Tyne and Wear HER(4612): South Shields, Frenchman's Bay, stone ball - Details
4612
S Tyneside
South Shields, Frenchman's Bay, stone ball
South Shields
NZ36NE
Armour and Weapons
Weapon
Ballista Ball
Medieval
C16
Find
A stone ball was found by a National Trust Warden in 1993 while digging holes to reset the cliff top at Frenchman's Bay. The ball was inspected by Tyne and Wear Museums personnel and found to be man-made, fashioned from lava, probably from the Eiffel district. It weighed 11 ounces and had a diameter of 2.5 inches, making it suitable for a small calibre gun. Stone balls of this type were used during the period 1500 – 1600 A.D, the time of the Spanish Armada. The item donated to Tyne and Wear Museums.
388
664
NZ388664
<< HER 4612 >> Pers. Comm. C. Hart, 1993, Arbeia Roman Fort
Pers. Comm. P. Collins, 1993, The National Trust