Record ID: NMS-E4B6BD
Object type: PENCIL
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A complete lead alloy pencil of Medieval to Post-Medieval date. The object is in the form of a rod with a sub-circular cross-section, tapering over the last centimetre to a blunted point. It is undecorated with a mid-grey patina. The object is 65.4mm long, 6.7mm in diameter and weighs 19.04g. Circa.AD 1200-1800 A stylus is a writing implement used to scratch letters into the wax of a writing tablet while a pencil makes a coloured mark on wood, paper or parchment. Lead alloy is rarely used for objects that appear to be conventional styli, with the majority of such objects most pro…
Created on: Friday 14th May 2021
Last updated: Tuesday 14th December 2021
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SF7780
Object type: PENCIL
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Lead rod, sub-triangular in cross-section, with one end tapering to a conical point. One face is more or less flat and the other two faces have a broad longitudinal flute. The apex between the two fluted sides is decorated with two longitudinal lines of dots; the centre of the flat reverse is decorated with a short longitudinal line of dots near the pointed end. The manufacture of this object is a little careless and it is now slightly bent. The use of lead pencils is still not really understood. At Winchester they are found mainly in 13th- or 14th-century contexts, and it was thou…
Created on: Wednesday 2nd January 2002
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'BRANDON', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF7410
Object type: PENCIL
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Piece of lead which may have been adapted for use as a pencil. A crude ingot, D-shaped in cross-section and tapering slightly, its narrower end has had small facets removed to form a point (now a little worn and rounded). The wider end is flattened, as often found on medieval pencils. The D-shaped cross-section, however, is unconventional.
Created on: Thursday 15th November 2001
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'WORLINGTON', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF7281
Object type: PENCIL
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Pointed lead rod which may be a lead pencil. It is oval in cross-section at the top, 5 x 7 mm, with a small indentation in the top. The oval cross-section may be the result of squashing, as it becomes much more nearly circular towards the bottom (6 mm diameter). One side is cut away to form an off-centre point, a little like a pen nib. Total length is 36.5 mm. Lead pencils are not generally supposed to have been used for long after the invention of graphite pencils in the late 16th century, but they are fairly common detector finds and often look very modern. This one looks earli…
Created on: Tuesday 30th October 2001
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'BADINGHAM', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF4390
Object type: PENCIL
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Slightly irregular but straight-sided cylinder of lead, 7 mm in diameter, with longitudinal ?constructional grooves. One end is cut straight across and appears to be an original end. The other has been flattened (cut?) to a gently curved sharp edge. These are fairly common detector finds but their identification is at present uncertain. Lead pencils are supposed to have gone out of use in the 16th century, but these neatly made examples look much later.
Created on: Tuesday 16th January 2001
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'SUFFOLK STONHAM ASPAL', grid reference and parish protected.