——— Fig. 417.—Blakehope. ½ ————— Fig. 418.—Whittingham. ¼
Some Italian spear-heads have two circular holes in the blade, but nearer the base.
In the spear-head shown in Fig. 417 there is no trace of a rivet-hole in the socket, the end of which, however, is broken, and the two oval orifices in the blade are placed one somewhat below the other. This specimen is in Canon Greenwell’s collection, and was found at Blakehope, Northumberland.
Fig. 419.—Winmarleigh. ¼
The more truly characteristic spear-heads of this class have two crescent-shaped or lunate openings, one on each side of the midrib containing the socket, which thus is made, as it were, to reappear in the middle of the blade. There is usually a rivet-hole in the projecting part of the socket below the blade, so that these openings must be regarded as ornamental, or else as intended to diminish the weight of the weapon.
The original of Fig. 418 was found about 1847, near Whittingham, Northumberland,[1283] in company with some other spear-heads and two swords, and is now in the possession of Lord Ravensworth. The surface of the blade is ornamented by being worked into steps or terraces, and the socket by bands of parallel lines.
A rather longer specimen was found, together with a plain leaf-shaped spear-head and five socketed celts, at Winmarleigh, near Garstang, Lancashire.[1284] By the kindness of the curators of the Warrington Museum I am enabled to give it as Fig. 419. It is 19½ inches long. There are small ridges by the side of the midrib and round the margin of the openings.
Another like it, but only 15¼ inches long, was found with a socketed celt near Middleham, Yorkshire.
Some fragments of spear-heads of this character were found with other bronze antiquities in Duddingston Loch, Edinburgh.[1285]