The site in Harlton has been harvested but not ploughed or harrowed, however that hasn’t stopped me picking up a few Roman grots and an absolutely beautiful Wirral Brooch:

What a beauty eh?

The Wirral brooch is a type of Roman bow brooch found mainly on the Wirral peninsula in the North West of Britain. First noted in 1999 by Philpott, it is a distinctive type both stylistically and geographically. There are 102 brooches known plus another 10 variants.

• A head-loop
• A stepped head – often decorated or enamelled
• A rectangular panel with 3 strips infilled with enamel in alternate colours on the upper bow
• A stud/boss at the waist of the brooch
• Steep profile to the bow
• Disc-shaped moulding on the foot
• The catchplate usually stops before the foot

After some research on the net I discovered it was a TYPE IIIA - types which are typically square or rectangular double loops  and manufactured between 1400-1500AD.
Buckles of this form do not appear to be so commonly found. MIne is a number 97 which has two straight sides and the other two ends are of baluster shape.

Nice buckle I thought – shame its broken….

Last weekend, as I waited for the crops to ripen and the land I am allowed to detect on become available, I thought I would take a wander along the same field boundary where I found the medieval buckle, hoping, in all honesty to find a hammered coin…Instead, much to my delight, I found the missing link!

Medieval Buckle (1400-1500) - With Missing Corner!

She’s a little beauty isn’t she?!

I didn’t find any hammered coins on the outing but I have to say finding that little corner section made my day

...bottom right shows the corner I found three years after the main buckle was unearthed!

It is a good question and there have been numerous books and papers and articles written on the science of research and investigation. The bottom line for me though is very simple…. I use my eyes.

With a trained eye on every walk you go on you can find evidence of our prehistoric, early historic, medieval and modern past. For example, I took my dog Daisy for a walk the other Saturday morning. In thirty minutes I had found a Neolithic flint scraper, three fragments of 3rd century Roman pottery, and countless fragments of 19th century pottery.

The signs of human habitation are literally scattered everywhere. I am sure everyone in the UK is familiar with the blue and white china associated with the infamous Willow Pattern design popular in the 18th thru the 19th and even the 20th century. Well, if you think about it, that covers all Monarchs from around 1780 right thru to Elizabeth II. To save you looking that up that includes everybody from George IIII thru William and Mary, it includes Victoria, a couple of Edwards and another George. Imagine the coinage and artefacts of the time, imagine the changes in society, industrial and agrarian revolutions….all leaving traces in the ground….indicated by blue and white pottery scatters in a field near you.

Going back stil further, what do you make of this?

Oyster anyone?

It is an oyster shell. So…………Romans adored oysters! If you find one or two of these sitting on top of the plough soil, you are in luck, there might be at least a Romano-British settlement nearby or you have found evidence of RB agricultural practice (that is a polite way of saying manuring…I went to to University for three years to learn that).

The message is simple then, wherever you go, keep your eyes down and look for clues…then get permission from a farmer and away you go!

Beardy King John - holding a sceptre

And then the reverse…..

Reverse shows short cross with four pellets in each of the quadrants.

After cleaning the coin I thought I would ask the UKFD folks what they thought of it…and here it is!

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showrecords.php?product=30085

Nice huh?

This is what I got back:
Regrettably your record isn’t eligible for inclusion on the database. This may be due to the object being outside the scope of eligible items (e.g. nondescript or too recent), the condition being too poor, or the object being too incomplete…

I do get what they mean and that’s why their site and resource is very useful for checking on finds/categories/types and topologies…

But my Token is different, it tells its own story, its not pretty but is is nevertheless interesting…harumpf!

That being said, when there is a frost….yes its cold and yes your fingers hurt…and yes under the frosted surface it is still as sticky as ever BUT…you can still find stuff…

These two coins came from a field between Gt Eversden and Kingston….Top right is a Victorian Half Penny (1868?), the one bottom left….hmmm:

The Victorian half penny is incredibly worn, due to being in circulation for a long time I guess. Whilst the bust is recognisable as Victoria the reverse is barely recognisable. There is no indication that Britannia is depicted but there is a tell tale digit if you look closely enough:

So, tantilizingly, I can’t be certain what date the coin is – is it 1860 or 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or even 9!

If it is 1860 and had Half Penny on the reverse it is a bronze version of the coin, which is very rare. If it doesn’t have Half Penny on the reverse then it is a copper variant…and I just cant tell!

So what of the other fella…at 27mm in diameter it is larger than a half penny.  Ok….on the obverse there is nothing….uhuh…and on the reverse? Nothing. But there appears to have been an attempt to bend it across one or maybe two planes….hmmmm

Extremely puzzling then. I have trawled the ‘net for copper blanks and not really found anything like it at all. Mind you what do you search for….A copper (?) blank (?) coin (?) slightly bigger than a ha-penny! Even the Google-ites get stumped with that kind of query. Then I found this:

“In later centuries, especially the 18th and 19th centuries, coins were still used as love tokens. They were hand made; created by the young men to give to their sweethearts and in some instances were given by soldiers and sailors before they went abroad in case they were to die. These examples though were always flat. The poorer working classes usually made there love tokens from copper coins, although these were occasionally saved so a silver coin could be obtained. A wealthy man on the other hand would use a silver or even a gold coin. Love tokens vary in size from the cartwheel penny of George III, to the smaller farthings. They were simple to make, although a highly decorative piece was usually achieved. The coin was rubbed down, usually on both sides, until the monarch’s head, Britannia and other details of design had been removed. The man then engraved or stamped his own pattern and wording onto the blank disc. When considered that most men who did this were low skilled and illiterate, some of the results are quite remarkable. The decorations varied from finely designed examples down to very crude ones. They included symbols of romance, such as hearts pierced with arrows. Cupid’s bow and arrow, flowers, love birds and lovers’ knots, with either the initials of the maker or the receiver.”  See here for full article…http://relic-hunter.50megs.com/whats_new.html

So….a Love Token eh? Well maybe….all I can tell you is..its another one of those finds that make this hobby fascinating. Take a look  - what do you think?

4th Century Hoard?

So…now you forgive me for being a little late in my postings eh? Well, Following initial field walking performed by the Cambridge Archaeological Field Group (CAFG),I undertook further surveys of an area reported to contain a scatter of Romano-British pottery. Using field walking techniques and metal detecting, 23 Roman coins have been discovered. These may signify a dispersed hoard.

Hoards are typically placed in pottery containers and buried under ground. If these hoards are not recovered, ploughing can disturb the contents and eventually spread the interred coins across a field. This may have been the case for this find area in Harlton.

Of the twenty-three coins discovered, two are silver, the remaining are copper-alloy. According to the 1996 Treasure Act “All coins from the same find provided they are at least 300 years old when found” are regarded as Treasure Trove. Therefore the group has been reported to the Cambridgeshire Finds Liaison Officer.  The local Coroner will determine whether the find is indeed Treasure. If the finds are deemed to be treasure, the British Museum will then determine whether they or any other Museum wishes to acquire the coins from the Crown. The value of the coins will be determined by the Treasure Valuation Committee, and both the landowner and the finder are eligible to receive a share of the reward.

Siliqua Constantius II

Two Roman silver coins have been found. The larger of the two is known as a Siliqua. The smaller of the two is either: another Siliqua, which has been heavily clipped in antiquity, or more likely, represents a half-Siliqua. The Emperor depicted on the Siliqua is Flavius Julius Constantius (August 7, 317 – November 3, 361), commonly known as Constantius II, Roman Emperor from 337 to 361. The youngest son of Emperor Constantine, Constantius had a long and successful reign. He was a Christian Emperor following his fathers’ (Constantine The Great) promotion of the faith.

Half Siliqua - Constantius II

Of the remaining 21 Copper Alloy coins, at least five, again, depict Emperor Constantius II. These coins are of a type known as AE3 – typically 1.7 to 2.3 cm in diameter. Another copper-alloy AE3 coin appears to be from the reign of Caius Pius Esuvius Tetricus, Emperor of the Gallic Empire (Imperium Galliarum) from 270/271 to 273. If confirmed this might have an impact on the decision of the coroner as this shows the collection of the coins was spread over 90 years. The remaining coins are a mixture of AE3 and AE2 and in poor condition and difficult to attribute other than being 4thC.

Tetricus I - The last of The Gallic Emperors, who separated Gaul and Britain from the direct rule of Rome. Ultimately defeated in battle and paraded as a Tyrant his life was spared and he became a civil servant in southern Italy.( Note the Radiate Crown)

As well as the 23 coins discovered a large scatter of 3rd-4th Romano-British pottery was found. The rim shards shown in the top right of the picture are from standard cooking vessels and serving platters. One small fragment of Gaulish (2d Century?) Samian ware was recovered. Other copper-alloy finds include a 3rd century Roman Finger ring, and a fragment of possible bracelet (L-R under the coins). In the top left of the photograph a lead steel yard weight is shown, another typical find from rural Roman sites. Large amounts of lead waste were also recovered, though hard to date, these are again typical for the period (bottom left of photo). To the bottom right under the pottery…an intriguing fragment of a coin or medal…. diameter3.5cm….more to follow on this on I am sure…..

Coins - Pot Sherds - Rings and things

I can’t wait to hear what the BM say about the coins…though I have heard it takes about a year to get a decision out of the Coroner….so I won’t be seeing the coins again in a hurry. ….I will keep you posted I promise

This means my opportunities for discovering more of Eversden’s past dramatically increase though I still need to work on some of the local landowners to get permission. Typically the most interestings sites seem to be on their land….there are only so many buttons and modern half pennies I need to find!

Watch this space….

Autumn Sky - Ok boys start those tractors!

So from left to right top to bottom:

Type IIIc 1600-1700

Type IIId 1600-1700

Type IIb 1600-1700

Type IIIb 1600-1700

Type IIIc 1500-1600

Type IIIc 1485-1600

1400-1500

1400-1500

1850-1900

1850-1900

1450-1600

1350-1500

Type Ib 1250-1350

What I love about the buckles is the fact they were used daily and were so functional, no zips or poppers, studs or toggles….just a good old fashioned leather strap and a buckle…until the leather broke or the buckle split or the pin dropped off….

Ring-A-Ding-D

There is a great history of the crotal bell here: http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/crotal-bells.html, but to summarise I can tell you that they were made from the 13th to the 19th century and used for horse harness decoration and for placing on leather ties around the neck of sheep and cattle in order for the shepherd or herder to locate his or her flock.

My collection – which I think I have in order ranges from the 14th to the late 18th century – running left to right as you look at it. Some crotal bells have their makers mark stamped on the bottom, I haven’t managed to determine that yet on any of mine but at the rate I going it wont be long before I get a good makers mark.

Some of my bells still have their “P” inside so they ring out clear and crisp and it makes you think that a few sheep with these tied around their necks would have made a heck of a din gamboling up and down the fields…

The bells are so wonderful to hold being extremely ergonomic and wonderfully patinated, it really cheers me up when I find one.