Rights Holder: Somerset County Council
CC License:
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Unique ID: SOM-034B58
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Modern copper alloy trade weight from a stacking set. The weight is circular with a wide raised rim on the top with a concentric incised circle around the middle of the rim. The top has two concentric incised circles within the rim and stamped initials. The sides are angled and the back flat. There is a recessed area, 19.5mm in diameter, in the centre of the back. The weight is stamped with a crowned W at 10 o'clock, and a crowned T at 2 o'clock,and the conjoined capital letters AB at 6 o'clock. It is 58.2mm in diameter and 13.1mm thick; it weighs 223 grams ( 7 3/4 oz probably originally 8oz).
Biggs illustrates a 4oz weight with a similar series of marks, with the addition of a cross mace and sword, in the section on 'Wiltshire' in A Geographical Directory of Weights and Measures Inspectors and their marks from 1826 onwards, together with the tradesmen who made, sold, and adjusted scales and weights (Webpage available at: http://www.maths.lse.ac.uk/Personal/norman/WIL.pdf [Accessed: Dec 18, 2014 12:25:13 PM]). Biggs (ibid:12) suggests: 'The style seems to be an attempt to imitate the London marks suggesting a provincial maker. The current best guess is that the letters W and T stand for Wiltshire and Trowbridge with a possible link to the famous firm of G.N.Haden.' He also suggests (ibid) they 'appear to date from the second quarter of the nineteenth century'.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: MODERN
Period from: MODERN
Period to: MODERN
Date from: Circa AD 1825
Date to: Circa AD 1850
Quantity: 1
Thickness: 13.1 mm
Weight: 223 g
Diameter: 58.2 mm
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 6th October 2014
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Other reference: SCC receipt 17027
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
No references cited so far.