Rights Holder: West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service
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Unique ID: SWYOR-B28E67
Object type certainty: Possibly
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
A copper alloy possible pot mend, or possibly a large rivet. It is oval in plan and appears to be made of a strip of copper alloy sheet coiled into a spiral, or a series of concentric rings of copper alloy sheet. It has been suggested that this spiral effect could be formed as the metal cooled rather than indicating construction. The sides are U shaped, and the reverse is covered with what may be pitch or carbonised material.
There are some medieval rivets which are made by rolling a sheet of copper alloy into a cone, putting it through the hole, then hammering the ends flat. This looks vaguely similar, but seems too big to be a rivet. In the event that it is a rivet, perhaps it was used on a vessel that needed to be waterproof, which would explain the pitch coating. This reason for using pitch would also fit if it was a pot mend from a vessel which needed to be watertight.
Alternatively, the object could have been exposed to heat or fire and the black substance could be carbonised organic remains. The spiral could have been a spring, or have been a flat sheet with circular grooves cut in it.
The date of this object is unknown, but Post Medieval to Modern seems more likely than anything older given the condition of the metal.
Class: Pot mend
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: MODERN
Date from: Circa AD 1700
Date to: Circa AD 1950
Quantity: 1
Length: 32.02 mm
Width: 24.48 mm
Thickness: 5.38 mm
Weight: 11.63 g
Date(s) of discovery: Friday 2nd July 2010
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Other reference: PAS form number 571
Primary material: Copper alloy
Secondary material: Other
Completeness: Uncertain
Grid reference source: Centred on field
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
No references cited so far.