BROOCH

Polden Hill brooches were first defined and discussed by Hull (1967, 29; 1968, 80) and have been subsequently discussed by Hattatt (1982, 69-70, nos.24-26; 1985, 82-87, nos.374-383; 1987, 99-100, nos.895-905; 1989, 71-73, nos.1511-1516) and, with special reference to south Wales, Webster (1995, 74-78, nos.28-38). The type takes its name from an example in the Polden Hills hoard (British Museum acc. no. 46.3-22.120) (cf. Butcher 1993, 151). The Polden Hills type developed from the earlier Colchester type of brooch and is one of a series of types known collectively as Colchester Derivatives. The distinctive feature of the Polden Hills type is the fitting of the perforated end plates to the wings for holding each end of the axis bar (Hattatt 1982, 64, 69). The type comprises a wide variety of forms, the common feature of which is the spring arrangement (Webster 1995, 74). The distribution of the type is restricted to southern Britain and on these grounds it was originally considered to be pre-Flavian in date (Crummy 1983, 13); however, securely dated examples from the Roman legionary fortress at Caerleon suggest that some forms of the type may have remained in vogue until the middle of the second century AD (Webster 1995, 74; see also Mackreth 1972, 18).