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SPINDLE WHORL
Unique ID: HAMP-394C84
Object type certainty: Possibly
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
A complete circular cast lead object, possibly a spindle whorl or other weight. The whorl is biconvex, with one surface having received steeper bevelling than the other. The top is flattened and the base is slightly concave. It is basic and has suffered corrosion. It is seemingly undecorated. The artefact has a spindle hole with a diameter of 6.4mm. The spindle whorl is 7.9mm thick and weighs 16.01g.
It has been pointed out that the weight of a spindle whorl is suggestive of the thickness of yarn produced, with lighter spindle whorls (3-5 grams) being used for spinning cotton and the heavier ones (30 - 35 grams) for spinning wool (Margeson 1993, 184). It is uncertain, therefore, as to what might have been spun using this object, although the likelihood is that it would have been used for wool, if anything. The dating of unstratified spindle whorls is very difficult and a wide date range is therefore offered.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: UNKNOWN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 43
Date to: Circa AD 1600
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 19.55 mm
Width: 19.1 mm
Thickness: 7.9 mm
Weight: 16.01 g
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: E2901
Materials and construction
Primary material: Lead
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: South East (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Hampshire (County)
District: Winchester (District)
To be known as: Headbourne Worthy CP
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From a paper map
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margeson, S. | 1993 | Norwich Households: Medieval and Post-Medieval Finds from Norwich Survey Excavations 1971-78 | Norwich | East Anglian Archaeology | 184 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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