A pair of late Iron Age spoons discovered in 1861 at a spot just west of Plas-newydd Romano-British temple cropmark (DE289). Copies retained in the National Museum Wales I (Accession No. 21.290/1). Their discovery described by Albert Way (1869; 1870), thus;

`A pair found in 1861 at a spot somewhat south of Ffynogion, in the parish of Llanfair, Denbighshire among sand thrown up in the construction of the railway between Denbigh and Corwen. They were noticed by Mr Hugh Jones of Cae-Groes, Ruthin, as he walked along the cutting; and when found were firmly attached, face to face, by the incrustation of aerugo on the metal, so that it proved difficult to separate them. Unfortunately the precise depth of the spot where they had lain could not be ascertained; the workman, in throwing up the sand, had not noticed them; they may have remained for some time, until found by Mr Jones; the soil appears to have been washed away by rain which fell about that time, and exposed them, so that they attracted his attention, slightly projecting above the rubbish.

At the margin of one of them there is a fracture that had at first been supposed to be an accidental injury. On more careful examination, however, it appears that this, as in other examples, is the small perforation before noticed, made in or very near the edge. The two objects appear to form a pair, of which one only is thus perforated. It is believed, as stated by Mr Barnwell, that they are castings from the same mould. The metal is described as a bronze containing an unusual proportion of copper, as indicated by the colour. They are encrusted with a green oxide, which is merely superficial, and may scarcely be called a patina, such as occurs upon coins.

Upon one of them lines are engraved transversely, forming a plain cross somewhat rudely cut, and not formed in the mould.. The dimensions are as follow: length 3ins. [7.62 cms]; diameter of the handle 1 ? in. [4.44 cms]; of the bowl 2 ? ins. [6.35 cms]. These relics ? especially interesting as forming, doubtless, a pair, having been found together ? were given by Mr Jones to Mr Barnwell, at that time resident in Ruthin, and presented by him, in 1863, to the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. They are now to be seen in Edinburgh.

The relics found in Denbighshire have recently received? special examination by Mr Stuart? [who] stated his opinion that the Llanvair specimens had been cast. The ornament on the handle along appears to have been stamped or hammered up from the back, which is hollow, and may not have been reproduced from the mould. There is no engraved line in any part, with the exception of the cross-lines in the bowl of one of the spoons (Way 1870, 203-5).

Albert Way, Arch Camb 1870, III, 200-234

T. Driver, RCAHMW, 2019

References:

Way, A. 1869. Notices of certain bronze relics, of a peculiar type, assigned to the late Celtic period. Archaeological Journal 26. 52-83.

Way, A. 1870. Notices of certain bronze relics, of a peculiar type, assigned to the late Celtic period. Archaeologia Cambrensis, 199-234.