Oxfordshire's Historic Archives

Historic Oxfordshire

Preserving and Enhancing Access to Historic Oxfordshire
Records of Archaeological Work held by the Ashmolean Museum

Site Name: Wallingford

Site Location: South-East Oxfordshire
Related Achive: Manning (and Leeds)


Percy Manning recorded a number of archaeological finds at Wallingford. The most prominant of these being a late Bronze Age hoard found in the River Thames just below Wallingford Bridge. The hoard included bronze axes, a chisel, a gouge, a razor, a knife, a spearhead and a leaf-shaped sword. The sword is now held by Reading Museum but the rest of the hoard is in the Ashmolean Museum (AN1927.207-2711). Another part of the hoard was in the collection of Rev. J.C. Clutterbuck and given to the Ashmolean Museum in 1908 (AN 1896-1908 PR372-375).

The finds documented in the Manning archive include:

  • a bronze axe found in around 1840 in Kinecroft,
  • a Bronze Age cremation burial containing an urn with burnt bones, found in the floor of a stable at the back of a building on the High Street,
  • a Roman vessel found containing a number of Roman coins found in Chalmore Gardens,
  • a Roman eagle and spearheads found in the River Thames at Wallingford,
  • a late ninth century Danish sword hilt decorated with engraved silver mounts found in 1874 (AN1890.14) and
  • a small urn recovered in 1879 from a field at Rush Court, a mile outside of Wallingford.

Percy Manning also mentions a number of Anglo-Saxon axe and spearheads found in the River Thames at Wallingford.

An early Anglo-Saxon cemetery was also excavated at Wallingford from 1924 to 1938 containing at least 24 burials and 6 cremations. (Find out more about this cemetery)


References:

J Evans (1881) The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland, pp128, 167, 219 & 457

E.T. Leeds (1938) "An Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Wallingford, Berkshire", Berkshire Archaeological Journal, 42, pp 93-101

Aerial Photographs

Click on picture to see a larger image
Aerial photograph of River Thames at Wallingford
River Thames south of Wallingford taken by Major Allen on 27 August 1939 (Ref Album 19,47)

Object Photographs

Bronze Palstave (AN1896-1908 PR372)
Bronze palstave found in the River Thames (AN1896-1908 PR372)
Bronze spearhead (AN1896-1908 PR 373)
Bronze spearhead found in the River Thames (AN1896-1908 PR373)
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