THIMBLE

Treasure Case 2011 T458: Disclaimed

Description: A silver thimble. The thimble has fairly straight sides, a slight domed top and a distinct carination between the sides and top. The sides are decorated with three incised lines above the rim, creating two narrow bands around the base with a wider band in between. There is a circular hole at one point within this wider band, 1.5mm in diameter. Above the third line, the thimble is decorated with regular, square indentations arranged in slightly irregular lines up the sides to the beginning of the dome, the top row is incomplete. Similar square indentations are also arranged in a spiral of two and a half loops around the top of the thimble, leaving a bare central tonsure. There is one circular indentation in the centre of this tonsure. There is a notch at one point of the rim which has suffered some damage.

Dimensions: It is21.3mm in height, 13.5mm in width at the base, which are now squashed in, and 11.0mm in width at the top and the sides are 1.1mm thick. It weighs 3.08g. Discussion: The notch in the rim may have been the result of holding the thimble in place when being finished on a lathe (Holmes 1988:1). Holmes (ibid: 2) states that thimbles with a tonsure on the crown are never found after c. 1650. Consequently, in terms of age and as the object contains a minimum of 10% precious metal it qualifies as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996.

Katie Marsden IfA/HLF Intern August 2011