BROOCH

A fragment from a cast copper-alloy Early Medieval (Anglo-Saxon) small-long brooch, dating to AD 450-480. The object retains part of its head and bow.

The brooch fragment includes a rectangular head plate (23.5mm long, 18.9mm wide). This has has four square (3.3mm wide and long) chunks cut out of it, two on its lower edge and one on each side edge. The side chunks are taken c.2mm below the upper edge while the lower chunks are taken c.3.2mm in from the side edges and then flank the bow. as a result it the plate looks as if it has two arms at its top and projecting below its lower edge. The head plate is then decorated with incised lines. These three ring and dot motifs set in a triangle in the centre of the plate, a rectangular border set 1.5mm from the outer edge of the plate such that it is cut by the side chunks and parallel lines incised between the border and the edge of the head plate. 

The bow extends from the lower edge of the plate and is initially 8.1mmmm wide and narrows down its surviving length to 6.2mm wide. It has a maximum thickness of 5.1mm, is D-shaped in cross section and arched in profile. It ends in an abraded break at the end of the arch.

Partial remains of the pin mechanism can be seen projecting from the middle of the back of the head plate. This consists of a two tall D-shaped lugs pierced by circular holes between which is concreted iron corrosion product that is all that remains of a hinge and sprung pin mechanism. Other than this corrosion lug, the brooch is a medium green colour.

The brooch is 32.8mm long, 23.4mm wide, 15.5mm thick in profile and weighs 13.22 grams.

Particularly similar examples of small-long brooches recorded on the database include SF-FDBF8A, CAM-2CA569 and BERK-9F8D1A which have been classified as small-long type brooches datig to c AD 450-550. MacGregor and Bolick (1991: 124-147) illustrate a range of brooch of these types including some particularly similar examples such as  Nos. 15.54, 15.62 and 15.75.  Penn and Brugmann (2007:24) concur with MacGregor and Bolick (1991:120) in allocating a date-range of c.AD 450-550