The heads and runners, jets or waste pieces, from the castings were reserved for being re-melted, and are frequently found in the bronze-founders’ hoards. They are of course of various sizes, but are usually conical masses, showing the shape of the cup or funnel into which the metal was poured, and having one, two, or more processes from them showing the course of the metal into the mould.
Figs. 534, 535 and 536, all from the same hoard, found at Stogursey,[1732] Somersetshire, will give a fair idea of the general character of these waste pieces, or jets. They are shown with their flat face downwards, or in the reverse position to what they occupied when in the molten state, and exhibit one, two, and four runners from them respectively. No less than fifteen of these objects were found with this deposit—six with one runner, three with two, and six with four.
Jets of metal, for the most part with two runners, were found with the Westow hoard,[1733] Yorkshire, those of Marden,[1734] Kent; of Kensington;[1735] and of Hounslow. Those from the two latter deposits are in the British Museum.
Another waste piece, 1¾ inch long, with two runners, was found in the Heathery Burn Cave,[1736] and is shown in Fig. 537.
A very symmetrical jet, circular, with four irregularly conical runners proceeding from it, was in the hoard found at Lanant,[1737] Cornwall, and is now in the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries.
Another oval head (2 inches long), with four runners from it, has much the appearance of a sword pommel. It was found with socketed celts on Kenidjack Cliff,[1738] Cornwall.
Fig. 537.
Heathery Burn.
A perforated disc, with a collar round the central hole (Fig. 503), which at one time[1739] I regarded as a waste piece from a casting, I have now reason to think was prepared for some special purpose, as at least one object of this class has been found with the runners removed, and in a finished condition. See page 403.
The conical lump of metal found with the hoard at Marden,[1740] Kent, and described as “a very rare species of fibula,” may be the head of metal from a casting.