray of the spearhead shows two circular holes at the base of the blade rather than half moon 'lunate' openings as mentioned in source 1. The key attributes of the spearhead are as follows: circular basal loops, a lack of loop plates, a wide curved blade base and a short overall length (86mm). These attributes are only matched in a small group of Irish spearheads. They are dated to the Bishopsland phase in Ireland, and the Taunton phase in Britain, in the middle Bronze Age about 1400-1250BC. It seems likely that the Washingborough spearhead originates from Ireland. {3}{4}
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SLI9185 Report: Archaeological Project Services. Feb 2004. Archaeological Evaluation on land at 81 Main Road, Washingborough. MRW03.
- <2> SLI9186 Archive: Archaeological Project Services. Feb 2004. Archaeological Evaluation on land at 81 Main Road, Washingborough. LCNCC 2003.363.
- <3> SLI15674 Electronic Communication: Davis, Richard. 2016. Information from Richard Davis. 02/11/2016.
- <4> SLI15673 Bibliographic Reference: Davis, Richard. 2006. Basal-Looped Spearheads, British Archaeological Reports, International Series, no.1497. Plate 1 for Irish parallels.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | TF 02135 70815 (point) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | WASHINGBOROUGH, NORTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Mar 21 2021 8:35PM
Feedback?
Your feedback is welcome. If you can provide any new information about this record, please contact us.