Within traditional hobby parlance, it is not unusual to hear a detector user refer to a particular farm they use as “My Roman site”, or “My Medieval site”. Much less frequently, the reference may be to “My Saxon site”, a comment usually accompanied by a smug self-satisfied smile. When it comes to the Bronze Age, however, the chances are that just a few lucky detector users will be able to refer lovingly to their “axe field” or “dagger field”, while other lesser mortals are confined to mentioning their “fibula field” or their “hammered field”, or similar.
EDWARD III GROAT 1351-69
Whole farms are rarely, if ever, elevated to the grand title of “My Bronze Age site.” Joe Perry, Billy May, and Peter Skelly, the finders of the Burton Hoard, may well be in a position as unique as some of their hoard’s contents. Not only do they have a “Bronze Age site” and a “Gold site” and a “Hoard site” and a “Treasure site”, all rolled up into one, they are surrounded by other similar sites.
SHILLING OF CHARLES I 1625-42
Adam Gwilt and Mark Lodwick of the National Museum of Wales, in Cardiff, cannot have failed to notice that the Burton Hoard was recovered only a short distance from the Acton Park Hoard, and an even shorter distance from the Rossett Hoard. When viewed together as a group, and then extended to include the geographical location of the Mold gold cape and other individual Bronze Age finds on record, these hoards seem to indicate a relatively compact but well-defined area of North Wales devoted to Bronze Age activity over a substantial period of time. Because of this, I feel it is reasonable to assume that these hoards are unlikely to be votive offerings, and more likely that they are connected to important Bronze Age settlements (possibly in troubled times), burials, or trade activities.
Events since the recovery of the Burton Hoard, and its subsequent inquest, appear to support this theory…… In the weeks following the coroner’s inquest, Billy, Peter, and Joe returned to the hoard field and gradually extended their search area from the original find spot. All the usual bits and pieces came up, including Georgian copper coins, harness fittings, musket balls, buttons and scrap. A few nice hammered coins surrendered themselves, including a magnificent groat of Edward III, a shilling of Charles I, and a Henry III voided long cross penny.
HENRY III PENNY 1221-30
The Dig
These coins have joined a collection of other hammered silvers wheedled out in the weeks and months before the dramatic recovery of the hoard. One Sunday morning, when the methodical search had moved on more than five hundred metres from the hoard’s last resting place, Billy May became the centre of attention yet again.
BRONZE AGE SOCKETED CHISEL
The finder of the first object from the Burton Hoard beckoned over his two detecting partners and declared another find which he believed to be from the Bronze Age. He was right. He had just recovered a socketed chisel, which has been provisionally identified as a ‘Ewart Park’ (Norfolk) type, dating to the period 950 to 750 BC. A week or so later, and even further away from their original starting point, Joe Perry recovered another socketed piece. As yet unexamined in Cardiff, other than in photographic form, it would appear to be either a hammer or a hand anvil.
BRONZE AGE SOCKETED HAMMER OR HAND ANVIL
Although recovered far enough away from the chisel to be considered a separate and non-associated find, it is undoubtedly of a similar age and period. Neither of these two latter finds, however, can be connected directly to the Burton Hoard, as their socketed form separates them from the original palstave bronze implements by several hundred years in time. But, they do tend to confirm the wide extent of Bronze Age activity in the immediate area of the hoard find.
ELIZABETHAN TOY BRONZE CAULDRON
Peter Skelly still searches for his first Bronze Age axe, chisel, hammer, or whatever, but fate has not omitted him from the site’s list of fortunate finders. In addition to his gold finds of torc, pendant, and two rings, he has also added to his personal collection by finding a Tudor toy bronze cauldron with a smooth and glossy olive green patina and a toy shoe manufactured in lead from the same period. Joe Perry’s medieval bronze key, circa 14th century, must also be worthy of a special mention. In keeping with their views on team spirit, the various hammered coins illustrated within this article are not attributed to individual finders, although they have each recovered their fair share of the total.
TUDOR PERIOD TOY LEAD SHOE
14TH CENTURY MEDIEVAL BRONZE KEY
They were all found by “the group”, they insist. Some coins were recovered before the Burton Hoard, and were the spur to keep on searching, while others have been recovered since. Strangely, though, only one Roman coin, a badly worn and diseased bronze, has been recovered during almost a year of detecting on this site.
THE ONLY ROMAN COIN RECOVERED
With permission from The Searcher, John Fargher and the boys (Peter Skelly, Joe Perry, and Billy May). Copyright co-owned by the writer and The Searcher.
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