329 (26)

Pins

301

200 Pins from a late 14th-century deposit in London. The two on the left have solid heads and the three on the right have wound-wire heads (2:1)

been stamped fiat (fig 200). The wire was twisted round the shank in either a Z or a S-direction; two twists were usual which corresponds to Chris-topher Caple’s findings and indicates that there was a uniformity of head wire length throughout the industry (Capie 1986, 140-3). Generally wound-wire pinheads are smaller than those which were wrought.

Pins with decorative heads from the 14th and early 15th centuries fali into five groups. A red coral head distinguishes one type, of which three, all from 14th-century deposits, are represented here (colour pl 7D, nos. 1471-72, fig 199, no. 1473). Two of these have been suit narily pub-lished before, when the head was tentatively identified as red jasper (Henig 1974, 196, nos.

199 Pins with decorated heads, except no. 1488 which is silver (1:1)

137-8 fig 40). The third example is a morę recent find and was identified as coral at the Ancient Monuments Laboratory by Maijorie Hutchinson. The coral heads, unlike those madę from glass, are pierced through the centre with a hole. This was probably accomplished with a fine Steel drill similar to that described by Theophilus for pierc-ing pearls (Hawthome and Smith 1979, 191-2). To fix the head on the shank, a smali length of wire was twisted round the shank and soldered in place to form a collar. Next the head was placed onto the shank coming to rest on top of the wire collar. The protruding shank was then cut off just above the coral head and hammered fiat so that the metal splayed outwards securing the coral in place. Coral beads were attached to wire in a similar manner for use on other omaments of dress and display, such as brooches, pendants, crowns and relkjuaries, and their use as pinheads may have developed from this. (See pp 309-11 for the work-