Members of the public using metal detectors have uncovered hoards of treasure dating back thousands of years hidden in west Wales communities. The three finds which range from the Bronze Age to post-medieval periods were all discovered in Carmarthenshire and were officially declared as treasure on Friday more than a year and a half after being found.
Back in November 2020, Richard Trew was metal detecting in the Llanddeusant area, south of Llandovery, when he discovered a hoard containing one large spearhead, three small spear fragments, a bracelet fragment, nine ribbed socketed axes, two plain socketed axes, one faceted axe, two sheet bronze fragments and a casting jet. To get the latest Carmarthenshire stories sent directly to you for free, click here.
These may be identified as artefact types belonging to the late Bronze Age, buried together as a hoard around 1000-800 BCE, as long as three thousand years ago. Archaeologists from Dyfed Archaeological Trust and National Museum Wales carried out an investigation of the area in which the hoard was discovered, with funding support from Cadw. The results of this investigation suggest that the artefacts were buried together in a specially dug pit, seemingly far away from any Bronze Age settlement.
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Mr Trew, who made the discovery, said: “I felt as though I was taken back in time, no other words can describe it. I couldn’t stop laughing as I kept finding more objects. I will never forget the moment and it will be with me forever.”
Christopher Griffiths, a doctoral student based at the University of Reading and the National Museum Wales, who is currently studying Bronze Age hoards from south-east and west Wales, said: “The responsible actions of Mr Trew in reporting the find and documenting the moment of discovery has meant that we are able to reveal more of the story behind the burial of this hoard.
"The large bronze spearhead, struck with a blunt tool and snapped in half prior to its burial, was carefully placed at the top of this hoard. It is possible that the breaking of the spearhead and the burial of the hoard was carried out during a ceremony held by a local Bronze Age community, intended as a sacrifice to the gods.”
In the same month as the Bronze Age find, a Tudor period silver-gilt pendant was found by David Edwards while he was metal detecting in a field in the Llangeler area, a few miles south of Llandysul. The pendant is heart-shaped and decorated with a bleeding wound design representing Christ’s wound. This personal ornament, a symbol of Catholic faith, dates to the mid-16th century, at a turbulent time of conflicting views held by opposed Church of England and Roman-Catholic faiths.
“While the Reformation has traditionally been seen as a time of the rupture of medieval society and order, with iconoclasm, defaced shrines and monasteries closed to become sites of salvage or conversion, archaeological finds such as the Llangeler pendant tell us about the individual continuities and responses to faith during this period,” said Dr Mark Redknap, deputy head of archaeology collections and research at the National Museum Wales. "The pendant is closely paralleled by a similar find from the Fishguard and Goodwick community in Pembrokeshire and could represent an affirmation of faith during the Marian period of Britain’s counter-Reformation.”
Two months before that, a medieval silver annular brooch was found by Rafal Pacholec while she was metal-detecting on land in the Pontyberem area. The brooch has a pin in the shape of a dagger, with distinctive ‘stirrups’ to prevent cloth from catching when worn. Through comparison with other known examples, it has been dated to the 13th or 14th centuries AD.
Gavin Evans, museums curator at Carmarthenshire Council, said: “We very much hope to acquire these three new treasure finds from Carmarthenshire, as not only will they enrich our growing archaeological collection, but it will ensure these fascinating finds can be accessed and enjoyed by visitors near to where they were found. The hoard, with its large spear and complete axes, is visually impressive and could form a strong new display element on the Bronze Age, drawing on the story of both the finder and the archaeologists who have recently investigated the find.”
All three discoveries were officially declared as treasure on Friday, May 27, by Paul Bennett, the acting senior coroner for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.
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