BROOCH

Cast copper alloy Roman Wirral Type bow brooch dating to the 2nd century AD. It is not complete, the head and the foot being worn away and the catchplate and pin being lost.

Wirral brooches are cast integrally with a loop on the head and steps up to the loop. The head loop has worn away but the steps remain on this example. There is some orange enamel left on these steps. The upper half of the bow is decorated with a rectangular panel containing 3 long strips infilled with enamel usualy in alternating contrasting colours. On this example there is some orange enamel remaining in alternating squares. They usually have a boss or stud at the waist (below the enamelled panel), on this example it is worn away. The lower part of the bow is plain and the foot has lost its disc-like mouldings through wear.

This type of brooch is known as the Wirral type as the earliest discovery of this type was from the Wirral and it also now thought that this is where the main (if not only) production site was based(Philpott; 1999; 275). The Wirral brooch is thought to have been derived from the trumpet brooch.