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Summary

Pottery and metalwork of a wide date range found near the springs

Monument Types

• FINDSPOT (Late Saxon to Medieval - 870 AD to 1500 AD)

Associated Finds

• IMPRESSED OBJECT (Early Medieval - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• SWORD (Late Saxon - 870 AD to 1065 AD)
• PILGRIM BADGE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1500 AD)
• PURSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1500 AD)
• HOARD? (Post Medieval - 1501 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

Several metal objects including bronze buckles, a pewter pilgrim's badge, a bronze purse bar loop of 15th century date, part of several horseshoes and other metal objects dating to the 13th-17th century were found with a metal detector in 1977. It has been suggested that the finds may be a bronzeworker's hoard <1>.
The finds were all deposited with Letchworth Museum in 1977, and have now been found to include a 10th century copper alloy sword chape decorated with a tree of life design, different on each side; and a 9th century copper alloy and enamel decorative strip with an image of a dog looking back over its shoulder <2>.
The field was surveyed and metal-detected in 1985 by North Herts Museums and North Herts Archaeological Society. The items retrieved included pottery, a lead weight (undated), and fragments of a World War II Dornier bomber. The medieval material was concentrated towards the north end of the field, and post-medieval to the east <2>.
For late Iron Age to Roman material, see [2973].

<1> Letchworth Museum Catalogue, 1977 (Index). SHT6511.

<2> Information from Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews, North Hertfordshire Museum, 10 Feb 2014 (Unpublished document). SHT3611.

Sources and further reading

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