On 1 March 2018 an Iron Age Brooch was found about 120m from the blacksmith shop in the middle of the trackway towards The Maltings. It was about 5 inches deep in black sandy soil. That cannot be the position it was lost because under the black soil was a thick layer of white sandy soil that has come from the river. A sample was taken from the river and it matched exactly. In that sandy soil was a Duckhams grease can that dates about 1960. The can was around 2 feet deep. The black soil matches the soil from the ditch. The theory is the river was dredged in the sixties and then the ditch was dredged and put on top of the river sand. So the brooch came from the ditch.
The brooch was sent to experts at Gressenhall museum and this is their report:
Incomplete Early to Middle Iron Age La Tene Type 1 Brooch dating to the period c450 – 200 BC. The head of the pin consists of 8 loops wrapped around a bar, creating the spring which would have continued into the now missing pin. The chord and spring have become partially uncoiled and distorted. The bow curves up at a steep angle from the spring and widens and thickens along its length before narrowing and tapering as it curves back downwards towards the foot. The bottom of the bow widens on one side into the catchplate. The foot curves up and back on itself from the catchplate to face the bow and tapers along its length. It exhibits a collar of four concentric transverse grooves before expanding into a flattened circular knop. On the opposite side of the knop is a small projection touching the bow and engraved with two transverse grooves. END
Barry, who found the brooch, and his grandson Reo are the metal detectorists at the bonemill, and both are members of Kings Lynn Metal Detecting Club. Reo has been awarded certificates in March and April 2018 for best artefact, he is pictured below being presented with them by the Mayor of Kings Lynn.
Interactive Plan Recent Finds Blog 7/4/18