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PARCHMENT PRICKER
Unique ID: LON-FA01A5
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
A Medieval bone parchment-pricker with iron tip (AD 13th - 16th century). The bone shaft tapers towards the end that is socketed to secure the iron tip. At the opposite end there is a globular terminal with a collar at the junction between the terminal and the shaft.
Biddle argued that these objects were for making holes in parchment prior to ruling lines for text (1990, 733-5). Riddler (in Egan 1988: 272) disagreed with this, seeing these objects as writing implements for use with waxed tablets, on the grounds that late medieval writing sets found in Hamburg, Germany include such implements. It is not clear why prickers should not be included in writing sets, but equally the argument against these being styli (that neither the material nor the globular terminal are right for a stylus) is not entirely convincing.
Identification and dating by Tony Pilson and Ian Smith based on foreshore context.
Those from Winchester, London and Lubeck date to the late 12th to 16th centuries (Biddle 1990, 734; Riddler in Egan 1998, 272).
Find of note status
This has been noted as an interesting find by the recorder.
Subsequent actions
Current location of find: Returned to finder
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1200
Date to: Circa AD 1600
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 78.85 mm
Width: 6.43 mm
Weight: 2.9 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 1st March 2007
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Primary material: Animal skeletal material
Secondary material: Iron
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: London (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Greater London Authority (Greater London Authority)
District: City and County of the City of London (London Borough)
To be known as: City of London
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From a paper map
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biddle, M. | 1990 | Artefacts from Medieval Winchester: Object and Economy in Medieval Winchester | Oxford | Clarendon Press | |||
| Egan, G. | 1998 | The Medieval Household: Daily Living c.1150-c.1450 (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London) | London | The Stationery Office |
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Timeline of associated dates
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