Fig. 203.
Carlton Rode. ½
Gouges.
Closely allied to chisels are gouges, in which, the edge, instead of being straight, is curved or hollowed, so that it is adapted for working out rounded or oval holes. In some languages, indeed, the name by which these tools are known is that of “hollow chisels.” It is an early form of instrument, and a few specimens made of flint have been found in this country, though they are here extremely rare, while, on the contrary, they are very abundant in Denmark and the South of Sweden. In the Scandinavian countries, however, bronze gouges are never found; and though gouges of stone were not unknown in this country during its Stone Period, their successors in bronze do not appear to belong to the early part of the Bronze Period, but, on the contrary, seem to be characteristic of its later phases.
Of bronze gouges there are the same two varieties as of the ordinary chisel, viz. the tanged and the socketed, of which the former is far rarer than the latter. Indeed the only tanged gouge from Britain with which I am acquainted is that from the Carlton Rode[603] hoard, already so often mentioned, which is shown in Fig. 203. The original is in the Norwich Museum, the trustees of which kindly allowed me to engrave it. As will be seen, it is of remarkably narrow form, especially as contrasted with the socketed gouge from the same hoard shown in Fig. 207. There was a broken tanged gouge in the great hoard of bronze objects found at Bologna.
Of English socketed gouges the most common form is that shown in Fig. 204, from an original in the British Museum, which was found with a spear-head (Fig. 391), socketed knife (Fig. 240), hammer (Fig. 210), awl (Fig. 224), and two socketed celts, at Thorndon,[604] in Suffolk. There were six gouges of the same character, but of different sizes, in the hoard found at Westow,[605] Yorkshire, some of which have been figured. Another (3½ inches) found with socketed celts and some curious ornaments under a large stone at Roseberry Topping,[606] in Cleveland, has also been figured. Another was found with socketed celts and spear-heads at Exning,[607] in Suffolk. The cutting end of another was associated with socketed celts in the hoard discovered at Martlesham in the same county. Part of another was discovered, with a socketed celt, fragments of blades, and rough copper, at Melbourn,[608] Cambridgeshire. Another was found, with socketed celts, spear-heads, and an armlet, within the encampment on Beacon Hill,[609] Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire. Another, with socketed celts, spear-heads, &c., at Ebnall,[610] near Oswestry; and another (2½ inches), with socketed celts, fragments of knives, a button or stud, and lumps of metal, at Kensington.[611] This hoard is in the British Museum.
| Fig. 204. Thorndon. ½ | Fig. 205. Harty. ½ |
A gouge was found with four socketed celts and about 30 lbs. of rough copper in an urn at Sittingbourne,[612] Kent. A plain gouge formed part of the hoard found at Stanhope,[613] Durham. A remarkably fine gouge, 4¼ inches long and nearly 1¼ inch wide at the edge, was found, with spear-heads, socketed celts, part of a celt mould, and lumps of metal, at Beddington,[614] Surrey. At Porkington,[615] Shropshire, a gouge accompanied the tanged chisel lately mentioned. In the hoard found at Guilsfield,[616] Montgomeryshire, there were two gouges in company with looped palstaves, socketed celts, &c. In my own collection are three socketed gouges, about 3½ inches long, which form part of the hoard from Reach Fen, Cambridgeshire, in which were socketed celts, socketed and tanged knives, and numerous other objects. In some of the instances cited, as at Guilsfield and Ebnall, the upper part of the socket is beaded instead of plain. One of this kind from the Harty hoard already mentioned is shown in Fig. 205. There were two such in the hoard, which comprised numerous socketed celts and the moulds for them, and various tools of the bronze-founder. There were also the two halves of a bronze mould for such gouges which will subsequently be described. In the Museum of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society is a gouge from Bottisham Lode (3 inches) with a slight shoulder about ½ inch from the top of the blade, the upper part of the neck being larger than the lower. One of three found in the Heathery Burn Cave (2¾ inches) is also shouldered. Of the other two (3⅜ inches and 3¼ inches) one is very slightly shouldered. They are in the collection of Canon Greenwell, F.R.S., as is also a plain example (3¾ inches) from Scothorn, Lincolnshire.
In the British Museum are the unfinished castings for two gouges, one 2¾ inches long and fully ½ inch wide, and the other 3 inches long and ⅜ inch wide at the edge, which in both is but slightly hollowed. They were found with a socketed celt (Fig. 146) near Blandford, Dorset. The longer one is of very white and hard bronze.