Drought Reveals 200-Year-Old Sword in Chiddingstone Castle Lake as 71.3% of England Enters Drought
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
Drought Reveals 200-Year-Old Sword in Chiddingstone Castle Lake as 71.3% of England Enters Drought
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
Summary
A 200-year-old sword was pulled from Chiddingstone Castle's lake last Thursday after volunteers clearing fallen branches spotted its blade protruding from the lowered waterline.
Hot, dry weather had driven the lake level down sharply, exposing the weapon; curator Naomi Collick said it may be an early-1800s Victorian bandsman's sword.
The curved blade is chipped and rusted, and its gilded or brass hilt—topped with a lion and nose ring—is now too delicate to handle safely.
How it reached the lake remains unclear: Collick said it could date from the Streatfeild family in the 1800s, collector Denys Eyre Bower's era, or troops stationed there in World War Two.
The find comes as drought deepens across England: 71.3% of the country is now in drought, affecting 45 million people, after the driest July since records began in 1836.