BUCKET

A cast copper alloy bucket escutcheon or mount in the form of a bovine head. The head would be mostly likely positioned along the rim and the head would be vertical. Protruding and integral to the top off the head there is an incomplete loop. The terminals of the loop are broken but not recently as the patina covers the break. This loop was probably used to suspend a handle. Overal the mount is rectangular in plan, which is slightly narrowed defining the snout and it is triangular in section. The forehead is undecorated and has vert short horns either side which have bulbous terminals. Both horns are circular in section. There are no eyes defined. In the centre of the mount there is a cricular rivet hole, which as a copper alloy rivet through it. The rivet is made of sheet copper alloy which has been curled around. There is a second rivet hole towards to the nose which has the rivet missing. There is a high-relief lozenge shape covering the rivet holes. Between these two platforms, there is a triangular platform along either edge which forms a low-relief 'x' which may represent a type of harness. The terminal of the nose has two obliquely angled semi-circular cells. The reverse of the mount is hollow and has a 'n' shape in profile. The upper edge is slightly deeper than the lower edge. The mount is in fair condition and has a mid grey/green patina. It measures 42.01mm long, 25.31mm across the horns and 13.2mm thick from the horns to the reverse. It weighs 16.8g.

The mount is probably dated to the 1st or 2nd century AD. The details such the geometric design and the simplicity of the head are characteristic of a Romanised style, whereas the more Celtic, Iron Age style would be a more naturalistic appearance. A similar bucket escutcheon or mount was found a salt production site in Nantwich, Cheshire and this was deposited in the late 2nd to early 3rd centuries (Hilary Cool pers comm). Another example was discovered in Meols, Cheshire which has a geomtric possible harness (Dr. Philpott pers comm).