A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



at Eaton* near Norwich, comprising a mould for a socketed celt, eleven 

 celts, and fragments of weapons ; Hellesdon Hall ^ Norwich, socketed 

 celts and fragments of bronze ; Reepham' and Stoke Ferry,* leaf-shaped 

 blade of halberd, two swords, about 23 inches in length and furnished 

 with seven rivet-holes, a chape of a form unique in England, spearheads 

 and broken swords. 



A second and more important find of bronze objects, made at Eaton 

 in 1885, was exhibited and described by Dr. Boyd Dawkins at a meeting 

 of the Society of Antiquaries of London.^ The hoard contained no less 

 than seventeen socketed celts, three swords, ten spearheads, together with 

 chisels, gouge, knives, macehead, palstave, and various other objects, the 

 use of which it was not possible to define with precision. The anti- 

 quities, which were found 6 feet below the surface of the ground, sub- 

 sequently passed into the collection of the late Mr. J. J. Colman. 



Many separate discoveries of bronze objects have been made in 

 Norfolk at various times. These include sickles, one of which was 

 found at Dereham,* another is in the Norwich Museum, and a third 

 was exhibited at a meeting of the Arch^ological Institute' in 1851 ; a 

 dagger-blade found in association with a contracted male skeleton, a 

 necklace of amber beads, and some articles made of thin plates of gold 

 at Little Cressingham ® ; a rapier-blade found at Methwold,* furnished 

 with notches at the base instead of holes for the purpose of receiving the 

 rivets (now in Canon Greenwell's collection) ; a sword-blade found in 



the River Ouse^" nearThetford, evidently 

 intended for thrusting rather than strik- 

 ing. 



Several of the bronze objects of 

 Norfolk furnish interesting examples of 

 ornamentation. A celt found at Caston" 

 has three raised ribs terminating in pel- 

 lets. Another, found at Frettenham,'^ 

 has four ribs. Yet another, found at 

 Rougham," has a small stop-ridge, and 

 the lower part is ornamented with ver- 

 tical punched lines. In the case of a 

 socketted celt found at Frettenham 

 Common," and it is supposed procured 

 from a tumulus, we find a remarkable example of the survival of a form 



Bronze Celt-mould found in Unthanks 

 Road, Norwich. 



' Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 447 ; Jrchaoh^a, xxii. p. 424 ; Archaohgical Journal, vi. 

 p. 387 ; Archsological Institute, Nortuich Volume, p. xxvi. 



2 Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 424 ; Aichaologia, v. p. 116. 

 ^ Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 466 ; Archaolo^a, v. p. 116. 



* Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, pp. 270, 282, 305, 314, 465. 



^ Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 2nd ser., xi. 42-52. 



Op. cit. p. 199. 7 Arcia-ological jfoumal, viii. p. 191. 



* Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 244 ; Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 2nd 

 ser. iv. p. 456 ; Archaologia, xliii. p. 454, fig. 158. 



* Evans, Ancient Bronze Implements, p. 249. '" Op. cit. p. 250. 'i Op. cit. p. 121. 

 '* Op. cit. p. 120. 13 Qp ^it. p. 73. 1* Op. cit. p. 131. 



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