Record ID: LON-72E166
Object type: KNIFE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete horn knife handle of uncertain date. The handle is from a tang knife and is probably made of horn. The handle would have had two metal band just in from either end. At one end it flares out to 21.22mm. The handle has an off centre rectangular aperture for the tang of the blade.  Dimensions: length: 66.59mm; diameter: 14.60mm; weight: 15.54mm
Created on: Tuesday 5th September 2023
Last updated: Thursday 7th September 2023
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-78B66F
Object type: BEAD
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A late medieval to early post-medieval bone rosary bead dating from AD 1450-1550. The bead is a memento mori type with a forward facing young female bust on one side probably depicting Maria (Mary) and on the other side a skull to ‘remember thy mortality’. The female figure is wearing late Medieval fashion consisting of a wimple, the cloth headdress covering the head, neck, and the sides of the face. The bead is pierced vertically with a central perforation for suspension on a rosery. After Queen Elizabeth I (…
Created on: Thursday 24th February 2022
Last updated: Friday 8th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-9337E9
Object type: TUNING PEG
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A Medieval bone tuning peg probably dating 13th - 15th century. The tuning peg has a circular sectioned shank with a perforation at one end, through which the string would have passed. At the opposite end the cross-section changes to square approximately 10mm from the end. Similar tuning pegs are published in MacGregor (1985:147) and MacGregor, Mainman & Rogers (1999:1978) they note that a key would have fitted over the square end to tune instruments such as harps, lyres or fiddles. The published examples date from the late 12th century - the end of the 13th century (MacGregor 198…
Created on: Monday 8th November 2021
Last updated: Tuesday 6th September 2022
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-0307CC
Object type: TUNING PEG
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A Medieval bone tuning peg dating froom the 13th-15th century. The tuning peg has a circular sectioned shank with a perforation at one end, through which the string would have passed. At the opposite end the pin is broken the with the square head now missing. Similar tuning pegs are published in MacGregor (1985:147) and MacGregor, Mainman & Rogers (1999:1978) they note that a key would have fitted over the square end to tune instruments such as harps, lyres or fiddles. The published examples date from the late 12th century - the end of the 13th century (MacGregor 1985:147) and th…
Created on: Thursday 16th January 2020
Last updated: Monday 20th January 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-D85052
Object type: PARCHMENT PRICKER
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete Medieval to Post Medieval bone or ivory parchment-pricker dating to the 13th-16th century. The shaft has a circular cross-section and tapers towards the tip, which is socketed to accommodate the iron tip which is missing. At the opposite end the stylus has a globular head with a three banded collar below. The parchment pricker is a mid-dark brown in colour. Dimensions: length: 69.40mm; diameter of head: 8.67mm; weight: 2.77g These objects were in use throughout the medieval period though most parallels are from the later 13th -16th century, AD.1270-1600 (Egan 1…
Created on: Tuesday 14th January 2020
Last updated: Tuesday 14th January 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-5C2F2D
Object type: KNIFE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete Medieval ivory knife handle dating from AD 1100-1500. The handle consists of a rectangular section, which tapers to the grip, and a circular terminal at the widest end. The handle has a squared section. The handle is broken towards the blade end. The object is decorated with dots and a double linear engraving lines running around the edges of the rectangular section. The dots form a series of quatrefoils running up the centre of the handle, with larger quatrefoil or cross in the circular terminal formed of smaller dots around a larger central dot. There is also a border …
Created on: Tuesday 16th October 2018
Last updated: Monday 22nd October 2018
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-717F59
Object type: DIE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A late Medieval to Post Medieval bone cuboid false dice dating 15th-16th century. The numbers are indicated by a ring and dot motifs; The die only has high numbers with opposite sides having the same number 6:6, 5:5, and 4:4. This type of false die were known as high 'despatchers', die having only low number 1-3 being known as low 'despatchers'. Dimensions: length: 6.69mm; width: 6.61mm; thickness: 6.74mm; Weight: 0.58g. Reference: Egan, G. 1997. Dice. Finds Research Group 700-1700, Datasheet 23. The Museum of London has an example of a bird feeder which contained 24 dice ins…
Created on: Monday 30th October 2017
Last updated: Tuesday 7th November 2017
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-61D8A7
Object type: PARCHMENT PRICKER
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A complete medieval - post medieval animal skeletal material stylus or parchment pricker dating 13th-15th century. The shaft has a circular cross section and tapers towards the tip which is socketed to accommodate the iron tip which is not present. At the opposite the bone has been carved to form globular knop under which there is further turned bead and collar decoration. The parchment pricker has a mid-dark brown pattination. Dimensions: length: 92.82 mm; diameter: 7.90mm; weight: 5.56g. Stylii such as these were in use throughout the medieval period though most parallels are …
Created on: Thursday 6th April 2017
Last updated: Monday 24th April 2017
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-3A624E
Object type: KNIFE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete Post Medieval bone knife handle dating from AD 1500 -1700. The knife is a two-piece handle with an iron scale tang with two bone or ivory scale plates. Each plate is decorated with incised design consisting of three bands with double saltires and at the curved top there are ring and dot, with three on one side and two on the other. The plates are fixed to the tang with three iron rivets. A similar knife handle is illustrated in Crummy (1987:76 fig 3100) The iron tang is corroded and has split one of the bone plates. Only a small part of the blade remains and this is heav…
Created on: Thursday 23rd March 2017
Last updated: Wednesday 14th June 2017
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-F6F4D5
Object type: KNIFE
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A fragment of an Early-Medieval to Medieval zoomorphic ivory knife handle dating to the AD 900 -1500. The knife handle is split longitudinal with less than half remaining. The knife has a zoomorphic terminal with the head of an animal or beast. The creature has one round eye and one diamond shaped, its nose is made of an inset subcircular crystal or glass. The creature has an open mouth with three sharp teeth on the top and two on the bottom. The handle has two more drill holes oposite each other mid way down the remaining piece, most likely for more inset crystals or glass, these are…
Created on: Wednesday 18th January 2017
Last updated: Friday 20th January 2017
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: LON-389524
Object type: PIN
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Published
An incomplete pig fibula pin or needle dating from Roman to Post medieval period. one end has been sharpened to a point and the opposite end has been carved to form a flat projection with a circular hole drilled into the end. The bone has taken on a dark brown coloured patination. Crummy (1988:06 fig. 4) illustrates a similar pin. Dimensions: length: 84.41mm; width: 10.20mm; thickness: 5.76mm; weigh 4.88g. Similar pin or needles on the database are LON-9F672D and BERK-3DA771. References: Crummy, N. 1988. The post-Roman small finds from excavations in Colchester 1971-85. Colch…
Created on: Monday 9th January 2017
Last updated: Monday 30th March 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: PUBLIC-5D9B16
Object type: PARCHMENT PRICKER
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Greater London Authority
Workflow stage: Published
A complete Medieval to Post Medieval bone or ivory parchment-pricker dating to the 13th-16th century. The shaft has a circular cross-section and tapers towards the tip, which is socketed to accommodate the iron tip which survives. At the opposite end the stylus has been carved to form a terminal in the form of an acorn. There is a series of seven incised lines around the shaft of the stylus 2.5cm from the top of the acorn terminal. The parchment pricker is a mid-dark brown in colour. Dimensions: length: 69.29mm; width: 6.97mm; weight: 2.19g. These objects were in use throughout …
Created on: Friday 13th November 2015
Last updated: Thursday 7th March 2019
Spatial data recorded.