Image: All the artefacts in the four caches of the Havering Hoard. Image © Sophia Adams.
A Late Bronze Age hoard of bronze objects and copper ingots found in Wennington, London Borough of Havering, England. This consisted of four caches of metal buried next to each other in a pit dug into a backfilled ditch between c.900 and 800 BC. The whole hoard contains more than 453 items (complete objects and fragments) weighing a total of 45.3kg. It was excavated by Archaeological Solutions in 2018. The hoard was purchased by the Museum of London Docklands where it is on display until 22nd August 2021. https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands/whats-on/exhibitions/havering-hoard-bronze-age-mystery
Like many Late Bronze Age hoards the assemblage is dominated by axes, particularly socketed axes. It also contains other tools including gouges for woodworking. Amongst the weapons in the hoard are complete spearheads and sword fragments. Unusually for a hoard in Bronze Age England in contains one complete and one partial terret. These are rings through which reins are passed on horse drawn vehicles. Other items include bracelet fragments, part of a razor, copper ingot pieces and casting waste. Comparisons for items in the hoard have been found locally as well as further afield in France. For an illustrated overview of the contents (with French annotations) see this short talk by Sophia Adams for APRAB (Association pour la Promotion des Recherches sur l’Âge du Bronze) on YouTube: https://youtu.be/G38_7GVhZLw
Out of the four caches, one was excavated on-site and the other three in the lab by Pieta Greaves of Drakon Heritage. About 10% of the hoard has been fully conserved by Pieta (information correct as of May 2021). All the artefacts were recorded and identified by Sophia Adams with additional identification by Brendan O’Connor. We are grateful for the further assistance provided by our colleagues in France including Francis Bordas and José Gomez de Soto.
Bronze Age Hoards 