Find Spot record 1493/0/2 - Bronze age urn at Wilmslow

A Bronze Age urn was found in 1859. A full account of the discovery was sent by the Revd John Colston, of Styal to Bateman, the Derbyshire antiquary (1). Account published in 1860. The urn was found c.100yds from Wilmslow station, in a ridge of gravel between the old and new roads leading to the village of Prestbury. The urn was discovered inverted & the contents apparently fell out when it was removed - badly damaged by workmen. It was 16ins high & 13ins wide across the mouth, with a rim 4.5 inches deep and decorated. It was apparently sun-baked rather than fired & consequently very coarse & friable. It contained charred bones, mixed with a dark earthy matter. The dark earth was sieved before being discarded. Some teeth found were almost perfect & were apparently those of a person c.14 years old. A small perforated bone stud was also found in the urn (2). The bone stud is described as a sword pommel, with perforations for attaching it to the weapon. It was so small that the haft to which it was attached probably only consisted of a single piece of wood (3). Finds unlocated (4). This is possibly the same find as RN:1493/0/3 (5). TLCAS describes it as a tripartitie urn with only the rim decorated with zig-zag lines; the rest was plain. The pommel was made of a sigle piece of bone 35mm in length and 1mm in depth. The small mortised receptacle has been made by drilling three holes in the underside of the neck, overlapping them to form a continuous cavity. This would suggest that attachemnt to the hilt-end tang was either difficult or inexact. No pins survive (8).

<1> Earwaker, J P, 1877-1880, East Cheshire Past & Present, 1/1877/145-6 (Y) (Book). SCH1080.

<2> British Archaeological Association, 1847-present, Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 16/288-9 1860 (Journal/Periodical). SCH1578.

<3> Evans J, 1881, The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons, and Ornaments, of Great Britain And Ireland, /228+238 (Book). SCH254.

<4> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, 1/86 (c) 1987 (Book). SCH3556.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ88SE2/1964 (Index). SCH2487.

<6> Longley D, 1977-1978, Longley Archive, No.222 (Paper Archive). SCH2005.

<7> Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 1883 -, Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society (Journal/Periodical). SCH3293.

<8> Hardaker, Ron, 1974, Early Bronze-Age Dagger Pommels, p. 222 (Report). SCH4884.

<9> British Archaeological Association, 1847-present, Journal of the British Archaeological Association (Journal/Periodical). SCH1578.

<10> Pearson A, 1901, Wilmslow Past and Present (Book). SCH3714.

<11> Shone W, 1911, Prehistoric Man in Cheshire (Book). SCH2710.