TREASURE ANNU AL REPORT 2005/6 - Portable Antiquities Scheme

804. Denmead, hampshire:
post-medieval silver seal matrix (2006 T240)
Date: 17th century
Discovery: Found by Mr A Spadaccini while metaldetecting
in April 2006.
Description: An oval seal matrix, the back faceted
and banded around the handle, terminating in a large
pierced knop with an S-shaped element threaded
through for suspension. The face depicts a coat of arms
with three raised lateral bands, the uppermost with
three striding birds, possibly cockerels; the middle band
with one pentagonal element. The owner’s initials EBH
are engraved on the fluted area.
Length: 23mm.
Disposition: Winchester Museums Service.
D THORNTON
805. bayston hill, shropshire: post-medieval silver
seal matrix (2006 T599)
Date: Early 17th century
Discovery: Found by Mr P Jones while metal-detecting
in October 2006.
Description: A silver fob seal, the handle pierced for
attachment to fob chain, comprising a double-sided
seal swivelling within a frame. One side depicts arms
with two plain bands and a central band with three
fleur-de-lis; on the other side are the initials PS with
three flower stems between the letters. The form of the
seal and the lettering suggest the above date.
Disposition: Shrewsbury Museums Service.
D THORNTON
806. honeybourne, Worcestershire: post-medieval
silver seal matrix fragment (2005 T16)
Date: Probably late 17th century
Discovery: Found by Mr N Barlow while metaldetecting
in December 2004.
Description: A small silver personal seal matrix, the
handle missing, the face engraved with a coat of arms
and crest with bird and helmet, surrounded by foliate
ornament. For a seal-die of similar form and date, see
Tonnochy (1928), no. 438.
Disposition: Worcestershire County Museum Service.
J A RUDOE
807. highnam, Gloucestershire:
post-medieval silver seal matrix (2005 T512)
Date: Second half of 17th–early 18th century
Discovery: Found by Ms K Hurcombe while metaldetecting
in August 2005.
Description: This small silver personal seal-die is
engraved with a pelican in its piety. The handle is in
the form of a quatrefoil with additional loop at the
top. The pelican in its piety was a popular motif in the
17th century, but the handle is an atypical form which
makes it difficult to date.
Disposition: Gloucester City Museum.
J A RUDOE
808. Flixton, suffolk: 16th–17th-century silver seal
matrix with lion rampant (2005 T152)
pAs ID: pAs-8E5DD7
Found by Mrs F Crickmore while metal-detecting in
March 2005; disclaimed, returned to finder.
S J ASHLEY
809. Great Notley, Essex: 16th–early-18th-century
silver seal matrix with galleon (2005 T2)
pAs ID: Ess-826ED3
Found by Mr P Mullinger while metal-detecting in
September 2004; disclaimed, returned to finder.
C McDONALD
810. barling magna, Essex: 17th-century incomplete
silver seal matrix with galleon (2005 T531)
pAs ID: Ess-ED25b6
Found by Mrs J Bradley while metal-detecting in August
2005; disclaimed, returned to finder.
C McDONALD
811. East of Colchester, Essex: 17th-century silver
mount or seal matrix with heart and crown
(2005 T491) pAs ID: pAs-8E6b26
Found by Mr S Stone while metal-detecting in
November 2005; disclaimed, returned to finder.
C McDONALD
812. West haddon, Northamptonshire:
17th-century oval silver seal matrix with standing
archer (2006 T454) pAs ID: NARC-776551
Found by Mrs S Johnston while metal-detecting in
September 2006; disclaimed, returned to finder.
J P ROBINSON
813. barsham, suffolk: 17th-century silver seal
matrix inscribed ‘CC’ with phoenix rising from the
flames (2006 T508) pAs ID: pAs-8E7bD0
Found by Mr D Barnard while metal-detecting in 2004;
disclaimed, returned to finder.
S J ASHLEY
814. stuston, suffolk: 17th-century silver revolving
fob seal matrix with pierced heart and eagle
(2005 T232) pAs ID: sF-97F7b6
Found by Mr J Scopes while metal-detecting in June
2005; disclaimed, returned to finder.
F MINTER
815. Wymondham, Norfolk: 17th–early-18thcentury
silver seal matrix with griffin rampant
(2006 T538) pAs ID: Nms-4bE5b6
Found by Dr A Marsden while metal-detecting in
October 2006; disclaimed, returned to finder.
S J ASHLEY
160 POST-MEDIEVAL POST-MEDIEVAL 161
(XI) spooNs
816. billingshurst area, West sussex:
post-medieval silver spoon fragment (2006 T123)
Date: 15th century
Discovery: Found by Mr G Patterson while metaldetecting
in November 2005.
Description: A fragment of thin and worn spoon, the
thin hexagonally-faceted stem bent back upon itself,
with a diamond point knop and torn fig-shaped bowl.
If the piece was marked on the bowl in the usual place,
no trace of it can now be discerned. Weight: 12.67g.
Discussion: Diamond points are almost unknown in
the 16th century, and this detail, plus the section of the
stem and form of the bowl, suggests the above date,
possibly pre-1478 when the stem on spoons of this
type shortened and the bowl became pear-shaped. See
How & How (1953), I, plate 10 for pre-1478 types and
a diamond point spoon of 1498.
Disposition: Horsham Museum.
D THORNTON
817. highnam, Gloucestershire:
post-medieval silver-gilt spoon finial (2005 T516)
Date: Late 16th–early 17th century
Discovery: Found by Mr M Crawford while metaldetecting
in August 2005.
Description: A silver-gilt spoon finial in the form of a
lion sejant affronté, chased and heavily gilded, hollowed
out between the lion’s front and back legs. The lion
sits on a hexagonal capital, slightly corroded, with
mouldings; broken off at stem of spoon.
Length: approx 2.7cm.
Discussion: This finial comes from a lion sejant spoon,
a 16th-century type made in London until about
1600, probably distantly derived from a heraldic lion
used as a crest by particular noble families in the late
Medieval period. See Snodin (1974), p. 21, pl. 5 for an
example of this type marked for London, 1534. The
findspot of this piece, and the fact that it is crudely
cast but heavily chased, suggests that it is of local West
Country origin, since, as Snodin points out, lion sejant
spoons continued to be made there into the early 17th
century, often using worn moulds as here.
Disposition: Gloucester City Museum had hoped to
acquire but withdrew, returned to finder.
D THORNTON
818. Littlehempston, Devon:
post-medieval silver spoon (2006 T420)
Date: Late 1630s
Discovery: Found by Mr S Hunt while metal-detecting
in July 2006.
Description: A silver spoon with a slip-top hexagonal
stem bearing the makers mark TP in shaped shield
(dating to 1639–40) with lion rampant; and the date
letter ‘V’ (=1637–8). It is possible that the maker’s
mark is referring to Thomas Palmer, a known London
goldsmith, first mentioned in 1630 (Jackson 1949).
The fig-shaped bowl bears the hallmark of a crowned
leopard’s head (London), and on the reverse the barely
legible initials B W I, made up of punched dots. One
side of the bowl appears to be worn from right-handed
use (see Egan 2005, p. 110 for further examples of
this phenomenon). Stem length: 100mm; bowl width:
64mm.
Discussion: The convention of placing the surname
(the B) above the initials of the husband and wife
was often used throughout the post Medieval period.
Preliminary research has shown that a William Boggan
was born on 4 October 1583 in Gatcombe House,
Little Hempton, Totnes, married Joane Irishe on 30 April
1612 at Chudleigh, Devon, and died in Totnes on 31
August 1676. Given the findspot and the hallmarks, it
is a possibility that this spoon belonged to William and
Joane Boggan.
Disposition: Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter,
hopes to acquire.
D WOOTTON
819. penkridge, staffordshire: 16th-century silver
seal-top spoon with maker’s mark ‘p’ (2005 T89)
pAs ID: pAs-8E8757
Found by Mr T Long while metal-detecting in December
2004; disclaimed, returned to finder.
B McLEOD