fcambridgeshirearchaeology Late Saxon to Post-medieval Manorial ...

Appendix 2: The Metal Objects
by Nina Crummy
1 Summary
Nine objects were examined. Few were diagnostic of date, with those
that were ranging from ?Saxon to post-medieval or modern.
2 Condition
The copper-alloy and lead objects are in good condition and quite
lightly corroded. Most of the ironwork is more heavily corroded, but the
metal seems generally well preserved and will probably produce clear
images when X-radiographed.
The objects are packed to a high standard of storage in polythene
bags supported by pads of foam. The bags are stored in larger crystal
boxes or airtight Stewart boxes with silica gel.
3 Assemblage
The objects are briefly listed in the catalogue (Table 3). Each has
been assigned to one of the functional categories defined in Crummy
1983 and 1988 and the results are shown in the Table 2. Categories
represented in this assemblage are: 1..dress accessories; 8..transport;
10..tools; 11..general fittings; 13..military equipment; and
18..miscellaneous.
Material 1 8 10 11 13 18
copper-alloy 1 - - - - -
lead - - - - 1 -
iron - 1 1 3 - 2
Totals 1 1 1 3 1 2
Table 2: artefacts by metal type
The assemblage conforms to a general pattern in which fittings and
miscellaneous pieces predominate. The remaining categories are each
represented by only one object, and the assemblage therefore has no
individual defining characteristics.
The earliest object is a small knife with offset tang similar to examples
from 10th to 11th century contexts at York and at the Manor of Goltho,
Lincolnshire, and from a late 12th century context at London (Ottaway
1992, fig. 234, 2934; Goodall 1987, fig. 157, 36; Cowgill et al. 1987, fig.
54, 3). The other objects than can be reasonably closely dated are a
copper-alloy buckle and a piece of lead shot, both of which belong to
the late medieval or early post-medieval period. The shot has here
been placed in the category for military equipment, but it might equally
well have been used for hunting. A horseshoe fragment may also be
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CCC AFU Report No. 895