Rights Holder: North Lincolnshire Museum
CC License: 
Image use policy
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
PILGRIM BADGE
Unique ID: NLM-CB7717
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
Lead alloy pilgrim badge. Cast discoid badge with a border of a doubled line of pellets framing a facing mask with prominent eyes, nose and lips; an upper hair line appears though the subject appears clean-shaven. A pin seat and the stub of an opposed catch plate appear on the back. Spencer (1998, Pilgrim Souvenirs and Secular Badges; Medieval Finds from excavations in London, HMSO, pages 217-221, nos 235-237) implies this could be a souvenir from the shrine of the head of St John the Baptist at Amiens, France, of a style consistent with the period 1350-1450. In this case, the border would represent the plate upon which John's head was presented to the dancer Salome. The staring eyes may have been considered effective in repelling misfortune, as an echo of pagan belief regarding the deflection of the Evil Eye. The saint was popular in England, with 496 churches dedicated to him, and a minor English offshoot of the cult centred on what purported to be the executioner's block used at his execution, exhibited at the Church of SS Peter and Paul, Charing, Kent (Lewis nd, Saints and Their Badges: Saints' Lives and Medieval Pilgrim Badges, Greenlight Publishing, Witham, Essex, pages 145-148). Suggested date: Late Medieval, 1350-1450.
Diameter: 26.3mm, Thickness (clear of pin gear): 2.8mm, Weight: 9.75gms
Class: St John the Baptist at Amiens
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Late
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1350
Date to: Circa AD 1450
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Thickness: 2.8 mm
Weight: 9.75 g
Diameter: 26.3 mm
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 27th March 2019
Personal details
This information is restricted for your access level.
Other reference numbers
Other reference: NLM42849
Materials and construction
Primary material: Lead Alloy
Decoration style: Figurative
Completeness: Incomplete
Spatial metadata
Region: East Midlands (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Lincolnshire (County)
District: East Lindsey (District)
To be known as: North Ormsby
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis, M. | 2014 | Saints and their badges: Saints' Lives and Medieval Pilgrim Badges | Witham | Greenlight | pages 145-148 | ||
| Spencer, B. | 1998 | Medieval finds from excavations in London: 7, Pilgrim souvenirs and secular badges | London | Museum of London, The Stationary Office | pages 217-221 | nos 235-237 |
Similar objects
Find number: LON-BDFC73
Object type: PILGRIM BADGE
Broadperiod: MEDIEVAL
A Medieval to Post Medieval copper alloy pilgrim badge or pendant of St John the Baptist dating from AD 1450 -1550. The object is discoidal, …
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Find number: LON-2F4259
Object type: PILGRIM BADGE
Broadperiod: MEDIEVAL
An incoomplete Medieval lead alloy pilgrim badge of St John the Baptist dating from AD 1400 -1550. The object is discoidal…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Find number: NLM-BC2186
Object type: PILGRIM BADGE
Broadperiod: MEDIEVAL
Lead alloy pilgrim badge fragment. A heart or shield-shaped plate probably cut from the middle of a figurative badge, with a fringe of moulded…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Timeline of associated dates
About Us
About our Site
Find us
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG.
T: +44(0) 20 73238618