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One of a Hoard of twenty one bronze tools, weapons and ingot fragments dating to the Ewart Park phase of the Late Bronze Age (1000-800 BC)

This is a Late Palstave of Type Isleham, bronze – near complete

A near complete ribbed palstave of bronze, of short and slender form, with a damaged butt end. The sides of the palstave widen very slightly from the butt end towards the stop, the sides converging slightly below the stop. The sides are near-straight and slightly divergent, leading towards a well expanded blade with a deeply curved cutting edge. A small section of the original butt end is still visible across one corner, indicating that the butt was straight and of relatively thick proportions. The flanges are near-straight in side-profile and meet the septum just below the position of the break. The stop is rectangular and high, projecting above the maximum height of the flanges with a slightly convex profile in section. The loop is of medium width, one arm above and the other below the level of the stop. On each face, descending a short distance below the stop-ridge, are three parallel ribs. Two-thirds of the butt end are missing, the break edges appearing partly soil covered and eroded. Possibly burnt.

The hoard contains 13 axe heads, 1 palstave, 3 spearheads, 1 sword and 2 fragments from copper and leaded bronze ingots of Late Bronze Age (1150-800BC) dates. 1 additional post-medieval copper alloy object was found nearby but was probably mixed in by chance. The hoard was discovered on the south-eastward facing slope of a shallow valley with a view of the Bristol Channel. There was no obvious watercourse flowing nearby.