Rights Holder: National Museum Wales
CC License: All Rights Reserved
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Unique ID: NMGW-673987
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published
In terms of size and design, the brooch is of thirteenth- or fourteenth-century date.
A number of brooches of this general type with frames decorated with niello are known to have been found in Wales. These include a brooch with similar decoration from Kidwelly Castle found during restoration work (Redknap 1994, no. 16); two silver brooches from Laugharne Burrows, Carmarthenshire, with transverse grooves inlaid with niello (ibid, Fig. 2, nos 9, 10); and one brooch frame from Glyn Tarell, Powys (TAR 2004, no. 495).
The reported object is the unevenly cast silver frame from an annular brooch (weight 1.45g.). The silver frame is of circular cross-section. One face is decorated with a herringbone pattern; the other has parallel transverse lines for half of the circumference, and a crude zig-zag for the remainder. There are traces of black niello within the incised lines. The frame is distorted, and the current external frame width is 25.46mm; the frame thickness is 1.4-2mm. The pin is missing.
The object has not undergone any cleaning or conservation.
Class: Annular
Current location of find: Abergavenny Museum
Subsequent action after recording: Donated to museum after being declared Treasure
Treasure case tracking number: 2014TW31
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1200
Date to: Circa AD 1400
Quantity: 1
Width: 25.46 mm
Thickness: 2 mm
Weight: 1.45 g
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 29th January 2014
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Treasure case number: 2014TW31
Primary material: Silver
Completeness: Incomplete
Surface Treatment: Inlaid with niello
4 Figure: SO4122
Four figure Latitude: 51.89341266
Four figure longitude: -2.85877918
1:25K map: SO4122
1:10K map: SO42SW
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.