From Bann Flakes to Bushmills: Papers in Honour of Professor Peter Woodman

By Nyree Finlay, Sinead McCartan, Nicky Milner and Caroline Wickham-Jones

This volume of papers is dedicated to Peter Woodman in celebration of his contribution to archaeology, providing a glimpse of the many ways in which he has touched the lives of so many. The twenty-one contributions cover many aspects of predominantly Mesolithic archaeology in Ireland, mainland Britain and North-west Europe, reflecting the range and breadth of Peters own interests and the international esteem in which his work is held. His particular interest in antiquarians and the material they collected began early in his career and Part 1 presents papers which deal with artefacts and finds by antiquarians. Part 2 is concerned with papers on fieldwork projects, both new sites and sites which have been re-investigated, predominantly focusing on the Mesolithic period. Part 3 presents papers on the theme of people and animals, particularly the topic of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition from different angles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oxbow Books
• Release date: Jun 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781782973379

Book preview

Part 1

Artefacts and Antiquarians

The link between artefacts and antiquarians is an old one and has been fundamental for our understanding of prehistory. It stretches back to the most basic division into Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages by Christian Jürgensen Thomsen in the early nineteenth century and was influential in the work of people like John Frere and John Evans in the UK. From the perspective of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century archaeologist it combines one of the building blocks of our trade, artefacts, with the fascination of personality; just what motivated those early collectors?

Peter Woodman’s interest in antiquarians and the material they collected began early on, during his days in the 1970s as Assistant Keeper of Prehistoric Antiquities at the Ulster Museum in Belfast. While working there he was surrounded by the fruits of the labours of members of societies such as the Belfast Natural History Society and the Ballymena Field Club. The outings of groups such as these provided the foundation for the collections on which the museum would subsequently base its interpretations of the past. Small wonder then, that Peter soon became curious about individual personalities and individual activities.

This curiosity moved with him to Cork, where there was a whole new group of fascinating individuals to explore. Here, among other things, he worked on the Documents of Ireland project, a database of Irish antiquarian collectors and dealers from 1800 to the 1830s. Perhaps the culmination, though not hopefully the last, of his work on antiquarians may be seen in the magnificent Keiller-Knowles volume published for the National Museum of Ireland in 2006. Here he explores the collections that were to form the heart of the National Museum’s collections in the early twentieth century, but the book is far more than a simple catalogue. The contents blend information on Knowles himself with material covering the Ulster antiquarians and local geography of their times, flint working and use, deposition and distribution, and of course detailed analyses of artefact types and interpretation. It is a masterful example of the way in which the study of the antiquarians and their work can reveal far more than one might expect; something that is ably followed up by Rockley and Saville in this section. Kador, meanwhile extends the interest to more recent identification and collecting practices.

The Keiller-Knowles volume is also remarkable as an example of the way in which apparently well known and even unprovenanced material can provide a useful source of new information. The value of existing material is a lesson that should be should be fundamental to us all, yet how often do we eschew the dusty museum shelf for the muddy glories of excavation? Peter Woodman has never been one to neglect his fieldwork and excavation duties, but he has also always been good at making the most of what might already be there. His artefact work has always combined new material with old and even his earliest papers, from the late 1960s, reflect a respectable history of study. Following the titles of work undertaken under his aegis one senses the desire to explore new techniques and angles: knapping technology, micro-wear studies, petrology and sampling strategies have all come under the Woodman umbrella.

This volume is necessarily constrained by factors of size and economy but an idea of the continuing importance of these themes is provided by the papers that follow. Clarke takes a little known, almost ostracised, artefact type to show how it can, in fact, provide useful information. Finlay takes the opposite approach; microliths can hardly be said to be neglected but her paper suggests how an alternative approach can lead to new information. Cahill, meanwhile, reminds us that there is more to archaeology than lithics while developing the theme of re-examination.

Antiquarians are rarely regarded as cutting edge archaeology today. Even artefact studies are less popular than once. This section touches on themes close to the Woodman heart, while, we hope, wetting the whistle and inspiring future work.

Peter Woodman, Sveinung Bang-Anderson and a different kind of artefact: a Gormley statue!

1

Tinkering with Torcs: an unusual Bronze Age hoard from Kilsallagh, Co. Longford

Mary Cahill

An unusual discovery of a hoard of three tin torcs and four utilised pebbles is described for the first time. The rarity of tin artefacts and the role of tin in Ireland in the Bronze Age are discussed. The nature of stone artefacts used in fine metalworking is also explored.

Introduction

In May 1944 Fr Michael Kearney of St Mel’s College, Longford, wrote to the National Museum of Ireland to report the discovery of what he described as ‘a small find which puzzles me’. He reported that a find had been made in a bog in the townland of Kilsallagh, near Edgeworthstown (also called Mostrim), at a depth of about nine feet − the find consisting of three metal bars and four small pebbles. Fr Kearney described the metal bars noting that they were all of the same material:

‘very soft pliable metal like a pewter or mixture of lead. The metal seems to have been formed into bars nearly square about ⅛″ thick and then twisted to produce a spiral effect. Each end is turned to make a small hook’. The pebbles were described as ‘four smooth disc-like pebbles, varying from ¾″ to 1″ diameter with no trace of marking or working.’

The objects were packed and sent to Dublin for inspection. Dr Joseph Raftery, then Keeper of Irish Antiquities, wrote to Fr Kearney to say that the objects were of greater interest than might have appeared on first report. He said that they were definitely torcs and thought they might be made of silver but as to whether they were of Iron Age or Viking date, he could not say. The torcs were sent in June 1944 to the Assay Office in Dublin. The Assay Master stated that the objects were made of solder but was unable to determine the metal but he excluded silver and lead. Subsequently the torcs were sent to the State Laboratory which reported that the torcs were made of 99.59% tin. This result caused Dr Raftery to write again to Fr Kearney to say that this result meant that the discovery was of ‘unique interest’ as it was to his knowledge the only find of tin ever made in Ireland. He thought the objects were likely to be of Early Iron Age or Viking date and said that it would be important to examine the find place which he hoped to arrange as soon as possible. Fr Kearney was anxious to facilitate a visit and wrote to Dr Raftery to say that ‘if you could ‘wangle’ a permit and a coupon I would take you out in my own car’. For reasons that are not clear, Dr Raftery was unable to make the journey to Longford and the site was not investigated. However, it is clear from other files relating to discoveries made during the war years that travel was often difficult to arrange and many sites were not visited.

Figure 1.1: Three twisted tin bars from Kilsallagh, Co. Longford. © NMI

Because of the unusual nature of the discovery, Fr Kearney provided a statement from the finder, Bernard Connolly, Garryandrew, Mostrim, Co. Longford. He described the find circumstances as follows:

‘About the 1st April, while catching turf in Kilsallagh bog, I noticed something shining down on the turf floor and I called the sleansman’s attention to it and he handed it up to me. I examined it and called the ganger’s attention to it. While spreading the turf about three weeks later I found the other two pieces in the turf on the bank. The sod that was being cut when the first piece of metal was exposed was 8 feet below the surface of the bog and the bog had never been worked before. The four small pebbles were found in the turf in close proximity to the first piece of metal which was found.’

The final acquisition of the objects was not completed until 1956 when they were deposited on loan by the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. Fr Kearney had been the custodian of the Diocesan Museum in Longford and had wished to acquire the torcs for his museum but, given the nature of the find, Dr Raftery wanted to acquire the objects for the national collection. The objects were registered as L1956:1−7. In 1955 further analysis of the metal was done by Midland Laboratory Guild (1928 Ltd), Birmingham, which determined by means of chemical analysis and by spectroscopic examination that the metal consisted of 98.8% Sn; 0.019% Cu; 0.016% Pb; 0.010% As; <0.01% Ag and <0.01% Sb. Although the existence of the torcs has been referred to occasionally in print (usually as a find of a single torc), the hoard has never been described nor has its date and context been discussed. It should be noted that the first description of the find described the discovery of ‘metal bars’. The only photograph of the find is of the three twisted tin bars (Fig. 1.1). The bar at the bottom of the plate is missing a terminal and although it is not stated on the file, it may be that the end of the torc was removed to facilitate the analysis of the metal. Subsequently, it must have been decided to manipulate the bars into rings although this is not documented in the file.

The description of the find circumstances is such that it is clear that the three twisted bars of tin and the four pebbles were found in close proximity to one another at a considerable depth (2.44 m) in a bog which had not been previously cut. As the turf was being cut by hand (the sleán being the tool used to cut turf), it would have been spread to dry in an area immediately adjacent to where it was cut. The other objects were noticed when the turf was turned about two weeks after it had been cut. As the peat sods dried out and shrank in size the other objects would have become visible.

The objects

Three tin torcs (Figs 1.1–1.3)

L1956:1 This torc is complete but as can be seen (Fig. 1.2) in its present form the ends of the torc now overlap one another. It has a dark grey patina. It was made from a bar of square cross-section and had been twisted along its entire length except for two short sections at either end of the bar which have been recurved to form the terminals. The twisting of the bar is very uneven with some sections barely turned while others have been very tightly twisted, so much so that the mid-section has torn and the metal severely stressed. The overall length of the bar is 420 mm. At one extremity the bar measures 3 × 3.3 mm while the other is 3.3 × 2.3 mm. Weight: 39.96 g.

Figure 1.2: A tin torc from Kilsallagh, Co. Longford NMI L 1956:1. © NMI

L1956:2 This torc is complete (Fig. 1.3) but in its present form is more oval than circular. It has a dark grey patina. It was made from a bar of rectangular cross-section and has been twisted along its entire length except for two short sections at either end of the bar which have been recurved to form the terminals. The twisting of the bar is quite uneven with some sections barely twisted and others very tightly twisted as can be seen in Fig. 1.3. There are some small tears in the metal and also an area towards the mid-section where a strip of metal has lifted. These flaws are probably the result of stress caused by the twisting of the metal. The overall length of the bar is 395 mm. At one extremity the bar measures 4.3 × 3.3 mm while the other is 3 × 3 mm. Weight: 37.75 g.

L1956:3 This torc is incomplete (Fig. 1.4) as one of the terminals and a short section of the bar have been cut. It has a dark grey patina except at the cut end which is silver in colour. The present form of the object is approximately circular. It is more evenly and completely twisted than the others in the hoard. It is also made from a thicker bar of rectangular cross-section and is more robust in appearance. It has not suffered the type of metal stress visible in the two other examples. The overall length of the bar is 320 mm but it would have been 20–30 mm longer before being cut. At one extremity the bar measures 5.5 × 4.7 mm while the other is 5.4 × 4.7 mm. Weight: 44.86 g. This does not account for the piece which was cut off this torc.

Figure 1.3: A tin torc from Kilsallagh, Co. Longford NMI L 1956:2. © NMI

Figure 1.4: A tin torc from Kilsallagh, Co. Longford NMI L 1956:3. © NMI

Four small rounded pebbles (Fig. 1.5)

L1956:4 Small polished pebble possibly of quartzite; greyish-purple in colour; sub-rectangular in outline and approximately plano-convex in section. The surface at the thicker end has the appearance of being slightly abraded but as this was the area chosen to apply the registration number it is not possible to be certain. Maximum dimensions: 22.3 × 21 × 18.6 mm.

L1956:5 Small polished pebble probably of sandstone or quartzite; light grey colour and slightly speckled appearance; oval in outline and in section. There are a number of areas of slight abrasion around the edges of the pebble but part is concealed by the application of the registration number. Maximum dimensions: 24 × 21 × 9.6 mm.

L1956:6 Small highly polished pebble probably of sandstone or quartzite; light grey colour and slightly speckled appearance; oval in outline and plano-convex in section. Maximum dimensions: 23.5 × 19.4 × 12.6 mm.

Figure 1.5: Four abraded pebbles from Kilsallagh, Co. Longford NMI L 1956:4–7. © NMI

L1956:7 Small polished pebble of jasper; dark red colour and slightly mottled in appearance; sub-rectangular in outline and rounded cross-section. Maximum dimensions: 19.8 × 18.5 × 12.2 mm.

The stones were identified by Dr Matthew Parkes, Natural History Division, National Museum of Ireland, but due to the polished nature of the pebbles it is not possible to be more specific about the petrology on a visual examination.

Discussion

The use and occurrence of tin in Ireland

There have been very few discoveries in Ireland of objects made solely of tin. Its primary purpose has been as the essential ingredient added to copper to produce the copper/tin alloy, bronze. There have been no recorded discoveries of tin in the form of ingots nor has it been found in the form of tin ore or metallic tin prior to its combination with copper in any hoards of the Bronze Age including those which also contain objects relating to the production of metal or metal objects eg, hoards containing moulds or casting jets and other metal working evidence. Once the crucial role of tin as the commodity which, when combined with copper, produced a much more hard-wearing metal had been established, its availability and the continuity of its supply would have to have been of paramount importance in ensuring that bronzesmiths could meet the demand for their products.

O’Brien (1994, 247) has suggested that the necessity to ensure the dependable supply of tin was ‘possibly the most important incentive for Early Bronze Age metalworkers to engage in regional exchange’. Shell (1979, 251–263) considered the supply of tin to be ‘the foundation for the most extended contact … between widely separated Bronze Age communities across Atlantic Europe and beyond.’ In his survey of the tin deposits of south west England and account of the various discoveries of tin ore, slag, ingots and Bronze Age artefacts found in or around tin mines in Cornwall, Shell has described how the ore was recovered and treated. Given that tin can be collected in streams in the form of cassiterite pebbles and can also be recovered by panning and washing in much the same way as gold, it has been suggested in the past that the assumed source of early gold in Ireland − Co. Wicklow − might also have been a source of tin. This suggestion has been closely considered by Budd et al. (1994, 518–524) who have concluded that Wicklow could not have been the source of tin used in Ireland in the Bronze Age as it was not sufficiently abundant and/or it is present in a form which was not recoverable using the technology of the period.

Recent work (Chapman et al. 2006, 904–918) on the occurrence of gold in Ireland has shown that Wicklow is also most unlikely to have been the source of the gold used in Ireland during the Bronze Age. Shell (1979, 255) has also concluded that a suggestion that tin might have been recovered from the Mourne Mountains in Co. Down, cannot be substantiated as the level of tin detected is too low and would not have been recoverable. More recently in discussing ‘the tin problem’ in the context of mining in Bronze Age Britain, Barber (2003, 97–101) notes that no prehistoric tin extraction site has yet been discovered. Although there have been numerous finds of Bronze Age objects from close proximity to tin workings in Cornwall, none of these can be related to the actual recovery of tin ore. However, there are also some discoveries of cassiterite pebbles and smelted tin from Bronze Age settlement sites in both Devon and Cornwall indicating that the winning and processing of ore was taking place. Penhallurick (1986; 1997, 23–33) has described and discussed in detail the numerous finds of Bronze Age artefacts found in tin streamworks, many at very considerable depths, ultimately drawing the conclusion that the Cornish deposits were worked during the Bronze Age. In the absence of any other evidence, it is assumed that the south west of England was the area which supplied Ireland throughout the Bronze Age.

As mentioned previously, it is very unusual to find objects made of pure tin in prehistory. So far, not a single object of Early Bronze Age date has been found in Ireland although tin has been used elsewhere in Britain and the Continent to make beads, eg, Sutton Veny (Wiltshire), Exloo (The Netherlands), and Buxheim (Bavaria). Baker et al. (2003, 105) have described the use of metallic tin as an inlay (akin to the much later use of niello) to decorate a jet button from an important dagger grave at Rameldry, Fife. Tin has also been used in Scotland to change and, presumably, enhance the colour of some early forms of bronze axeheads by adding a coating of tin thus producing a silvery colour. In England, one of the gold bracelets from Lockington was found to have corroded tin under its rim, probably used to stiffen the rim of the armlet (Hook & Meeks 2000). Sheridan & Shortland (2004, 274–276) have also discussed the deliberate addition of metallic tin or tin oxide to the compositional mix required to make faience beads which has been identified by recent scientific analysis. These uses of tin, as something other than an ingredient confined to the production of bronze, show that even at an early stage of the Bronze Age, tin was being used as a metal in its own right and in ways that show a certain sophistication and understanding of a number of possible uses.

Likewise, during the Late Bronze Age in Ireland there are very few objects of tin recorded. These include three tin rings found in a hoard at Rathinaun, Lough Gara, Co. Sligo (Eogan 1983, 151–152; NMI E21:464, 561, 562). This hoard contains a number of other unusual objects including amber beads, boar’s tusks and a bronze pin of non-Irish type. The tin rings are about 100 mm in external diameter and may have been worn as armrings.

Of the many gold foil-covered base metal penannular rings only one has been positively identified as tin although cores of copper, bronze and tin/lead alloys are known. A fragmentary Late Bronze Age thick penannular ring was recovered from gravels underlying burnt mound debris during the excavation of a fulacht fíadh at Rathmore Co. Wicklow (2001E471). The object consists of several very poorly surviving sections of a base metal core covered in thin gold foil. XRF analyses carried out in the National Museum of Ireland by Dr Paul Mullarkey have identified the core of the object as tin (Sn 97.5%) with lead (Pb 2.2%) and trace elements of iron, manganese, nickel, copper and zinc. The principal elements represented in the gold foil are gold (Au 83.4%), silver (Ag 9.4%) and copper (Cu 7.4%). Although in very poor condition, it is possible to identify the object as one which is very similar to the gold foil-covered white metal thick penannular rings from the hoard found at Tooradoo, Co. Limerick (NMI S.A. 1927:2). This type of ring is plano-convex in section at the centre where it is also thickest. It narrows and tapers from the centre towards the extremities which are straight-ended. In order to fit the foil to the core, short straight nicks are cut into the core from the inner edge on both sides towards the centre. These provide a key into which the foil can be pressed in order to hold the foil securely in place. The foil is folded or pleated so that the excess foil is all neatly accommodated along the interior of the ring. Usually the ends of the ring are decorated but there is no evidence of decoration on the specimen from Rathmore. The ends of the Tooradoo rings have simple patterns incised on the surface of the gold while the three examples from Rathinaun, Lough Gara, Co. Sligo, have much more complex patterns of ornament along the inner rims and on the ends (Eogan 1983, 274 & 300; Eogan 2008, 177–183). Due to its condition it is difficult to provide accurate dimensions but its maximum width would have been between 20–30 mm. The width of the end is 5 mm. Copper, bronze, tin and tin/lead gold-foil covered rings are known and it may be that others of tin exist but have not been identified as the metal cores are not always visible. Meeks et al. (2008, 24) in a recent discussion of these penannular rings makes the point that most of the cores of these rings have not been analysed and many have been assumed to be lead but it is now clear that many are a tin/lead alloy.

The most recent discovery is a bi-conical tin bead which was found under the trough of a fulacht fíadh at Sonnagh, Co. Mayo (pers. comm. Richard Gillespie; Cahill & Mullarkey forthcoming). This bead is similar in form to the beads found at Flag Fen (Cambridgeshire) although it is more elaborate in that the sides of the conical elements are slightly ribbed. Flag Fen is the only site in either Britain or Ireland to have, so far, produced a range of object types in tin. The bi-conical beads were found with other objects of tin some of which are of an extremely unusual type eg, the tin wheels which can be paralleled with objects known from Switzerland. All are dated to the Late Bronze Age. Analysis of the tin artefacts has produced tin values varying from 96–99.9%. By analogy with the closely comparable objects from Switzerland the tin assemblage from Flag Fen has been dated to the ‘peak in activity at Flag Fen, from late eleventh century BC through the tenth century’ (Pryor 2001, 291, 302, 306–308).

The analyses quoted above give very high values for the tin content of the objects described, indicating that the tin has been smelted. Metallic tin is soft, malleable, has a low melting point and is silvery in appearance. It is perhaps surprising that it has not been used more often to produce objects given its attractive appearance. The bead from Sonnagh came from a secure context dated between 1400–1300 cal BC (at 2 sigma) from a moss layer under the trough lining.

Other similar square-sectioned bar torcs

The vast majority of torcs of Late Bronze Age date found in Ireland are made of gold. Unlike Britain and continental Europe, bronze torcs are almost unknown and those that survive are poorly recorded. Comparisons for the torcs from Kilsallagh must be sought amongst the gold torcs of triangular, square or rectangular cross-section of which about fifteen exist. These vary considerably in form depending on the amount of metal used, the thickness of the bar and the degree to which the bar has been twisted. The bar twisted torc recorded from Athlone, Co. Roscommon [sic] (NMI RIA 1893:5) is little more than a thick wire very loosely twisted weighing about 36 grammes while the loosely twisted square-sectioned bar from Ask, Co. Wexford (NMI R1668) weighs 389 grammes. The gold torc most closely comparable to the tin torcs from Kilsallagh is an example from Cooltomin, Co. Limerick (NMI SA 1926:49). A fragment of a gold bar torc from Co. Clare (?) (NMI P1948:144) is also closely similar (Fig. 1.6). This torc is made from a rectangular-sectioned bar which averages 3.2 × 2.8 mm and is 695 mm in length. It has very simple recurved terminals made by turning back about a centimetre of the untwisted bar. The torc is loosely and unevenly twisted but has two short sections of very even tight twist measuring 40 mm and 20 mm respectively. Its overall form, in its present condition, is oval rather than circular but it has an unfinished appearance. It is unusual to vary the twist in this way and it is not clear whether the goldsmith was intentionally changing the nature of the twist in order to make the finished artefact more interesting or whether the bar was being used as a practice piece.

As mentioned above, bronze torcs are very unusual in Ireland and those few examples which are recorded tend to be very tightly twisted like the torc and fragment of another found at Annesborough, Co. Antrim (Coffey & Armstrong 1914, 171–175; NMI 1914:13–4). Although there is some doubt about the association of the assemblage of objects found at Annesborough due to the inclusion of a Romano-British type fibula with the palstave and the torcs, the torcs themselves are acceptable as typical Late Bronze Age types albeit rare discoveries in Ireland. One other unlocalised tightly twisted example is recorded in the collection of George Petrie (NMI P1162).

The pebbles

Intriguing in themselves are the four small pebbles found with the torcs. If they had been encountered on their own in the peat or in any other circumstance, they might very well have been ignored. However, on close examination all four pebbles show signs of abrasion on some sections of the outer edges. Close examination of the abraded surfaces is difficult because, unfortunately, this area was chosen to apply museum registration numbers to the objects, one assumes for the very reason that it was easier to apply the numbers on these surfaces rather than the polished ones. However, preliminary results from an examination of the pebbles by X-Ray Fluorescence analyses carried out in the Conservation Laboratory of the National Museum of Ireland by Dr Paul Mullarkey, has given a strong indication of the presence of tin on the surface of three of the pebbles described above including the jasper pebble, L1956:7. Further analysis is required to verify these results but it now appears very likely that the pebbles were used during the manufacture of the torcs.

Evidence for the use of stone in fine metal working during the prehistoric period in Ireland is at best slim to non-existent. However, it is well known that certain types of fine-grained stone can be used for the purposes of burnishing gold and silver in order to remove tool marks and as a preparation for final polishing. Agate and bloodstone are two types of chalcedony which have been used by goldsmiths since very early times for this purpose. Jasper is also a variety of chalcedony and could have served the same purpose as all three stones are of equal hardness: 7 on the Mohs scale. The inventory of a fifteenth century French goldsmith’s workshop included, amongst many different tools, nine bloodstones for burnishing and polishing and another ten burnishers (Arminjon 1993, 228). The stones found at Kilsallagh may have been used to smooth the surfaces of the tin bars after they had been fabricated. It might also be asked if these torcs are the work of a goldsmith experimenting with tin or bronze or a tinsmith attempting to produce something normally seen only in gold. Given the rarity of the use of tin as a metal in its own right, it is perhaps more likely that the torcs were made by a goldsmith.

Figure 1.6: Two gold torcs from Cooltomin, Co. Limerick (outer) and Co. Clare (?). © NMI

The perceived absence in Ireland of stone tools which might relate to fine metalworking is probably related to a lack of study in this area rather than a lack of material evidence and also, perhaps, to the difficulty of dating uncontexted or unassociated finds which means that many possible contenders are ignored and neglected. A range of tools such as anvils or cushion stones, hammers, touchstones, burnishers and polishers might be expected to be found. Two Late Bronze Age hoards from Co. Offaly, Dowris and Lusmagh, contain small triangular blocks of sandstone (Eogan 1983, 295, 321 for illustrations) which might have been used as abrasives or burnishers as these would have been required for finishing objects in either bronze or gold. The Lusmagh hoard also contains bronze tools including an anvil which could have been used in fine metalworking.

Date

The date of the tin torcs from Kilsallagh can only be established by comparing the form of the torcs with similar material. Neither the torcs themselves, nor the associated pebbles can be dated independently. The only objects of closely similar type are the gold bar-twisted torcs described above. Therefore, the tin torcs can be dated to the Bishopsland phase of the Late Bronze Age c. 1200–1100 BC.

Conclusion

This unusual hoard of tin torcs and utilised pebbles was found deep in a bog at Kilsallagh, Co. Longford (OS 6″ sheet 20). The bog land in the townland of Kilsallagh straddles the borders of Cos. Longford and Westmeath. Another important prehistoric object was found in this bog, just metres inside the Co. Longford border c. 1977. This was a very fine Early Bronze Age dagger of Harbison’s Type Corkey (Harbison 1969, 8, 23) which was found at a depth of 3.6–4.3 m together with deer antler, wooden stakes and a small bun-shaped stone which has been used as a rubber (NMI 1999:107 and topographical file record; it was not possible to acquire the dagger when it was reported in 1991).The occurrence of the four pebbles which show clear signs of wear and which have traces of tin on their surfaces is strongly suggestive of metalworking in the immediate locality. Their eventual deposition in a deep bog where other important Bronze Age artefacts have also been discovered is surely significant.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my colleagues, Dr Paul Mullarkey and Dr Matthew Parkes, National Museum of Ireland, for their contributions and also, Dr Alison Sheridan for her advice and comments.

I hope Peter will find this Bronze Age interloper in a predominantly Mesolithic volume an acceptable offering for his festschrift given its essential lithic component!

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