Record ID: NMGW-9F0C64 - POST MEDIEVAL dress hook

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Dress hook

Unique ID: NMGW-9F0C64

Object type certainty: Certain

A resized image of 2007.22 Silver-gilt hooked clasp

Silver gilt dress-hook with a trefoil back-plate cut from a sheet and indented by filing, to which (on the reverse) a separate hook and bar loop have been soldered. Attached to the front of the plate by solder are three hollow hemispherical silver gilt bosses. Each is decorated with three single-strand 'rope-twist' filigree wire circlets, arranged around a small granulated pellet at the mid-point of each dome. Holding a flat central disc (in lieu of a foliate sheet) is a dome-headed rivet (boss and shank) with split pin which passes through a circular hole through the centre of the back-plate, in the space between the three bosses. Gilding does not appear to extend to the hook.
A maker's mark has been punched onto the hook shaft, at the point where it has been attached to the back-plate. This is in the form of four triangular indents, making a cruciform stamp.
Overall length including hook 19.5mm; width of back-plate 14.4mm; weight 3.0g. The hook has not undergone any cleaning or conservation.

Metal Content

Analysis was undertaken by Mary Davis of the Department of Archaeology & Numismatics to ascertain the elemental composition of the artefact using a CamScan MaXim 2040 analytical scanning electron microscope (SEM), plus an Oxford Instruments Link Isis energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). The object was examined whole within the specimen chamber and analysed for 100 live seconds using a working distance of 35mm and an accelerating voltage of 20kV. Where possible, areas of metal exposed from under the surface corrosion were analysed; this occurred either when the object was found, or where a flaw in the surface allowed tiny areas of metal to be exposed with a pin vice or scalpel blade. Apart from very superficial surface swabbing of the artefact there was no further sample preparation. All the results presented are semi-quantitative. Overall totals taken from minimally prepared surfaces are usually affected to some degree by the surface geometry of the artefacts, including factors such as curvature, pitting and indentations etc. Other factors that can also affect the results include surface oxidation, surface enrichment or depletion of certain elements, contamination from closely adhering dirt or cleaning agents, and preferential corrosion (as with debased silver where copper corrodes at the surface).

Three separate readings were taken, and the majority of the overall totals acquired were relatively low due to the factors described above. The results were normalised to 100% to obtain consistency between the readings and to make the analyses comparable with other results.

Average composition of silver:
3% copper
97% silver

Notes:

Conclusions

This 'trefoliate' silver-gilt dress-hook is paralleled by examples from Gooderstone, Norfolk (Treasure Annual Report 2001, no. 148), Parham, Suffolk (Treasure Annual Report 2002, no. 138; Thornton and Mitchell 2003, fig. 1a, b), Petersfield, Hants (ibid, fig. 3), West Malling, Kent (Treasure Annual Report 1998-9, no. 216) and related to examples with cusped trefoil back-plates from Caldecote, Warwickshire and Staxton, North Yorkshire (Gaimster, Hayward, Mitchell and Parker 2002, figs 4, 5). Examples from Hucclecote, Gloucestershire, Tichbourne, Hampshire and Woodstock, Oxfordshire, have additional flower heads fastened by dome-headed pins, as in the Wentlooge example (Treasure Annual Report 2004, nos 264, 268, 274). A close parallel to the Wentlooge pin is provided by a recent find from Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan (Treasure Annual Report 2004, no. 502). Documentary evidence indicates that these items were popular in the 16th century (the latest reference in an inventory being dated 1598; Gaimster et al 2002, 184).

It is my opinion that as an object which has at least 10 per cent by weight precious metal, and which is at least 300 years old, the dress-hook is treasure under Section 1 (1) (a) of the Treasure Act 1996.
Newport Art Gallery & Museum has expressed an interest in acquiring this item.

REFERENCES
Gaimster, D., Hayward, M., Mitchell, D. and Parker, K. 2002, 'Tudor silver gilt dress-hooks: a new class of treasure find in England', Antiquaries Journal 82, 157-96.
Thornton, D and Mitchell, D. 2003, 'Three Tudor silver dress-hooks', Antiquaries Journal 83, 486-491.
Treasure Annual Report 1998-9, Treasure Annual Report 1998-1999 (DCMS, London).
Treasure Annual Report 2001, Treasure Annual Report 2001 (DCMS, London).
Treasure Annual Report 2002, Treasure Annual Report 2002 (DCMS, London).
Treasure Annual Report 2004, Treasure Annual Report 2004 (DCMS, London).

Dr M. Redknap
Curator of Medieval & Later Archaeology,
Department of Archaeology & Numismatics
Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales
28th November 2008

Subsequent actions

Current location of find: Newport Art Gallery & Museum
Subsequent action after recording: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure

Treasure details

Treasure case tracking number: 0722

Chronology

Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1

Materials and construction

Primary material: Silver [scope notes | view all attributed records]
Surface Treatment: Gilded [scope notes | view all attributed records]

Spatial data

No data recorded at present.

Personal details

Found by: This information is restricted for your login.
Recorded by: Mr Mark Lodwick - [ view all attributed records]
Identified by: Mr Mark Lodwick - [view all attributed records]

Other reference numbers

Other reference: Treasure (Wales): 2007.22
Treasure case number: 0722

References cited

No references cited so far.

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