Appeal
Stalbridge Middle Bronze Age Hoard Appeal
November 2, 2023
UPDATE: We’re delighted that we have now reached our funding target for this item.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this appeal. There will be more news on this important acquisition in due course.
Dorset Museum and Art Gallery is hoping to acquire a highly unusual and important group of bronze objects dating to the Middle Bronze Age.
It consists of a palstave axe head, an uncommon bangle with incised decoration and a rapier sword which were found at Stalbridge. The rapier is very unusual indeed. Not only was it apparently deliberately broken in three pieces and buried, but the hilt is shaped to mimic a wooden handle. Only two remotely similar (and incomplete) examples could be identified in Britain. It does however have some similarities with the solid-cast hilts of Nordic rapiers from Scandinavia. What’s it doing in Dorset in the 13th century BCE? Again, this hoard has huge potential for display, but also future research which will enable us to continue to flesh out the story of our Dorset forebears. The Stalbridge rapier hoard has been valued at £17,000.
We are seeking support from several trusts who have generously helped us in the past, but we will still need to raise a very substantial amount of this money locally. We will also need to find additional funds to put the Stalbridge hoard on display, and we need to consider future conservation costs.
You can find out more about the hoard on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database.
Find out moreWhat's on
3 February - 30 May 2024
John Brown in Dorchester: Rebuilding a Life after slavery
Discover the little-known story of John Brown, in this new showcase display outside the Collections Discovery Centre.
Find out more11 May 2024, 10:00am - 12:00noon
Roman Town House Tour
Join our trained guides through the history of the Roman Town House site and and the precious artifacts recovered and now on display at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery.
Find out more16 May 2024, 10:00am- 10:30am
Storytime at the Museum
Come and join us for fun-filled Storytime where you can listen to some amazing tales in our Community Space at the Museum.
Find out more16 May 2024, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Paul Nash in Dorset | Professor Paul Gough
This richly illustrated lecture explores over 80 Paul Nash artworks created from the mid-1930s until his death in 1946. They range from ancient places such as Maiden Castle and Badbury Rings to the limestone promontories and fossilised forests on the Purbeck coast.
Find out more22 May 2024, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Collections Discovery Centre Tour
Join our Collections Team for an opportunity to explore behind the scenes in the Museum’s Collections Discovery Centre.
Find out more22 May 2024, 7:30pm
25 May 2024, 10:00am - 12:00noon
Roman Town House Tour
Join our trained guides through the history of the Roman Town House site and and the precious artifacts recovered and now on display at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery.
Find out more30 May 2024, 10:00am - 12:00noon
May Customs and Ooser Mask Making
Our themed event will delve into the customs and traditions surrounding the merry month of May, learn about the famous horned Ooser mask displayed in the museum, and have a go at making one.
Find out more6 June 2024, 10:00am- 10:30am
Storytime at the Museum
Come and join us for fun-filled Storytime where you can listen to some amazing tales in our Community Space at the Museum.
Find out more