Rights Holder: St. Albans District Council
CC License: 
Image use policy
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
DRESS HOOK
Unique ID: BH-79F021
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
A fragment of a cast copper-alloy hooked tag, dating from the Late Medieval to early post-Medieval periods.
Only the lower portion of the plate remains. It has straight vertical sides and converges at the base, towards the now-missing hook. The plate is of openwork form with moulded decoration reminiscent of Gothic tracery. At the top is the remains of a horizontal band of three openwork trefoils or quatrefoils. A ropework ridge separates this area from the triangular lower portion, in which there is an 'M-shaped' moulding with openwork fields. Traces of a black coating adhere to the corroded surfaces of the object.
Dimensions: 11mm high, 14.8mm wide, 1.7mm thick. Weight: 0.75g.
A similar hooked tag was found in the excavation of a moat at Southwark, where it was assigned a probable late 15th to early 16th century date (Egan 2005: 43-44/fig. 25, no. 152). PAS records BH-9DF8B4 and BH-7E6F24, both from Lathbury, Bucks, provide more complete parallels for this piece.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1450
Date to: Circa AD 1550
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Height: 11 mm
Width: 14.8 mm
Thickness: 1.7 mm
Weight: 0.75 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 9th April 2012
Personal details
This information is restricted for your access level.
Other reference numbers
Other reference: Ver 12/79 - 38
Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Fragment
Spatial metadata
Region: Eastern (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Hertfordshire (County)
District: North Hertfordshire (District)
To be known as: Baldock
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egan, G. | 2005 | Material Culture in London in an Age Of Transition: Tudor and Stuart period finds c.1450 - c.1700 from excavations at riverside sites in Southwark | London | Museum of London Archaeology Service |
Similar objects
Find number: BH-9DF8B4
Object type: DRESS HOOK
Broadperiod: MEDIEVAL
A cast copper-alloy hooked tag, dating from the Late Medieval to early post-Medieval periods.
The plate is of openwork form, with a rectan…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Find number: BH-4AF7A7
Object type: HOOKED TAG
Broadperiod: POST MEDIEVAL
An incomplete copper-alloy hooked tag of probable early post-Medieval date.
The plate takes the form of a double-stranded openwork 'knot' w…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Find number: ESS-0A8FAF
Object type: DRESS HOOK
Broadperiod: POST MEDIEVAL
An incomplete copperalloy hooked tag, dating AD 1450-1550.Only the plate remains, which is square in shape with a rounded end that would have…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Timeline of associated dates
About Us
About our Site
Find us
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG.
T: +44(0) 20 73238618