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SPINDLE WHORL
Unique ID: FAKL-9FE6BB
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
Medieval or post Medieval lead spindle whorl. Biconical, one face decorated with a five pointed star fromed by raised bars with pellets in the angle, the other face bears what appear to be worn pellets which have been supplimented by angled, incisde lines. Diameter 29.0mm, Hole diameter 10.2mm, Height 12.3, Mass 40.08g.
TThe dating of these whorls is open to some doubt. The best dated example was found in a drain at the Austin Friars site in Leicester, a context which contained large quantities of late/post Medieval pottery (Mellor and Pearce, 1981, Fig. 51, No. 71, 39-41) suggestive of a date range of 1450-1550. This whorl still retained its oak spindle, reducing the possibility of it being residual from an earlier context. A biconical lead whorl was found also found in a late (sixteenth to twentieth century) context at Wharram Percy, Yorkshire (Hurst, 1978, Fig. 59, 3, 29) but there, residuality cannot be ruled out. The statement in the 1958 British Museum Guide to Antiquities of Roman (p.48, Fig. 23, 4) that "biconical whorls with line and dot relief ornament are fairly common on Romano-British sites" must be viewed with some circumspection and it seems likely that these whorls came into use at a fairly late date.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1450
Date to: Circa AD 1550
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Height: 12.3 mm
Weight: 40.08 g
Diameter: 29 mm
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: ELL 354
Materials and construction
Primary material: Lead
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber (European Region)County or Unitary authority: East Riding of Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
District: East Riding of Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
To be known as: Elloughton
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From a paper map
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurst, J.G. | 1979 | Wharram; A Study of Settlement on the Yorkshire Wolds | London | Society for Medieval Archaeology | Fig. 59, 3 | ||
| Mellor, J. and Pearce, T. | 1981 | The Austin Friars, Leicester | London | Council for British Archaeology | 39-41, Fig. 51 | 71 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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