PENDANT

Period: Early Medieval

Date of Discovery: Early June 2015

Circumstances of discovery: Whilst metal detecting

Description: An incomplete early medieval gold pendant. The pendant is lunate in shape with terminals curved into a spiral. These terminals are now twisted and distorted, one forwards and one backwards. Originally the spiral terminals would have curled inwards underneath the pendant. The left-hand terminal (as viewed) has a tiny protrusion of gold sheet on the bottom, decorated with a filigree figure-of-eight motif. This feature is missing from the right-hand terminal, and was perhaps torn off in the past.

The front of the pendant is decorated with a series of eight figure-of-eight filigree motifs, their sizes adjusted to fit the dimensions of the crescent shape. Outside this is a border of fine gold beaded wire, which appears to have been lost in places. The outer edge of the pendant is decorated with a border thicker gold beaded wire. Each terminal arm is decorated with a tailed loop of gold beaded wire, extending to the terminal.

On the top is a suspension loop made from a piece of rectangular grooved gold sheet curved into a circle and soldered to the top. The reverse of the pendant is plain.

Dimensions:

Length: 15.6mm

Width: 29.5mm

Weight 2.0g

Discussion:

Several crescent-shaped pendants dating to the early Anglo-Saxon period are known, including stamped examples from Faversham, Kent and silver pendants from Eastry and St Peter's Tip, also both in Kent (Mazo Karras 1985, 164). The crescentic shape most probably derives from the motif of confronted birds' heads, known in early medieval art in Anglo-Saxon England and on the Continent. A fragmentary gold pendant of similar shape to the Kelham Hills example, also decorated with filigree but with additional garnet inlay, was found in Gilton, Kent (Ashmolean Museum 1974.176a; Macgregor and Bolick 1993, no. 24.10, 159). The type is less common in England than the Continent, where pendants of this form have been dated to the sixth century (Macgregor and Bolick 1993, 157): see for example two from Wieuwerd, the Nethelands, with similar suspension loops and filigree annulets covering their upper surface (Mazo Karras 1985, 164, fig. 4.5-6).

Filigree was widely used on luxury gold metalwork in the early Anglo-Saxon period, and motifs similar to those found on the Kelham Hills pendant are commonly found on different types of artefact from the sixth and early seventh centuries, including pendants, buckles, sword parts and brooches.

Conclusion: As this object is made of more than 10% precious metal and is over 300 years old, it constitutes potential Treasure under the Treasure Act 1996.

Date: Sixth to early seventh century

References:

MacGregor, A. and Bolick, E., 1993. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals). Oxford: Archaeopress, 157/9 , 24.10

Mazo Karras, R., 1985. Seventh-Century Jewellery from Frisia. Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History 4, 159-177

Authors:

Dr. Sue Brunning

Curator, Insular Early Medieval Collections

The British Museum

Alastair Willis

Finds Liaison Officer, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

Portable Antiquities Scheme