Rights Holder: Suffolk County Council
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PENDANT
Unique ID: SF-C86BF6
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
Description: A gold cross reliquary pendant, with surviving back-plate. The front face of the cross is engraved with a Crucifixion. Areas of deep engraving above and on either side arm would originally have held enamel. The reverse is engraved on each arm with a flower and foliage, and with a small cross in the centre. Both sides would originally have been enamelled. The ends of each arm of the cross are concave with scrolled or curled corners. A small gold wire peg survives in each angle of the cross. These would originally have held pearls or gemstones.
The suspension loop is made from a rectangular strip of gold. A circular ring survives through the suspension loop.
The top of the upper arm of the cross has a gold back forming a hollow cavity. The back plate is held in place by a vertical prong that slots into this cavity and is secured in position by a pin which survives. This pin is inserted through a hole which pierces each side of the lower arm of the cross, and through a small gold tube on the back of the back plate. The cross pendant was probably designed to hold a relic.
The cross pendant is undiagnostic in date.
Dimensions: height including suspension loop 29 mm, width 23 mm, diameter of ring 9 mm, thickness 4 mm. Weight: 11 g.
Beverley Nenk
Curator of Medieval Collections
Notes:
This items was originally believed to be old enough to qualify as Treasure and was declared as such by the Coroner on the advice at the time from the British Museum. However, prior to acquisition, further study of the piece made the issue of its antiquity uncertain, and, although valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee, it was returned to the finder as undiagnostic.
Class: cross
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Treasure details
Treasure case tracking number: 2013T778
Chronology
Broad period: UNKNOWN
Period from: UNKNOWN
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: UNKNOWN
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 29.44 mm
Width: 23.07 mm
Weight: 10.6 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Saturday 12th October 2013
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Treasure case number: 2013T778
Materials and construction
Spatial metadata
Region: Eastern (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Suffolk (County)
District: Mid Suffolk (District)
To be known as: Fressingfield
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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