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BROOCH
Unique ID: BH-FF3782
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
An incomplete cast copper-alloy small-long brooch dating to the Early Medieval period (c. AD 450-550). The brooch comprises the head plate and upper bow. The lower bow, foot, catch plate and pin are missing.
The head is flat and rectangular in shape and in cross-section, with rounded corners and inwardly bowed edges. The face is very worn with no surviving decoration. The reverse is flat and plain. Projecting from the centre is a flat semi-circular pin attachment plate. This has a circular perforation through which is a short piece of circular-sectioned copper-alloy bar.
The bow is broadly triangular in cross-section and projects from the lower edge of the head plate. It bows outwards and narrows slightly along its length until terminating at an old worn transverse break.
There is no clear decoration on the brooch. There are unevenly distributed linear grooves across the front faces of the head plate and on the bow but these are unclear and could well be scratches or some other form of damage.
The patina across all surfaces of the brooch is dark green in colour with widespread patches of mid brown.
The brooch measures 29.5mm in length. The head plate is 16.8mm long and 21.5mm wide. The entire brooch weighs 7 grams.
See BH-3CBB42 for a similar example recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database.
Notes:
Recorded remotely with information and photos provided by the finder.
Class: small long
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 450
Date to: Circa AD 550
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 29.5 mm
Width: 21.5 mm
Weight: 7 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Friday 1st January 2021 - Friday 31st December 2021
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
Spatial metadata
Region: Eastern (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Central Bedfordshire (Unitary Authority)
District: Central Bedfordshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish or ward: Meppershall (Civil Parish)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: TL1436
Four figure Latitude: 52.0107321
Four figure longitude: -0.34042248
1:25K map: TL1436
1:10K map: TL13NW
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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