The sword in the floor

News from Buckingham:

A full-length sword blade that could date back to the late 18th century has been found at Stowe Landscape Gardens.

Building contractors made the find while working on the Corinthian Arch. It was underneath the floorboards of one of the attic rooms. . .

Project archaeologist Sarah Connor said the likely explanation was that the sword belonged to someone in the Bucks Yeomanry who lived in the arch, especially since drill camps were held in the park in front of the arch during the 19th century. . .

It is believed all of the items [the sword blade, a bone-handled whittling knife, a small woodworking auger . . . and several pieces of upholstery] were placed in the loft of the arch at the same time, but it is difficult to know why. One possibility is the items were put there when the arch was being built to ensure good luck for the building and all its residents.

Interesting that there is still some resistance to identifying ritual deposits. In this case, the "one possibility" indeed sounds the most likely.

Posted by David on March 19, 2004 1:12 PM