Rights Holder: The Portable Antiquities Scheme
CC License:
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Unique ID: IOW-6E83FE
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
A complete post-Medieval two disc lead-alloy cloth seal (c. 1550-c. 1700).
The seal is formed of two discs linked by a rectangular tab. One disc had an integral projecting rivet on the inner side, the other a hole through the centre. (The rivet went through the cloth, through the other seal and was stamped flat to hold the seal to the cloth.) The back disc (with rivet) is plain. The projecting end of the rivet has raised a merchant's/privy mark. The merchant's mark has a vertical central line ending in '4' with a ligated 'J' lying sideways below which the vertical line is forked to form a motif: 'M' inverted over 'W' motif. This merchant's mark appears to be within a cartouche. Above the cartouche are the initials: I D. The other side of the disc is worn and plain.
This was probably a cloth seal used by a weaver, dyer or searcher using their own merchants mark to indicate they had produced or checked the piece. Such seals are normally broken when they are removed when the cloth is used. This may have been cut or torn off with material instead and so remained complete. The individual involved would be hard to identify as cloth was usually traded some distance before being used and the seal removed although local seals are also found.
This cloth seal is fragile and has a buff patina.
Length: 22.7mm; width: 17.7mm; thickness: 2.4mm. Weight: 3.94g.
Class: Two disc type
Current location of find: finder
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Late
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1550
Date to: Circa AD 1700
Quantity: 1
Length: 22.7 mm
Width: 17.7 mm
Thickness: 2.4 mm
Weight: 3.94 g
Date(s) of discovery: Tuesday 17th February 2015
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Other reference: IOW2015-3-27
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.