367 (17)

340

Dress Accessories

Tin rumbler bells with four petal-like tabs cast in one with loop:

A morę common type of tin rumbler beli, which first occurs in deposits of the late 13th century (ceramic phase 9) was cast in a spherical form. As with the previous type, the loop was included in the casting. A seam linę runs round the beli from the loop, with the lower half of the seam left open so that the pea could be inserted. The sides of the

beli were then pushed together to prevent the pea escaping. This method of assembly was appropriate in view of the softness of the metal. Such bells were decorated with simple ribs run-ning vertically from the loop and horizontally round the girth.

	site	accession number	context	ceramic phase	description
1668	BIG82	3400	3232	7	Tin (AML); complete; decorated with bands of opposed hatching; (petals unfolded during conservation); h 18mm.
1669	BIG82	2702	3512	7	Tin (AML); complete but flattened; decoration as above, but with a circle and dot in each corner; h c.l6mm.
1670	BIG82	3070	5277	7	Tin (AML); complete; decoration as above, but with no dot in circle; h 20mm.
1671	SWA81	2405	1594	9	Tin (AML); complete; decoration as no. 1668; h 17mm.

White metal (tin) rumbler bells cast in one with loop, and decorated with a linear pattem:

site accession context ceramic description number    phase

1672	SWA81	396	2018	9
1673	SWA81	528	2040	9
1674	SWA81	2116	2065	9
1675	BWB83	1516	222	9
1676	BWB83	2053	367	9
1677	BWB83	2317	286	11
1678	BWB83	4627	287	11
1679	BWB83	2723	328	11
1680	BWB83	2717	329	11
1681	BWB83	3661	359	11
1682	BWB83	5033	399	11
1683	BWB83	730	306	12
A third type, which,			on	preser

Tin with a smali amount of copper and zinc added to the pea (AML); complete, decorated with 5 vertical and (?) 3 transverse ribs; d c.l7mm, flattened

Complete, decorated with 5 vertical and 4 transverse ribs; d c.lfimm

Complete except for pea; decoration similar to preceding one; flattened

As no. 1674; 4 vertical and 4 transverse ribs; flattened

As no. 1674 but loop broken; (?)5 and 3 transverse ribs; flattened

As no. 1674; 4 vertical and 3 transverse ribs; flattened

As no. 1674; 3 vertical ribs; flattened

As no. 1674; (?) 4 vertical and 3 transverse ribs; flattened

Tin (AML); as no. 1674; 5 vertical and 4 transverse ribs; flattened

As no. 1674; 3 vertical and 3 transverse ribs; flattened

As no. 1674; 4 vertical and 5 transverse ribs; flattened

Tin (AML); complete; 4 vertical and 3 transverse ribs; d 17mm

evidence,

appears not to have been introduced before the 14th century, copied brass rumbler bells in having a spherical body madę in two halves, which reąuired soldering together round the girth. As on the brass bells, the resulting seam formed an area of weakness. Casting the beli in two halves also enabled an aperture, which resembles those in brass bells, to be cut in the lower half. However, unlike brass rumbler bells, the loop was cast as part of the upper half of the beli, but it

tended to break sińce it was joined to the body at one point rather than two, in contrast to the previous two types. One beli of this type is decorated with a cheąuered pattem (no. 1688, fig 221); it is the only example which has been identified as pewter. The others appear to have been left plain like contemporary ones madę from copper alloy.