BROOCH

An incomplete copper-alloy equal-armed brooch of Anglo-Saxon date. One terminal end and the bow survive, the remainder now missing due to old breaks. The terminal is flat, triangular in form and missing parts of its outer edges due to old breaks. It has decoration on the front face comprising multiple punched concentric crescents forming a border around all three edges. On the back face is a single semi-circular pin lug with circular aperture that contains the corroded remains of an incomplete iron pin. Iron corrosion extends on the back face of the terminal around the lug, and there are traces of an added white metal coating or solder, perhaps suggesting repair or moditifcation of the attachment. At the base of the terminalextends the integral bow. This is rectangular in form, curved in profile, and terminates in old breaks before the opposite terminal. It has decoration comprising a a flat panel at the top of the bow with rectangular notches to either side. At the centre of the bow is a rectangular panel of decoration with transverse notched band at top and bottom, and two vertical notched bands running between them. The base of the bow has a similar flattened panel with rectangular notches to either side as at the top of the bow. The entire object has a mid green patina with areas of corrosion particularly around the edges of the object. It measures 30.11mm in length, 31.44mm in width at terminal (incomplete), 12.92mm in width at bow, 1.87mm in thickness at bow, and 6.09g in weight.

This is an incomplete equal-armed brooch. It is similar to those known as the 'Anglian' type, seen as having Scandinavian influence (e.g. MacGregor and Bolick, 1993: 150-151, nos. 18.2-18.3; also see several recorded through the PAS, e.g. SF3876, NMS-6A8262, NMS-BC1122 and NMS-511A83122). The closest example is perhaps from Holywell Row grave 16 (Lethbridge 1931) which also has longitudinal grooving on the bow. This type of brooch is discussed by Penn and Brugmann (2007: pp. 24, figs. 5.21, 5.22) and is placed in their Phases FA1-FA2a. This indicates a probable 5th century AD date range, c.450-500 AD.

This brooch is, however, rather wider than other examples of the Anglian type, and it may be that it is more closely related to the wide equal-arm brooches discussed by Bruns (2003). In particular it is close to the brooch from Seraing, Belgium, which also has stamped decoration on the terminals and longitudinal grooves on the bow, but which is wider than the example from Holywell Row. The Seraing brooch is not quite symmetrical and is seen by Bruns as a link between supporting-arm and equal-arm brooches, with a date in the final quarter of the 4th century (2003, 15 and 32).