The Layton Collection

THE THOMAS LAYTON TRUST & LAYTON'S COLLECTION

Bronze Age axehead

Flat bronze axe head of the Early Bronze Age (1800BC – 1600BC).

It has a thin butt, with a hint of flanges. There is a decorative ‘rain’ pattern on the blade and a lozenge pattern on the sides. It may have been manufactured in Ireland. Like many of the early objects in Layton’s collection, it was found in the Thames, from Mortlake, which is probably where it was brought ashore.

Dimensions: L 155 mm; W 81 mm; T 9 mm

The Collection

Thomas Layton collected books, coins, and archaeological items (usually described as ‘antiquities’) for 70 years. In that time he had accumulated what has been described as “probably the largest collection of London antiquities ever amassed by a single individual”.

The vast majority of items are believed to have been bought at auctions. Some came to him from his men working on the river. His businesses provided opportunities for finds from dredging, building of bridges and embankments along the banks of the Thames, for which Layton paid good money. Even by the standards of the day Layton kept poor records of where items were found. Despite this, the collection is considered highly important particularly to archaeologists and pre-historians.