Rights Holder: Somerset County Council
CC License:
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Unique ID: SOM-D42AA2
Object type certainty: Probably
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
A fragment of a lead Post Medieval tubular cloth or bag seal or possibly knife handle, probably dating from AD1500 to 1700. The piece is now squashed flat with only a sort length surviving, one end may be complete or just worn straight, the other has a worn and patinated break. It widens towards the definitely broken end before the edge starts to curve in again just before the break, but that could be a distortion caused by squashing/ stamping. On one face is an inscription in Roman capitals, possibly [...]GANE[...] with a beaded border below and possibly above. The edge is worn and plain and the reverse is plain.
The piece measures 20.13m in length, 16.03mm in width, 3.23mm in thickness and weighs 4.04g.
The form is similar to tubular seals used by dutch immigrant weavers which usually have a value on one face and occasionally an inscription, see ESS-8ED7C8, YORYM-766602 and NMS-95CA14. A similar cloth seal is illustrated in Egan (1994) p.174, fig.23, no.95 and is described as a Dutch community tubular seal from Norwich and stamped on one side with numerals for the length of cloth and with the name of Norwich on the other side.
This seal does not conform to the legend on the others and may be from a different place, in England or Holland, or possibly a knife handle with inscription as the lettering style is similar to a group of 17th-18th century knives, such as YORYM-38524E and LVPL-BD94F3.
Inscription:
[...]GANE[...]
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1600
Date to: Circa AD 1800
Quantity: 1
Length: 20.13 mm
Width: 16.03 mm
Thickness: 3.23 mm
Weight: 3.04 g
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 1st August 2018 - Saturday 15th September 2018
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Other reference: SCC receipt 017733
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Egan, G. | 1994 | Lead cloth seals and related items in the British Museum | London | Department of Medieval and Later Antiquities, British Museum |