Record ID: NMS-6858CD
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Published
Description: Incomplete silver mount or dress fastener. One half (the lower half) is flat and undecorated with a curving lower edge. The other half has decoration of two high-relief C-shaped scrolls with their backs towards the flat half and their points upwards The point of one scroll has been lost, but the surviving scroll is open at the top, and appears to be in the shape of a flat ribbon which is wound up at either end, and the inner end bound to the inner end of the other scroll. Between the two scrolls, and partly within both halves, is a sub-oval o…
Created on: Monday 23rd October 2023
Last updated: Thursday 14th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-DC3BDB
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Published
Description: Gilded silver eye or catchpiece from a dress fastener, cast in one piece. The solid centre is triangular, with a raised (perhaps plain wire) border and sunken centre; this is filled with three raised or plain wire circles around a central pellet. At each corner is a partial rosette or trefoil, with a central pellet and three petals with sunken centres; where the fourth petal would be is taken up by the corner of the triangle. In the centre of one of the triangle's edges is a large loop forming the eye; this is D-shaped externally and almost circular internall…
Created on: Tuesday 12th January 2021
Last updated: Thursday 10th November 2022
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-3A996D
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Published
Description: Gold hook element from a dress fastener, of composite construction, consisting of a hook (now incomplete) and an applied plate made from several elements. The applied plate is built up on a backplate made from a piece of circular sheet gold about 7mm in diameter. This has a vertical gold sheet collar soldered around the edge, which may originally have held a setting of glass, gemstone, etc. Around the collar is a separate outer frame of circular-section gold wire about 1.5mm in diameter, which has fine transverse grooves all the way round its surface. A butt joint i…
Created on: Monday 24th August 2020
Last updated: Thursday 20th May 2021
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-AB3A70
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Published
Description: Post-medieval gilded silver dress fastener made in two parts soldered together. The plate is circular, slightly convex on the front, with the edge 'pinked' or cut into several small convex rounded scallops. This edge is interrupted in three places, each a quarter-way round the circle, for projecting lugs pierced with circular sewing holes; two have broken away and one is complete. Within this edge is a circular filigree border made from twisted wire; within this is a ring of 15 pellets, each one surrounded by a tiny collar of twisted wire. Next comes another circle of twi…
Created on: Tuesday 12th May 2020
Last updated: Monday 6th June 2022
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-0599E2
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Hook-piece from a copper-alloy blunt-hooked fastener of post-medieval date. It has an oval plate with relief decoration of a stylised face set within an oval made up of two swags of drapery. There are possible flowers or plant stems curling to either side. This is all set in a double ridged frame, with a broad groove between the ridges. The design is the right way up when the object is held with the hook to the right; the hook bends slightly backwards and then forwards, and is then broken (slightly worn break); it is 6mm wide at the break. There is a circular loop for attach…
Created on: Thursday 16th January 2020
Last updated: Tuesday 3rd March 2020
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: CAM-A1A4A8
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Cambridgeshire
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Catch-piece from a 17th-century dress fastener, made from copper alloy with a white-metal coating. It consists of a large central oval plate with a rectangular loop at one end and a small pierced D-shaped lobe, with terminal projection, at the other. Similar pierced D-shaped lobes are found on either side, set slightly closer to the rectangular loop than to the other end. One is complete and one is now broken and incomplete (fresh break). The dress fastener is decorated with a pattern of incised lines which radiate out from the centre of the rectangular loop, forming perhaps a plant-l…
Created on: Tuesday 30th June 2009
Last updated: Saturday 2nd August 2014
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: SF9021
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Catch-piece from a dress fastener. The plate is a tapering oval, with a slightly expanded rounded terminal at the apex which has relief decoration and a projecting pierced circular sewing lug. At the wider end is another transverse band of relief decoration, with a similar sewing lug at either end. In between, the plate is slightly convex and has a hollowed reverse. There is then a narrowed waist between the plate and the rectangular loop, which is now incomplete (old and worn breaks). 17th century. Although it is much more sophisticated in its design and construction than the us…
Created on: Tuesday 30th July 2002
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'SUFFOLK CODDENHAM', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF7414
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Oval catch-piece from a hooked dress fastener. In the centre of the long sides are two pierced, rounded, knopped lugs for sewing the fastener to the clothing. At one short end is a third, now broken. At the other short end is a wide rectangular loop into which a corresponding hook would have fitted. There is a ridge on one face between the oval plate and the rectangular loop. Both faces, front and back, are covered with white-metal coating, but neither appear to have the normal engraved decoration.
Created on: Thursday 15th November 2001
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'SUFFOLK STUSTON', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF7368
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Copper-alloy dress fastener with oval plate and broad incomplete hook. The oval plate is flat and decorated on one face with engraved straight lines and parts of circles. It has two complete sewing lugs just off the widest point and a broken one at one of the short ends. The complete ones are D-shaped with tiny knops and circular perforations. At the other short end is a broad hook with a transverse ridge at its base, which turns upwards (towards the decorated surface) before ending in an old break. There is a decayed grey white-metal coating on both surfaces.
Created on: Friday 9th November 2001
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'NACTON', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF6610
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Silver dress fastener with cast plate and applied wire loop. The plate is basically triangular, with a raised edge decorated with slight indentations to resemble beaded wire. In the centre of the triangle is a pellet, and there are six smaller pellets around, one in each corner and one in the centre of each side. Between the pellets, on the base of the plate, are three small circular indentations. At each corner is a trefoil which is formed the same way, with a raised border (this time not decorated), a central pellet and three circular indentations around it. On the reverse are filem…
Created on: Wednesday 22nd August 2001
Last updated: Thursday 19th May 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'Near Ipswich', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF6601
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Possible dress fastener made from copper-alloy wire wound into a knot. One end of the wire is tapered and forms a long projection with a right-angled corner, perhaps once a hook or loop. The other end is formed into a circle and then the end is interlaced around and through this loop. Perhaps early post-medieval.
Created on: Tuesday 21st August 2001
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'SUFFOLK GREAT GLEMHAM', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF5799
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Oval catchplate from a dress fastener. At one end of the oval plate is a long rounded pierced lug, with a small projection decorated with a relief scroll at either side forming a kind of fleur-de-lis shape. In the centre of each of the long sides of the oval is a small worn projection which may once have been a fleur-de-lis. At the other short end is a rectangular attachment loop with a small circular sewing loop at either side where it joins the oval. The oval plate itself has relief decoration of two raised borders with a beaded border in between, and within this a curvilinear desig…
Created on: Tuesday 5th June 2001
Last updated: Tuesday 15th July 2014
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'SUFFOLK SHIMPLING', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF5587
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Oval dress-fastener made from copper alloy. It has five D-shaped pierced sewing lugs, two along each long edge and one at one short end. At the other short end is a broken-off hook 8 mm wide which appears to have curved up and out, rather than down and under as they usually do. The plate is decorated with engraved lines and parts of circles, forming a ?plant motif. The surface is corroded but it may originally have had a white-metal coating.
Created on: Friday 11th May 2001
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'SUFFOLK FELIXSTOWE', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF4105
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Catch-piece from a dress fastener made of a silvery metal, probably a lead/tin alloy with a high proportion of tin. The plate is oval, and decorated with three concentric ridges around the edge; the central ridge is beaded. Within the ridges is a complicated and apparently asymmetric relief scrolly ?foliage design. Each of the long sides has a small decorative projecting lug; one of the short sides has a much larger trefoil lug with two pellets and a perforation. The other short side has a rectangular loop in which to engage the matching hook, with a small circular perforated lug on e…
Created on: Wednesday 6th December 2000
Last updated: Monday 23rd June 2014
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'SUFFOLK PARHAM', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF4078
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Possible double-hooked fastener. A length of squarish-section rod (2 to 2.5 mm square) has each tapering end bent round to form a hook. The points of the hooks are not sharp, and they have a gap of 3.5 mm between them. The gap is slightly off-centre. The sides of the fastener have some filemarks visible, and a longitudinal line which hints that the object may have been made from rolling and hammering sheet. The total length is 27 mm and the total width 14 mm. Similar double-hooked fasteners, often with very sharp hooks, are known from middle Anglo-Saxon contexts (e.g. Hamwic) but they…
Created on: Tuesday 5th December 2000
Last updated: Wednesday 16th March 2016
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'SUFFOLK COMBS', grid reference and parish protected.

Record ID: SF3982
Object type: DRESS FASTENER (DRESS)
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
County: Suffolk
Workflow stage: Published
Tiny silver catch-piece from a dress fastener. The plate is in the form of a shell, nicely modelled in three dimensions, and at the narrow apex of the shell is a transversely set oval loop. Around the loop there is engraved decoration which may represent stylised foliage. In both of the angles between the shell and the loop is a small circular sewing loop.
Created on: Wednesday 29th November 2000
Last updated: Thursday 24th February 2011
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'SUFFOLK HEMINGSTONE', grid reference and parish protected.