WEIGHT

A medieval lead shield-shaped weight. It has a stepped perimeter deocrated with pellets. The raised body is decorated with three lions passant guardant to the left. The reverse bears perhaps five inscised letters, though some of these are obscured by a deep scar that appears to have damaged the object in recent times. The inscription reads [ ]?R I L (annulet) S' (annulet) V.

Other shield shaped weights with an inscription on the reverse are recorded on the PAS database as YORYM-E4E3D6, NLM-083882, FAKL-672982, SWYOR-8F79E7, YORYM-E92766.

Similar weights can be seen in Biggs, p.43 which discusses how lead weighs such as this were used to weigh goods under the averdepois system from 1390 in England and were used throughout the 15th century. It is likely that these weights represent a desire to standardize the trade weight system. The mass of this weight is close to one of the common 'denominations' for shield shaped weights. The smaller stamps may represent later checking and verification of the weight, a system of governmental control which was extended from the 17th century onwards, and indicates the long currency of such weights (Biggs, N. and Withers, P. 2000, Lead Weights: The David Rogers Collection, White House and Galata Publications Ltd, Powys, pages 34-36).