298 (39)

270

Dress Accessories

Table 5 Brooches - metals used

1 1 Copper i i	2	I I I	-1-1—[— 1 1 1 1 i 4 i i i i i	10	-r I I I	I I 5 i i	i i i	1	23
i L.ead/tin with ^1separate pin .	1	I I I I	i i i i i i 3 i 4 i i i i i	8	t~ I I I	i i i i 1 5 i i	i i i i	-	22
Lead / tin with ^1integral pin _1_	-	I I I I	1 1 1 i i i i i i i 1 i	1	I I I I i	I I I I 7 i i	i i l l i	14	22
i 1 Silver i	2	t I I I	i l 1 1 1 1 1i-ii i i i	-	I I I I	| j I I 1 i i	i i l l	-	2
1 ^1 1 1 Years (AD) uso i 1		^1 1 1200 i 1 i	i i i i |—i—\— ^1 1250^1 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1	i i | i i 1300	I I I | I I I I 1350 l | I l ■ ^ I ^		^1 1 ^11400 I I 1 1	i i i 1450 -i n_w	Total 69
v-»eramie rnase i i i '	o	l 1 1	7—8-*-i r i i i i i i i i i	* 9	I I l	u i i i i i i	^ I ^M 1 1 1	12—►

very crude object, which the present-day com-mentator may find surprising in association with the precious metal. The silver (or silver-coated) pin on copper-alloy brooch no. 1339 appears similarly anomalous. Tin coating was applied to several of the other copper-alloy brooches. The absence of iron (apart from a few of the wire pins) emphasises the importance of the decorative aspect of these accessories (by contrast the functional plain, circular buckles include many iron examples).

Little direct comparison is possible between these recent finds and the brooches, mainly of silver and gold, but including a few of copper alloy, from North Britain published by Callander (1924, 160-84). The assertion (Ward-Perkins 1940, 274) that these specific types were re-stricted to the north no longer holds true in all cases (cf Cherry 1985, 21 & 23-24 figs 17, 2 & 18). There is no octagonal brooch among the recent finds to compare with those from Scotland. This may be a reflection of the limits of the sample recovered in London.

The annular London brooches, among which there is a great diversity of decoration, make up almost a third of the total listed above. Spiralling ornament around the frame was popular, and took several different forms, with further variety achieved, for instance, by restricting the spirals to different areas of the frame and leaving the remainder plain. Annular brooches were apparently used up to the 18th century in rural Gloucestershire (Evans 1921, 40). Multiple lobed and geometrie forms are also prominent, with crude figurative motifs present from the mid 13th century, but naturalistic representations became much morę popular in the early 15th century.

The remarkable crudeness of the least accom-plished lead/tin alloy brooches among the recent finds (nos. 1320 & 1321, figs 162 & 163) is the morę striking when contrasted with the elegance of some of the others (eg no. 1314, fig 161 & colour pl 6A). Although it is madę of base metal, no. 1319 (fig 162) is as elaborately manufactured as comparable examples in gold, and a lot of work on a smali scalę went into putting the rather crude decoration in the mould for evenly for lozenge-shaped brooch no. 1344 (fig 165 & colour pl 6E), and on twisting the wire evenly for nos. 1339-41 (fig 164).

The collets on some copper and lead/tin exam-ples contain separate glass or pastę stones (nonę is of a natural minerał), while others of lead/tin (nos. 1323, 1328, 1332 and 1345-49 - colour pl