Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Find Information

Site Name: Glyn-rhonwy quarry, Llanberris Lake

Notes: Possibly part of a hoard of four palstaves found in the general area of the lake: Savory (in Archaeologia Cambrensis 107 (1958) p25, note 2) posited that three (possibly?) of these palstaves were now in the NMW collections (41.109/2, 41.109/7 and this item); the location of the fourth was unknown. This item was originally provenanced as either 'Segontium' (on the accession card) or 'Castlemai, Caernarvon' (on a list in the accession file), the latter being a house approximately one mile south-east of Segontium. Tentatively assigned to the Llanberris hoard by Savory (see above reference) as the palstave is identical to 41.109/7, which was already confirmed(?, see below) as coming from near Llanberris Lake. The palstave 41.109/7 originally had a label attached which read "found near Llanberris Lake". Savory, in the article cited above, states that, according to information obtained by W.J.Hemp (the location of which is now unknown) this is one of a hoard of four palstaves found at Glyn-rhonwy quarry, Llanberris. Palstave 41.109/2, although only attributed as being "supposedly from Caernarvonshire" in the documentation on its entry into the Museum, was assigned to the Llanberris hoard by Savory as it was identical to 41.109/7 and "could well be connected with the same mould". In 1981 a palstave was donated by the Trustees of the Wellcome Collection (81.117H) which was attributed to this hoard, presumably the missing fourth palstave. There is no information on file to substantiate this claim.