BROOCH

Early Medieval (later 5th and 6th centuries) great square-headed brooch of Hines's Group XII (Hines 1997): Only a fragment of the headplate remains, and there are indications the fragment was re-used as a mount.

The cast copper alloy headplate is decorated on the outer face, which has probably been chip carved and is composed of a number of borders.

The headplate's inner panel is decorated with a rectangular motif composed of central four concentric rectangular outlines. The outer outline is thickened.

Surrounding the thickened rectangular border is a frame of triple-strands and a lentoid motif at in the upper corner. The triple-strands are interwoven. These motifs also have a thickened border framing the interlace.

The next frame also has a pointed lentoid in the upper corner with a series of small pellets within a split-palmette motif. These motifs are border by a double-stranded border.

Finally the original, outer corners of the headplate have a quadruple-stranded corner which terminates with perpendicular strands. Along the side and upper edges the motif of an annulet and three fine strands protruding from the upper edge which is repeated along the edge. Along the lower edge there are fine annulets instead.

The incomplete edge of the headplate has been rounded and is smooth with the patina covering this edge, suggesting it occurred in antiquity rather than more recently.

The reverse of the head plate has an incomplete perforated lug, positioned at the lower corner which is incomplete. There are two sub-rectangular areas of corrosion on the headplate suggest that solder was used so that the fragment of the headplate could be reused as another object, such as a mount. There are traces of iron corrosion on the reverse.

The brooch has incomplete gilding remaining on the outer face, otherwise it has a well-developed dark green patina.

The headplate measures 35.74mm across, 55.96mm long, 5.99mm thick at the lug and weighs 29.33g.

A similar example to this brooch in Hines (1997) from Norton, Northamptonshire and has a secondary border around the inter-woven motif. Both these brooches are a Hines Group XII. A similarly decorated brooch, which is also a Hines Group XII has been recorded from Upton Snodsbury, Worcestershire (WAW-3E1443).