File:BROOCH (FindID 879439).jpg

An incomplete gilded cast copper-alloy lozengiform strip brooch of middle early-medieval (8th- to early 9th-century) date. It is formed of one piece of metal wrought into a flat lozengiform plate with wire continuations at the longer apexes. At one end ithe break is a broken catch-plate. At the other end is a curved wire projection (c. 8.55mm) which is the incomplete coil for the spring and pin.

The plate has suffered some abrasions and larger losses at the smaller side apexes. The upper surface is decorated with four lozenges (c. 16.cmm in length, 12.65mm wide) within circumferential band consisting of two ridges with a central groove. In each lozenger is a chip-carved motif. Three of the lozenges are abraded and the decoration appear to consist of a crescentic motif, possibly zoomorphic. The final lozenge consists of a central lozenge with a pointed oval loop located at each of the cardinal points. On top of this is a square.

Gilding survives in places on the front face and possibly also evidence of tinning is visible in places.

From HAMP-CEBED7 "Such brooches with a lozengiform body and basic integral safety-pin type sprung pin have been published as late as 2000 as Bronze Age 'violin bow' brooches (e.g. Hattatt 2000, 281; refs. 1442, 1385). Geake (2001, 23-24) notes that recent examples from North Lincolnshire and Sedgeford (Norfolk) have confirmed a Middle Saxon date, with the more elaborate examples bearing the 'chip-carving' characteristic of 8th-century metalwork. New examples are coming to light through discovery and reclassification, some of which are recorded on this database, allowing for the creation of distribution maps of the type. See DENO-3FD883, SWYOR-B804D7, GLO-8D5E03, NMS-829627, LEIC-1D5537, SF7054, KENT1321 (no illustration) and NLM7136 (no illustration). Lozengiform strip brooches have recently been classified as Weetch Type 31.C, and this example has been illustrated in Weetch (2014, 186; no. 980)."