VESSEL

An incomplete copper alloy foot / leg from a copper alloy cooking vessel of Late Medieval to Early Post Medieval dating (AD 1400 - AD 1700).

The vessel fragment is sub rectangular in shape and sub rectangular in cross section. It consists of a straight body, with an external central rib. The internal surface is rough. At the top of the leg, an irregular surface is present, this would have adjoined to the base of the cauldron. Traces of a black patina are present on the exterior of the leg. The base of the foot is slightly abraded.

It measures 75.2 mm in length, 43.1 mm wide and 20.3 mm thick. It weighs 176.3 grams.

The vessel foot / leg is predominantely a mid greenish brown colour, with an uneven surface patina. Abrasion, caused by movement whilst within the plough soil, has resulted in a loss of some of the original surface detail.

The remains of copper alloy cooking vessels have been regularly recorded through the PAS, with many variants on the design. This leg was probably originally part of a cauldron, similar to the example illustrated in figure 1 of Butler, Green & Payne's 2009 datasheet on Cast Copper Alloy cooking vessels. These vessels tend to be of late Medieval to Early Post Medieval dating (15 to 18th Centuries AD).

Reference:

Butler, R., Green, C., and Payne, N. 2009 Cast Copper Alloy cooking vessels. The Finds Research Group Datasheet 41. Finds Research Group