Rights Holder: Danielle Wootton
CC License:
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Unique ID: DEV-884822
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
A Roman to Medieval cast lead alloy, or lead, perforated circular weight or spindle whorl, biconical with traces of a decorative pattern on both faces. On one face this is comprised of two concentric bands of raised dots (the ones in the outer band being larger than the ones oin the inner band) and on the other is a series of radiating lines.The weight has a circular perforation through the centre.
In the "Finds Recording Guide", Geake (2001, p66) points out that: "The function of lead weights would have varied, from spindle-whorls to fishing weights to trade weights." She adds that spindle whorls should ideally be circular and must have a central perforation (ibid.). It is possible, therefore, that this lead weight is a spindle whorl. At the Austin Friary in Leicester (see Mellor and Pearce, 1981), a decorated whorl was found, still on its spindle, in a 13th to 15th century context. However, Geake (ibid.) states: "Dating of lead whorls is difficult. The drop spindle with which they were used continued in use until the end of the Medieval period in London and Winchester (Egan, 1998, "The Medieval Household: Daily Living c1150 - c1450", 255-261; and Biddle, 1990, "Object and Economy in Medieval Winchester"), and for perhaps a century longer in Norfolk (Margeson, 1993, "Norwich Households: Medieval and Post Medieval finds from Norwich Survey Excavations 1971 - 78",184-5)." She adds that, in Cottam in East Yorkshire, detectorists found decorated whorls in ploughsoil over the site of Roman buildings (Geake, ibid.). Without further context, is it not possible to closely date this lead weight. It could date to anytime between c43 and c1500 AD.
Notes:
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Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Quantity: 1
Weight: 53.31 g
Diameter: 33 mm
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 23rd November 2014
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Primary material: Lead
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
4 Figure: SY6395
Four figure Latitude: 50.75341095
Four figure longitude: -2.52587023
1:25K map: SY6395
1:10K map: SY65SW
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.