Two new Early Medieval Finds from Merseyside

In recent months a number of interesting archaeological finds discovered in Merseyside have been reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme for recording, including to Early Medieval finds from Formby.

Styca of Eanred, Formby – LVPL-0957F4
A copper alloy early medieval Northumbrian styca of Eanred (810-840), dating to 810-840. Monyer: Brother. Cf. North Vol I, p.71 no.186.
Obverse: Central pellet. Legend: +EANRED REX
Reverse: Central cross. Legend: +BRODER

Copper alloy stycas are uncommon finds for this region as they are largely concentrated east of the Pennines and towards East Anglia (Griffiths et al. 2007: 343). A single other styca from Formby has knowingly been recovered; an Aethelred II discovered in 1986 by a metal detector user in the Formby dunes. Four other Northumbrian copper alloy stycas have also been unearthed in Meols (ibid nos. 5128-5131). Their presence in Merseyside is outside their typical area of deposition which makes the addition of the Eanred styca interesting.

LVPL-0957F4 – Styca of Eanred (c) National Museums Liverpool

Viking lead weight, Formby – LVPL-0A0F5A
A complete, but worn, polyhedral lead alloy weight, probably dating to the early medieval period (c.AD 850-950).

The weight has 8 unequal sides with each face presenting incised lines of inconsistent directions. One face appears to have a square in the centre. The edges are rounded which may be due to abrasion from the sea (found on coastland). The object has a smooth dark grey patina.

Dimensions: Length 11.6mm; width 11.23mm; weight 9.7g

This weight was found in relative proximity to the above styca of Eanred and can arguably be classed as a Viking weight. Similar polyhedral weights have been discovered at the Viking camp/settlement site at Torksey, Lincolnshire (Hadley and Richards 2016). The Torksey weights and others reported to the PAS typically present incised dots rather than lines and have more prominent edges. The lines on the Formby example are therefore uncommon, however its form and size are comparable to the other examples. The weight of the object does not precisely fit within any of suggested standard Viking weights, though this is unsurprising given its coastal context which has visibly worn and rounded the object’s edges and therefore likely reduced its weight. There are variations of what qualifies as a Viking ‘ounce’ and ranges from c.24-26g per ounce (Haldenby and Kershaw 2014: 112). Despite the reduced weight of the object, it may be possible to roughly conform it within the system.

Similar to the Eanred styca, this is the only example of this object type reported to the PAS from Merseyside. Other potential lead Viking weights have recently been discovered in Wirral, but these follow the conical, rather than polyhedral types. No lead weights are recorded from Meols, however a copper alloy zoomorphic balance scale attachment is noted (Griffiths et al. 2007: 70 no.392). Early medieval finds from the region are scarce which makes the discovery of these two finds locally important.

LVPL-0A0F5A – Polyhedral lead alloy weight (c) National Museums Liverpool

Griffiths, D., Philpott, R. and Egan, G. 2007. Meols: The Archaeology of the North Wirral Coast: Discoveries and Observations in the 19th and 20th Centuries, with a Catalogue of Collections, Oxford University School of Archaeology, Oxford.

Hadley, D.M. and Richards, J.D. 2016. ‘The winter camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872-3, Torksey, Lincolnshire’, Antiquaries Journal 96, 23-67.

Haldenby, D.  and Kershaw, J. 2014. ‘Viking-Age Lead Weights from Cottam’, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal 86, 106-123.

North, J.J. 1994. English Hammered Coinage: Volume I. Early Anglo-Saxon to Henry III, c. 600-1272, Spink and Son Ltd, London.