Record ID: SWYOR-96E960
Object type: ANIMAL REMAINS
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A fossilised shell (probably Gryphaea, commonly known as a Devil's Toenail), dating from the Jurassic period. The fossil may have been curated during in an archaeological period, or may be naturally occurring. They are so common near Scunthorpe, that they appear on the town's arms. In the 17th and 18th centuries, they were believed to be a cure for arthritic joints.
Created on: Tuesday 26th June 2012
Last updated: Saturday 23rd May 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SWYOR-890AF2
Object type: GAMING PIECE
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
County: Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A group of fifteen smooth and rounded stone pebbles which could have been used as gaming counters. They vary in colour from grey through buff to pink. They were all found in one area of one field, but it remains a possibility that they are a natural river gravel deposit. The site is a known Early Medieval one, so if they are archaeological, an Early Medieval date is suggested.
Created on: Monday 25th June 2012
Last updated: Saturday 23rd May 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SWYOR-82DDB3
Object type: PENCIL
Broad period: MODERN
County: Lincolnshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Part of a stone (slate) pencil probably dating from the 19th century. This would have been used for writing on slates. It is a circular sectioned rod, broken at one end and tapering to a point at the other. The break reveals the laminated structure of the slate. The pointed end is square in section and irregular, perhaps having been broken at some point. Compare NLM-5E9762 and NLM-71B667.
Created on: Monday 25th June 2012
Last updated: Tuesday 25th January 2022
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SWYOR-F66988
Object type: AXE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Doncaster
Workflow stage: Published
A fragment of a Neolithic polished stone axe or adze made from a volcanic tuff, probably from the Cumbrian Fells, probably Langdale. Only the butt of the axe survives and it is unusually thin and pointed. The fragment is sub triangular in plan. At the wide end is has a straight edge, a break, but patinated to the same colour as the rest of the object.There are very neat side facets which show that the object must be deliberately made. The pointed end tapers in both thickness and width. A diagonal facet across the very tip may be wear or intentional working. The butt shape perhaps …
Created on: Wednesday 6th June 2012
Last updated: Wednesday 20th March 2013
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SWYOR-6112C3
Object type: KILN FURNITURE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Calderdale
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A piece of very hard fine grained stone which seems to have been used as kiln furniture, or been in a pottery kiln for another reason, because it has glaze covering one end, which probably ran off the vessels in the kiln during firing. The glaze is clear with patches of rich olive green (iron based?) and on one face is very thick and bubbly, and discoloured to a purple brown. The stone is pink on the outer face where not glazed, and grey inside. The stone has fractured, perhaps due to heat. The stone looks to have been roughly rectangular before it broke. It may have been used as a sp…
Created on: Wednesday 30th May 2012
Last updated: Thursday 31st May 2012
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SWYOR-3BF7B3
Object type: POT BOILER
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: Doncaster
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Two stone cobbles which are heat altered and shaped. Both are rounded cobbles which have one face worn or shaped to be flat. One stone is complete. It is dense and well consolidated with many mica particles. Originally a yellow grey colour, pink discolouration suggests heating. The flat surface looks to have been pecked rather than cut or ground. It is 80.52mm long, 60.4mm wide and 33.14mm thick. It weighs 222g. The other stone is broken with a jagged, irregular break. One face is rounded, the original cobble, and the other is ground flat. The stone is dense and well consoli…
Created on: Wednesday 16th May 2012
Last updated: Sunday 24th May 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SWYOR-856181
Object type: MACE
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Doncaster
Workflow stage: Published
Part of a perforated stone mace head or pebble hammer. It was broken in antiquity irregularly through the shaft hole, which is cylindrical and approximately 12 - 15mm in diameter. The shaft hole has been drilled from each side, meeting about halfway across, with the second bore slightly misaligned. The stone is heavily weathered and pitted, as well as cracked. It is almost lozenge shaped in section and a pointed oval in plan. The stone is probably quartzite and is a light yellow grey colour. An important clue to its age is given by the fact that the shaft hole is drilled and not …
Created on: Friday 13th April 2012
Last updated: Wednesday 10th June 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SWYOR-6B3838
Object type: CARVED STONE
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Calderdale
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A probably post medieval or modern carved architectural stone in the shape of a human skull. The carved skull is shaped like an inverted pear. The eyes are deep circular hollows and the noes is a triangular recess. The cheeks are sunken hollows, and there is a straight incised line across the chin which may represent the mount. The skull projects forwards and outwards from the rest of the stone, which is left in a block at the back, smaller than the outline of the skull. The block at the back is trapezoid in plan, wider at the top, and rectangular in section. This shape may have …
Created on: Monday 30th January 2012
Last updated: Tuesday 26th May 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SWYOR-EC7F82
Object type: GEOLOGICAL SAMPLE
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: Doncaster
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A piece of stone which was recovered because it was not the usually occurring geology in this area. It may be a naturally occurring nodule of iron rich stone (though it does not react to a magnet). It has a dense structure and is dark brown with a red tint. Parts of the surface are black and shiny with a crystalline structure, but it is not sooted. Other areas are pimply, and other areas have traces of sandstone on the surface. It has not been possible to identify the nature of this material, but it is probably an iron rich naturally occurring stone. It does not appear to be waste mat…
Created on: Thursday 12th January 2012
Last updated: Wednesday 27th May 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SWYOR-EB38D4
Object type: MORTAR (VESSEL)
Broad period: UNKNOWN
County: North Yorkshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A carved stone bowl, possibly a mortar used for grinding food, of uncertain date. The stone is irregularly shaped; sub D shaped in plan, and the bowl is circular. Mortars or "creeing troughs" would have been used with a pestle for removing the husks from grain before cooking. Post Medieval examples often have distinctive shapes such as WILT-84FE96. Some examples can be seen in situ in the kitchens of historic houses. In the Yorkshire Pennines, such mortars were frequently highly decorated and individualised. An example is SWYOR-052CE2. Plain examples like the one recorded here ar…
Created on: Thursday 12th January 2012
Last updated: Wednesday 27th May 2020
Spatial data recorded.