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SHOT
Unique ID: PUBLIC-1431F6
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
A cast lead alloy shot / ball for use in a Small musket (Arquebus and Cavalier) of post medieval date (AD1600-1800). The shot is spherical with a relatively well formed surface patina. The shot is relatively round and smooth - suggesting that it has not been fired. There is a sprue scar with two facets where the casting sprue was probably cut with nippers. The colour of the ball is a pale grey / white. It shows signs of damage, and small areas of flattening, probably caused by agricultural machinery. there is no delamination on the surface of the shot.
Similar shot have been dated to the later post medieval period however the date range should extend into the early modern period as similar projectiles were used in firearms throughout this period. The context of this find / assemblage would indicate a date in the English civil war. Musket balls are discussed in Courtney's "Small Arms Accessories of the Mid-Seventeenth Century" (1988) and on page 202 of "Material Culture in London in an Age of Transition" by Geoff Egan (2005).
Diameter: 16.1mm Weight: 24.3 g
The weight suggests it was for use in a Small Musket / Arquebus and Cavalier (Harding 2012, Lead Shot of the English Civil War)
Notes:
This smal musket ball was one of over 80 found on 2 acres of flat and slightly elevated ground, in a field that is around 15 acres.
Class: Small musket (Arquebus and Cavalier)
Subsequent actions
Current location of find: With Finder
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: MODERN
Date from: Circa AD 1600
Date to: Circa AD 1800
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Weight: 24.3 g
Diameter: 16.1 mm
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 30th April 2014
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Primary material: Lead Alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: West Midlands (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Worcestershire (County)
District: Malvern Hills (District)
To be known as: Knighton on Teme
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harding, D.F. | 2012 | Lead Shot of the English Civil War: A Radical Study | London | Foresight Books | 9780953085361 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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