INGOT

Cast tin alloy or lead alloy ingot, circular in plan and plano-convex in profile. The edge of the ingot is uneven and jagged, which suggests that it was produced in a hollow in the ground, perhaps lined with clay, or a hollowed out piece of wood without defined edges. There are many recesses on the surface of the convex face which represent the corresponding raised areas of the carved wooden mould or lined pit that the molten tin was poured into to make the ingot. There are also three lines of grooves on this face that may have been chisel marks or something used to lever the ingot out of the mould once it had cooled down. The ingot would then have been melted down to produce an object and it would have been a good size to transport being only 261.2 g in weight which is 9.2 ounces or about half a pound. A section where the surface corrosion has been removed has revealed a shiny grey colour to the metal.

The specific gravity of the ingot is about 9 which falls between tin at 7 and lead at 11, so this suggests that the ingot is an alloy of tin and lead.

Egan (2005) illustrates plano-convex lead alloy and antimony (which can appear like tin or lead and is found in Cornwall) ingots on pages 147-8, figs.139 & 141, nos.779 & 784, which are dated from the 16th to the 17th century.

Bailey (2008) illustrates the manufacturing of plano-convex lead ingots during the Tudor Period on pages 39-40, figs.C10.1-2.