Details

LOT 0010

Bronze Age British Group I Dirk

1500-1100 BC

9 1/4" (128 grams, 23.5cm).

A cast ogival-shaped dirk with three ribs outlined with grooves, rounded butt with two plug rivets and lateral notches for two more. [No Reserve]

Provenance

Ex Sir Richard Ground (1949-2014) Collection, Derbyshire, UK; acquired privately, 2013; reportedly found River Thames, Sonning, Berkshire, UK, 1955.

Literature

Cf. Evans, J. The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland, London, 1881, item 290; Burgess, C. & Gerloff, S. The Dirks and Rapiers of Great Britain and Ireland, Prähistorische Bronzefunde, vol.4, 1981, items 858-65.

Footnotes

Sir Richard Ground notes that the hafting of the dirk is unusual for Group I and 'it may best be regarded as an evolved form combining features from Group I with those of Group II weapons of type Taplow. This would be consistent with its Thames find spot. Whatever the case, it stands right at the start of the British rapier tradition.' Each piece from the collection is accompanied by Sir Richard's personal illustrated catalogue sheets which describe the piece fully, give details and circumstances of his acquisition, academic references and general notes.

The eminent lawyer Sir Richard Ground, OBE (1949 - 2014), a graduate of Lincoln College Oxford, was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1975. After a period spent specialising in media law, he was, in 1983, appointed Crown Counsel in the Cayman Islands, a position which he held until 1987 when he assumed the role of Attorney General. He served as Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 1998 to 2004, and then as Chief Justice of Bermuda until his retirement in 2012. Highly regarded in legal circles for his decisiveness and impeccable integrity, he was awarded the OBE in 1991 in recognition of his services to the Cayman Islands, and was made a Knight Bachelor in 2012 for services to justice in Bermuda. He had a passion for the natural world and worked alongside his wife, fellow lawyer Lady Ground, to found the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, as well as publishing several volumes of wildlife photography.

Sir Richard was a keen and knowledgable collector of both coins and ancient weaponry. His collection of Roman, Byzantine, English, and European coins fetched exceptional prices when sold by Spink in September 2014. It is with pride that we are able to offer his collection of Bronze Age weaponry for auction.

CONDITION