Rights Holder: National Museum Wales
CC License:
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
Unique ID: WREX-F95F1B
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Complete Post Medieval lead alloy miniature horn book dating c1500-1700AD showing the alphabet. There are four lines of letters and one line with decoration. Line 1 has a cross and the letters ABCD; line 2 has EFG (which is reversed), HIKL; line 3 has MN (which is reversed), OPQR; line 4 has S (which is reversed), TVWX and Y (which is also reversed). Line 5 is a decorative although it is possible that the first two symbols are poorly marked letters that may be a maker.
The reverse of the object has a relief 8-pointed star with a central pellet. The arms of the start are made up of kite-shaped which alternate between plain and hachured. This is contained within a ring which in turn is contained with a rectangular border running around the edge of the object. There is a single large pellet in each order.
Similar objects on the database include SOM-5408E1, YORYM-FA8FF1, LVPL-69A2E4, SWYOR-B234D7, and NMGW-E9EC71 (nearly complete).
Length: 41.4mm; width: 36.2mm; thickness: 1.9mm; weight: 19.4g
Notes:
Full-size horn books were teaching tablets that usually contained the alphabet or the Lord's Prayer and which became available during the 16th century. Although the term 'horn book' is commonly used for lead tablets, it is a slightly misleading name. True horn books were made out of wood onto which the printed paper would have been mounted, and then covered with a thin sheet of transparent horn for protection. The lead tablets are far smaller, and would probably have been either toys (Lewis 2012, 98-101) or cheaper versions of the full-size hornbooks.
Class:
hornbook
Inscription:
+ ABCD / EFG(reversed)HIKL / MN(reversed)OPQR / S(reversed)TVWXY (reversed).
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1500
Date to: Circa AD 1700
Quantity: 1
Length: 41.1 mm
Width: 36.2 mm
Thickness: 1.9 mm
Weight: 19.4 g
Date(s) of discovery: Saturday 17th February 2018 - Thursday 17th May 2018
This information is restricted for your access level.
Other reference: Wrexham Museum Entry form No. 1358
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.