A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



travelled the land, carrying their material and casting it into weapons 

 as required. Though isolated celts have occasionally been found, it is 

 mainly to the hoards of the workers that we are indebted for the finds 

 of bronze weapons in Essex, a county devoid of traces of such burial 

 mounds of that age as have in other counties yielded a harvest of anti- 

 quities. 



Some of the hoards may have been the property of dealers or 

 merchants rather than founders, but when we discover lumps of raw 

 metal and broken weapons (with or without the finished articles), there 

 can be little doubt that they were the stock-in-trade of a bronze founder. 



The founder's hoard discovered on Lord Rookwood's estate in Hat- 

 field Broad Oak parish in 1893 included not only the metal for fusing 



FIG. i 8. 

 PENANNULAR ARMLET FROM SnoEBURY. 1 



FIG. 19. 

 PALSTAVE FROM SnoEBURY. 1 



but the remains of the earthen pot in which the hoard was contained. 

 In addition to perfect socketed celts, broken weapons, cauldron handles, 

 etc., a noticeable socketed hammer and the rim of a vessel decorated 

 with line-ornament were discovered (figs. 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33). 

 This valuable hoard was presented by Lord Rookwood to the Essex 

 Archaeological Society, and is exhibited in the museum at Colchester, 

 where may also be seen a smaller hoard found at Southchurch, including 

 a handle with rivet-holes (possibly of a sickle). 



Shoebury was the source of discovery in 1891 of a hoard which is 

 now exhibited in the British Museum, consisting of socketed celts, pal- 

 staves, part of a sword blade, etc. A penannular armlet decorated with 

 diagonal hatching is of exceptional interest from the rarity of such dis- 

 coveries, and is illustrated, together with a palstave showing details not 

 usual on British examples (figs. 18, 19). 



1 Cast from blocks kindly lent by the Society of Antiquaries. 

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