Find Spot record MDO47642 - Mace head found at, Winterbourne Steepleton

Quartzite pebble macehead found at Winterbourne Steepleton (SY6289). Now in Dorchester Museum. <1>

The macehead above is not mentioned in Authy 2, but a similar find is recorded therein from Winterbourne St Martin and there may have been some confusion between the two especially as the latter is quoted as also being in the Dorset County Museum. The only macehead on show in the Dorset County Museum from either of these areas is a heavily ground perforated hammerhead, of dark brown appearance, Accn No 0.9.1 which probably applies. <2>

A hammerhead of quartzsite with hour glass perforation, found on the glebeland of Steepleton, and belonged to the Rev W F Cornish at whose death it was purchased by the Dorset County Museum. No information was obtained upon this site during field investigation. The Rector's wife could only supply the fact that there is now no glebeland in Winterborne Steepleton. <3>

Tithe maps and the tithe apportionment were examined but the glebe land was not listed. It appeared from an examination of the documents that the glebe may have existed as isolated acres in various fields. <5>

Mesolithic pebble macehead with hour glass perforation from Winterbourne Steepleton is in Dorset County Museum. (No macehead from Winterbourne St Martin listed). <6>

<1> 1951, The Archaeological Newsletter 4 No 4, November - December 1951 (Serial). SDO20416.

<2> Prehistoric Society, 1951, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 17, 14 (Serial). SDO17614.

<3> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 18-MAR-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<3.1> Dorset County Museum, Dorset County Museum Accessions Book, June 8th 1917 (Unpublished document). SWX1315.

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F2 NVQ 31-MAR-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F3 JR 04-APR-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<6> Wymer, J J, and Bonsall, C, 1977, Gazetteer of Mesolithic sites in England and Wales, with a gazetteer of Upper Palaeolithic sites in England and Wales, 77 (Monograph). SWX2026.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452261 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 31 2023 3:16PM