Granta Fen Torc

Description

A long, gold, bar-twisted torc with outward curved U terminals. The terminals are wider at the end and taper in at the neck. This torc was found with a cache of other objects of gold and bronze in 1850 in a bog at Granta Fen, Cambridgeshire, UK.

Object data

Accession number

HCA 419

Date made

2nd millennium BC

Materials

Metal; Gold

Collection

Dimensions (cm)

Archival information

File of material relating to a gold bar torc. Includes an object description sheet which includes sketch of object (date unspecified); photocopy of photograph of object (date unspecified); transcription of text of label which described object in foundation building display (c. 1996). States that torc was found in 1850 in England, and was acquired by the Earl of Londesborough. Later transferred to the Pitt Rivers Museum before later being sold to John Hunt, Senior; photocopy of paper by George Eogan entitled 'The Associated Finds of Gold Bar Torcs' published in 'The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland' (Volume 97, Part 2, 1967). He explains that find place is said to be Granta Fen, Stretham, Cambridgeshire, but actual find place may be Grunty Fen; photocopy of extract from paper by Patrick F. Doran entitled 'The Hunt Museum' and published in the 'North Munster Antiquarian Journal' (Studia in Memoriam John Hunt), Volume XX (c. 1978). Describes present object.

Place of collection

Culture

Copyright Attribution

Granta Fen Torc | Metal,Gold | 2nd millennium BC | The Hunt Collection | PD

Provenance

Priority rating: 2a
Associated literature: Alison Petch. 'Man as he was and Man as he is'. Journal of the History of Collections. Vol. 10, no. 1,1998. M. Thompson &C. Renfrew.'Catalogues of the Pitt Rivers Museum, Farnham, Dorset.' Antiquity, 73, 1999.Pitt Rivers catalogues, Vol.2, p. 17. George Eogan. 'The Associated Finds of Gold Bar Torcs'. Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. Vol. 97, part 2, 1967.
Current owner: Hunt Museums Trust. Limerick. Acquired on 05 June 1976.
Previous owner 1: Mr and Mrs John and Gertrude Hunt (1900-1976;1903-1995) Owner Co. Dublin Ireland Purchase Acquistion start date: unknown.
Previous owner 2: Captain George Pitt Rivers (1890- 1966) Owner Farnham, Dorset By descent Acquistion start date: 1927.
Previous owner 3: Mr Alexander Pitt Rivers (1855-1927) Owner Farnham, Dorset UK By descent Acquistion start date: 1900. Acquistion end date: 1927.
Previous owner 4: Lieut. General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (1827-1900) Owner Farnham, Dorset UK Purchase Acquistion start date: 8 May 1884. Acquistion end date: 1900.
Previous owner 5: Albert Denison (Lord Londesborough) Christie's (1805-1860) Auction house Owner London Yorkshire UK UK Purchase Acquistion start date: c. 1850. Acquistion end date: 8 May 1884 8 May 1884.
Previous owner 6: Baron The torc was found in a bog at Granta Fen, Cambridgeshire in 1850 and purchased by Lord Londesborough.

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