Late
Bronze Age Hoard
at Throston, Hartlepool
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High Throston is situated on the north-western
outskirts of Hartlepool in the north-east of
England. The find spot occupies a false crest
on the north-western slopes overlooking Hartlepool
Bay. It lies within 100 metres of a small, deeply
indented stream. However the most marked aspect
of its positioning is without doubt the view
down to and across the bay.
Map Reference NZ
486 343.
In September 2002, a local metal detectorist,
Charles Pounder, was searching an area of land
which was being developed for new housing. Mr
Pounder discovered the rim of a pot and, realising
it may be an important find, immediately notified
Tees Archaeology. The area around the pit was
excavated and a Watching Brief was maintained
as the stripping of topsoil continued.
Whoever buried the pot first dug a hole. A small
quantity of ash and burnt bone was placed at
the bottom with a bronze spearhead on top of
the ash, along with a number of bronze pins,
fragments of a bronze vessel and a ring with
a loop projecting from one edge.
The crudely made, undecorated pot was then placed
on top of the spearhead. After laboratory excavation
by Dr Jennifer Jones at the University of Durham,
the pot was shown to contain a remarkable collection
of finds; six wire rings, one tin alloy bead,
one circular spoked rouelle, four amber beads
and two jet beads.
Other finds recovered at the site by Mr Pounder
included bronze rings, a large jet, D-section
bracelet 109mm in diameter, strips of bronze
and a rectangular jet spacer with two holes.
This material is currently being conserved at
Durham University.
This hoard seems to have been a one-off deposit,
as an archaeological evaluation of the area failed
to reveal any significant archaeological features
and no other finds were made.
These finds are clearly Late Bronze Age, probably
dating to the 8th or 9th Century BC. This is
a major find for the north-east of England and
particularly from the area of the Tees Valley
where very little late Bronze Age material is
known. The finds will be deposited with the Hartlepool
Museum in early 2004.
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