A sword believed to be around 200 years old has been discovered protruding from a lake at Chiddingstone Castle after hot, dry weather caused water levels to fall dramatically.
The weapon was uncovered last Thursday while volunteers were clearing fallen branches from the edge of the lake.
As the branches were removed, the team spotted a blade sticking out of the water. The sword was subsequently recovered and is now being examined to determine its age and origins.
Chiddingstone Castle curator Naomi Collick said the weapon could be a Victorian bandsman’s sword dating from the early 19th century.
The sword has a curved, chipped and heavily rusted blade, while its gilded hilt — possibly made from brass — features a lion with a ring through its nose. Its condition is now so fragile that it is considered too delicate to handle normally.
“Our volunteer team were out here clearing some fallen branches around the edge of the lake, where the waterline has gone down quite significantly, and they spotted a blade poking out of the water,” Collick said.
“And when they pulled it out they realised that it was a sword, which is such an incredible discovery and potentially may have been in the lake for a very long time.”
Exactly how the sword ended up in the lake remains a mystery, with several possible explanations now being considered.
The castle’s last private owner, Denys Eyre Bower, was known to have collected swords, although the lake itself dates from the 19th century.
“It could have been any time from the 1800s onwards,” Collick said. “It could have been, for example, troops who were stationed here during World War Two.
“It could have been the Streatfeild family who originally lived here in the 1800s, so there’s plenty of different theories to try and investigate further.”
The discovery comes as prolonged hot and dry conditions have caused water levels to fall across southern England.
Kent and East Sussex have entered drought status alongside Surrey and West Sussex, following an exceptionally dry summer. England also recorded its driest July since records began in 1836.
National Drought Group chairman Tony Grayling said the drought would continue to worsen until there was “significant and sustained rainfall”.
For staff at Chiddingstone Castle, however, the receding water has revealed an unexpected piece of history — and an archaeological mystery that could stretch back two centuries.
Header Image Credit : Chiddingstone Castle
Sources : BBC
