Lead Sling-Shot from Windridge Farm, St Albans and the Use of the Sling by the Roman Army in Britain

Abstract

Windridge Farm lies approximately three-quarters of a mile to the south east of the Roman town of Verulamium (FIG. I) and about 400 yards from the eastern edge of Prae Wood. The finds of lead which form the subject of this paper were recovered over a number of years by several individuals with metal detectors and it is no longer possible to identify precisely and with confidence their exact find-spots. Certainly their distribution is fairly localised, the principal area of their recovery being centred on TL 124060. Sixty four lead objects have been recorded from the area and at least 50 more are thought to have been recovered. Thirty-seven are now in the possession of the Verulamium Museum (Accession Numbers SABMS 79.2960; 82.571–2; 84.1–25, 644–5, 1421–6,1435). The finders reported that the lead objects were found in small groups rather than individually, though no large hoards have been discovered. Although the area was field-walked by the local archaeological society, no further lead finds were recorded.