TREASURE ANNU AL REPORT 2005/6 - Portable Antiquities Scheme

276. holt area, Norfolk:
Viking silver Thor’s hammer pendant (2005 T575)
Date: Late 9th–10th century
Discovery: Found by Mr J Blackburn while metaldetecting
in September 2005.
Description: An undecorated silver Thor’s hammer
pendant, the suspension loop missing and the ‘handle’
slightly bent. For discussion of such objects and
another example from this parish see Treasure Annual
Report 2003, no. 98. Extant height: 26mm;
weight 4.70g.
Disposition: Norwich Castle Museum.
A ROGERSON
277. Freshwater area, Isle of Wight: Anglo-saxon
gold suspension loop (2005 T408)
pAs ID: IoW-D3b8A5
Found by Mr T Winch while metal-detecting in
September 2005; disclaimed, and generously donated
by the finder and landowner to Isle of Wight
Museum Service.
F BASFORD & B AGER
(VIII) pINs
278. manton, North Lincolnshire: Anglo-saxon silver
disc-headed pin fragment (2005 T545)
Date: Late 8th century
Discovery: Found by Mr Beel while metal-detecting in
August 2005.
Description: A disc-shaped pinhead, the pin shaft
broken off but traces of its attachment are visible in
remnants of soldering. Gilded and incised decoration
consists of an equally-armed cross with expanding
terminals in a punched border and interlaced knots
in the arm-pits. When complete, the pin would have
been part of a linked pin set, as indicated by the
holes punched in the pinhead. We can assume that
the original hole (very close to the edge) was torn
and a second nearby added to substitute it. The third
hole might indicate reuse of the piece, perhaps as a
pendant. Diameter: 25mm; weight: 3.35g.
Surface analysis indicated a silver content of
approximately 83%.
Discussion: Sets of two or three linked pins were
fashionable in the late 8th century. The most
spectacular example is the linked triple pin set from the
river Witham, Lincolnshire (see Webster & Backhouse
1991, no. 184), but plainer pieces with cruciform
designs are also well known.
Disposition: North Lincolnshire Museum.
A GANNON
279. Farnborough area, Greater London:
Anglo-saxon silver-gilt dress fastener fragment
(2006 T330)
Date: Late 8th century
Discovery: Found by Mr M Chivington while metaldetecting
in March 2006.
Description: Just under half of a silver dress fastener,
gilt on the upper face. The shaft, bent and broken at the
tip, depends from a round plate, and is strengthened
by a rivet, which stands proud of the plate. The round
plate, circumscribed by a plain frame, is divided in
four fields by a cross, decorated with a simple ladder
pattern. The decoration on the two remaining fields
is chip-carved and zoomorphic, showing fantastic
birds/bipeds in a style typical of the time. Still visible on
the fragment are the remains of two circular piercings,
one at the end of the right-hand side arm of the cross
and one in the centre. This suggests that the fragment
may have been part of a linked pin set, with the lateral
hole(s) meant for attaching linking elements. Diameter:
2.8mm; weight: 2.00g.
Discussion: The best-known parallel is the spectacular
Witham triple pin set (Webster & Backhouse 1991,
no. 184), but a more modest example, also with torn
piercings is recorded in Treasure Annual Report 2000,
no. 55. Because the shaft is rather sharply bent, it is also
possible that the piece is a dress-hook, with the holes
described above provided for rivets to match the one
on the shaft in a cruciform pattern.
Disposition: Bromley Museum Service hopes
to acquire.
A GANNON
280. market Weighton area, East Riding of yorkshire:
Anglo-saxon silver pin (2006 T347)
Date: 7th–9th century
Discovery: Found by Mr R Whitaker while metaldetecting
in 2006.
Description: A silver pin, with a flattened globular head
on a double collar beneath the head. The shaft is now
bent sharply. Length: 70mm; diameter of head: 8mm;
weight: 4.4g.
Discussion: Similar pins can be matched in Leahy
(2000); see also Treasure Annual Report 2002, no. 47.
Pins are common Anglo-Saxon finds, remaining in
use over a long period of time.
Disposition: East Riding Museums Service.
A GANNON
281. hilborough, Norfolk: Anglo-saxon silver pin
fragment with biconical head (2006 T249)
pAs ID: TF83330125
Found by Mr K Matthews while metal-detecting in
April 2006; disclaimed, returned to finder.
S J ASHLEY
282. West Rudham, Norfolk: Anglo-saxon silver or
silver-plated pin fragment with lozengiform head
and incised cross (2006 T46) pAs ID: Nms-36EDD2
Found by Mr B Mears while metal-detecting in January
2006; disclaimed, returned to finder.
S J ASHLEY
(IX) pommELs
283. Lyminge, Kent: Anglo-saxon silver-gilt sword
pommel fragment (2006 T79)
Date: 6th century
Discovery: Found by Mr P Castle while metal-detecting
in October 2005.
Description: The fragment is from one end of the
side face of a sword pommel. It is decorated with a
trapezoidal panel containing a claw-like Style I motif
inside borders of nielloed black triangles. There are
also parts of a basal row of pellets and a second panel
of ornament. In the corner at the end is the head of
a small, dome-headed rivet. Length, 19mm; weight:
1.7g. Surface analysis indicated a silver content of
approximately 97%.
Discussion: The fragmentary nature of the pommel
makes certain identification difficult, but it is probably
an example of Menghin’s Bifrons-Gilton type, rather
than of his closely related Beckum-Vallstenarum type
(Menghin 1983, pp. 67 & 312–7, Maps 2–3). The
Bifrons-Gilton type occurs also sporadically in northern
France, south-west Germany and Scandinavia, and
dates as above.
Disposition: Maidstone Museum.
B AGER
284. West Wratting, Cambridgeshire:
Early Anglo-saxon silver sword pommel (2006 T51)
pAs ID: pAs-A642F3
Found by Mr L Eeles while metal-detecting in
September 2005; disclaimed, returned to finder.
B AGER
(X) sETTINGs
285. Thurnham, Kent: Anglo-saxon gold and
cloisonné garnet setting (2005 T74)
Date: Late 6th–early 7th century
Discovery: Found by Mr J Darvill while metal-detecting
in March 2005.
Description: A gold and cloisonné garnet setting from
the tongue plate of a high status buckle. The setting
is sub-rectangular with curved cutaways defining the
shoulders. It is made with a sheet gold back plate to
which is soldered a single strip of gold sheet set on
edge to form a frame for the cloisonné cell work. This
is inlaid with well-cut garnets over pointillé foil and
fills the panel with a design of two skilfully entwined
snakes. The spaces between the inlaid garnets are filled
with cells lidded with gold sheet. The back of the panel
is plain, showing that it was secured in place at the
base of the tongue with some form of adhesive.
Width: 14mm.
Discussion: The panel was originally part of a high
status buckle and would have been placed at the base
of the buckle tongue over the hinge through which the
loop was attached. Its shape implies that it belongs
to a rectangular rather than a triangular buckle. It
can be compared for example to a silver-gilt buckle
with garnet cloisonné inlay found at Gilton Ash, Kent
(Speake 1980, pl. 9g). The use of cloisonné interlace
is rare and is known from only a very few objects of
exceptional quality of early 7th century date. The style
of the interlace can be compared to a remarkable but
unprovenanced gold pyramidal scabbard mount which
is decorated on each face with a single ribbon bodied
zoomorph executed in cloisonné garnet inlay (Webster
& Backhouse 1991, p. 57). The pyramidal mount shares
other points of similarity with the Thurnham setting,
particularly in the use of lidded cells to fill the spaces
between the garnets.
Disposition: Maidstone Museum.
A C EVANS
286. hampshire / Thames area: Anglo-saxon or
ottonian gold and enamel roundel (2006 T242)
Date: Late 10th–11th century
Discovery: Found by Mr K Hollyfield while metaldetecting
between 1980 and the early 1990s, reported
by his son, Mr M Hollyfield.
Description: The roundel consists of a round gold tray
inlaid with cloisonné enamel, decorated with the right
Hand of God, the dextera Dei, descending in a gesture
of blessing or divine acknowledgment. The Hand is
in opaque white enamel, separated by an opaque
yellow cuff from the opaque blue cloud from which
it emerges. On either side of the Hand descend two
branched elements dividing into three sprigs, each
terminating in an opaque yellow disc. The background
is of translucent green enamel. The undecorated
underside has four larger and two smaller piercings, and
numerous scratches. Diameter: 11.5mm; weight 1.00g.
Discussion: This tiny setting clearly derives from a
larger object of some kind. The original iconographic
context would have been above a separate image,
probably of the crucified Christ, the dextera Dei
acknowledging Christ on the Cross as the Son of God.
Though the same gesture is also sometimes associated
with other divinely inspired activities, such as the
writing of the Gospels, or the birth of Christ, such
images are relatively rare compared with its association
with the Crucifixion. Although some similar roundels,
mostly with geometric or stylised plant decoration,
94 EARLY MEDIEVAL EARLY MEDIEVAL 95