Anglo-Saxon/Viking Sword Pommel

This Early Medieval sword pommel recently discovered was an unexpected, yet welcome find whilst out on a cold winter day-all the more so as finds from this period of Glamorgan's history are extremely scare. The pommel, which is made of bronze and is hollow and curved at the base, has five lobes and appears to be of the Peterson L Type VI variety (Peterson 1919).  The pommel is of probable Viking/Anglo-Scandinavian origin, a hybrid of both Saxon and Viking styles, and dates from the ninth to eleventh century. It appears that the pommel also had a tinned or silvered surface as there is some evidence of this on the curved base.

                                                                    

         (The pommel)

The discovery of the pommel raises the question of how and why it ended up in a field in the middle of Glamorgan but also raises further questions relating to the wider context of such an item, especially given the ambiguous origins of the pommel. Did the sword to which it was attached belong to a native of Morgannwg or to a Viking? Either scenario is possible.

It is of course tempting to ascribe the loss of this artifact as the result of a skirmish between a Viking raiding party and the local inhabitants of Glamorgan although the circumstances of its loss were, probably, far less dramatic. 

Before the Norman conquest of Glamorgan during the late eleventh century, much of south Wales was a part of the larger ancient native Welsh kingdom of Morganwwg. The coastal tract of Morgannwg, the location of the present day Vale of Glamorgan appears to have been sparsely inhabited during this time and thus offered slim pickings compared with England for any Vikings after plunder. There were however a small number of known settlements throughout Early Medieval Glamorgan.

A small handful of religious sites such as those found at Llantwit Major, Llancarfan and Ewenny represented important early Christian centres of learning and worship. There are Early Medieval cemeteries at Llandough and the Bendricks near Barry which denote settlement and occupation, as well as the possible re-occupation of the Roman building at the Knap in Barry. There is also the possibility that Llysworney was the site of a Villa belonging to the kings of Morgannwg. Taken as a whole however, certainly when compared with England, the population of Glamorgan during the early medieval period must have been tiny.

                                    (Early Medieval memorial stone from Llantwit Major)

Finds from the Early Medieval period in Glamorgan are equally as scarce. Most of these finds consist of personal appendages such as finger rings, brooches, several strap ends, a number of Viking coins  and coins from the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England, a near complete Viking sword and of course our sword pommel, with the spatial distribution of the finds covering a wide area. One common denominator is that the early medieval/Viking finds hitherto recorded are not domestic items one would associate with a permanent dwelling or settlement, although these types of personal appendages aren't unknown from such contexts, but rather items that appear to be casual single losses, most likely lost while their erstwhile owners were travelling.  

A further search of the area where the sword pommel was found has sadly yielded no other finds from the early medieval period. It seems likely that this sword pommel represents a casual single loss rather than being associated with any type of occupation within the area. It is interesting however to note that the village is Llancarfan, which suffered a Viking raid during the middle of the tenth century, is not too far away. This event perhaps provides some sort of plausible context to explain the presence of such a find.

Mark and Jonathan Lambert are archaeology graduates of Cardiff University and are published authors. They have been writing about and researching local history for the past 20 years and have a wealth of knowledge. All articles are original compositions - we hope you enjoy our content. Enquiries: hiddenglamorgan@outlook.com

©Jonathan and Mark Lambert 2012

The right of Jonathan and Mark Lambert to be identified as Authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted, reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic means, including social media, or mechanical, or by any other means including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the authors.