AMPULLA

An incomplete lead or lead alloy Ampulla of the Medieval period dating from c. AD 1200 - AD 1400.

The object is broadly rectangular in section and is hollow. The object consists of a retangular top which exapnds into a circular base. The front of the object has sustained some damage, and the right side of the ampulla has been broken. There is a depression in the centre of the object, the front has been decorated with what appears to be an expanding flower, with lozenge shaped segments, however this is difficult to see clearly. The reverse of the ampulla is flatter and decorated with a cross (possibly of St George) inside a shield, the shield is surrounded by two raised concentric circles. Both cross and shield are depicted by raised lines, there are diagonal raised lines decorating the inner void of the cross. An incomplete suspension loop is present on either side of the neck.

The ampulla measures 55.2 mm in length and has a width at the top of 27.1 mm and is 32.5 mm wide at the base. It has a thickness of 10.3 mm and weighs 47.9 g.

The ampulla is a light brown in colour with an uneven patina. Abrasion caused by movement whilst within the plough soil has resulted in the loss of some of the original surface detail.

Ampulla were either worn around the neck or often donated to the neighbourhood to be hung in the parish church. They come into use in the late twelfth century and feature as secondary relics in virtually every thirteenth century parish church. With the introduction of pilgrim badges in the fourteenth century, they become more stereotyped and less informal. This example dates to the medieval period, c. AD 1200 - c. AD 1400, may be 15th Century.

Similar artefacts have been recorded on the PAS database, see WILT-085303, SUR-6AD510 and WMID-89AAA2.