COURT FARM, WOOKEY, SOMERSET METALWORK REPORT for Context One Archaeological Services AsF Report : 0010.01 Sept ember 2014 www.smallfinds.org.uk COURT FARM, WOOKEY, SOMERSET METALWORK REPORT Prepared for Context One Archaeological Services Brickfield Offices, Mapert on Wincant on, Somerset , BA9 8EG working for Harrison Brookes Archit ect s on behalf of Mr St uart Moore by Jörn Schuster AsF Report : 0010. 02 Sept ember 2014 DOI: 10.13140/ 2.1.5121.4086 Disclaimer: This document has been prepared f or t he t it led proj ect or named part t hereof and should not be relied upon or used f or any ot her proj ect wit hout an independent check being carried out as t o it s suit abilit y and prior writ t en aut horit y of ARCHÆOLOGICALsmallFINDS being obt ained. ARCHÆOLOGICALsmallFINDS accept s no responsibilit y or liabilit y f or t he consequences of t his document being used f or a purpose ot her t han t he purposes f or which it was commissioned. Any person/ part y using or relying on t he document f or such ot her purposes agrees, and will by such use or reliance be t aken t o conf irm t heir agreement t o indemnif y ARCHÆOLOGICALsmallFINDS f or all loss or damage result ing t heref rom. ARCHÆOLOGICALsmallFINDS accept s no responsibilit y or liabilit y f or t his document t o any part y ot her t han t he person/ part y by whom it was commissioned. © ARCHÆOLOGICALsmallFINDS 2014 all right s reserved T 01747 820216 E info@smallfinds.org.uk Court Farm, Wookey, Somerset – Met alwork Report 1. Introduction ARCHÆOLOGICALsmallFINDS (AsF) was commissioned by Cont ext One Archaeological Services Lt d, working for Harrison Brookes Archit ect s on behalf of Mr St uart Moore, t o provide a report for publicat ion of an assemblage of met alwork found during archaeological invest igat ions at Court Farm, Wookey, Wells, Somerset (COAS ref. C1/ EVA/ 12/ CWW). The sit e cont ains t he remains of t he medieval episcopal manor house (palace) of t he Bishops of Wells (Scheduled Monument : No:27961), part s of which have been incorporat ed int o a Grade II*-list ed post -medieval farm house (Somerset Hist oric Environment Record No. 23005; Tabor 2013, 1). 2. Methodology The obj ect s were examined visually and, where required, wit h hand lenses (x4, x8 magnificat ion). The obj ect s had not been cleaned prior t o analysis, but in most cases it was possible t o gat her furt her det ails from X-radiographies. Obj ect ident ificat ion, measurement s, including weight , and det ailed descript ions as well as cont ext ual det ails were ent ered int o an Excel spreadsheet (an ext ract of which is at t ached at t he end of t his document ). 3. The Metalwork Assemblage The assemblage comprises 15 met al obj ect s (excluding coins), including obj ect s of copper alloy (one of which was silver-plat ed), iron and lead alloy (Table 1). The obj ect s were recovered from six cont ext s in four different t renches. A high degree of residualit y is t o be expect ed wit hin t he assemblage as t he maj orit y of it ems was found in modern t opsoil or demolit ion levelling deposit s. The four obj ect s from t he fill (1016) of culvert 1015 in t rench 10 are t he only it ems wit h a medieval cont ext dat e. The met al small finds in t his report will be discussed in groups of funct ional cat egories following Crummy (1983, 5–6). 3 Court Farm, Wookey, Somerset – Met alwork Report Table 1. Number of obj ect s per f unct ion cat egory and mat erial. Function Group Personal Household Tool Fit t ing Building Uncert ain Total CuA 2 2 Iron Lead 1 7 1 2 10 4 1 Total 2 2 1 7 1 2 15 Personal Adornment or Dress A but t on and a buckle are t he only obj ect s belonging in t his cat egory. Figure 1. Copper alloy but t on f rom cont ext 501. The but t on (Figure 1) was found on t he east side of t he bakehouse in t rench 5 on t he t hin t opsoil layer (501) covering a modern drain. The large but t on is probably made of t ombak, an alloy of copper and zinc which was commonly used for t he product ion of but t ons during t he 18t h cent ury (Bailey 2004). It has a single loop soldered t o it s back and t he front is decorat ed wit h a band of st amped crescent s near t he disc edge, bordered on t he inside by faint line of small dot s. A comparable, but not similar but t on is known from Ludgvan, Cornwall (PAS ID: CORN-EF4AD7). Figure 2. Copper alloy buckle f rom cont ext 1016. 4 Court Farm, Wookey, Somerset – Met alwork Report The small copper alloy buckle (Figure 2) was recovered from t he fill (1016) of culvert 1015 in t rench 10. It has an undecorat ed oval frame wit h an int egral t hin cent ral bar. The front and half of t he back of t he slight ly asymmet rical frame are bevelled t owards t he out er edge. Such simple buckles are commonly dat ed t o period bet ween t he second half of t he 17t h and t he beginning of t he 18t h cent uries (Whit ehead 1996, 48, nos 278-9; Egan in Griffit hs et al. 2007, 215 pl. 44, 2991). Many have been found wit h folded sheet met al plat es, suggest ing a use as shoe buckles, alt hough t hose wit hout plat es would also have been suit able for breeches. From t he more t han 50 buckles recorded (and phot ographed) on t he Port able Ant iquit y Scheme (PAS) dat abase, it appears t hat t hese buckles are more frequent ly found in cent ral and sout hern England, wit h part icularly good comparisons recorded from East Sussex, Oxfordshire and Wilt shire (PAS IDs: SUSS-C10C76, HAMP-708050 [Brought on, Oxon.], WILT-0BCB02, SOM-7E6992 [Market Lavingt on, Wilt s.]). Household ut ensils Two t ea spoons were collect ed from t he t opsoil (501) in t rench 5. Bot h would originally probably have had a silver surface; but while it is likely t hat t he hallmarked example was silver-plat ed copper alloy, t he met hod of surface t reat ment of t he ot her, slight ly damaged example could not be ascert ained. The lat t er had an oval bowl wit h a narrower t ip and a flat handle wit h a lat eral decorat ion of probably lanceolat e leaves int erspersed wit h dashdot s visible on t he X-radiograph. The hallmarked spoon feat ured a near parallel-sided oval bowl, a balust ered st em base and a subrect angular-sect ioned st em. The wide, flat handle has four hallmarks st amped along it s cent reline. The hallmarks could not be ident ified conclusively, but it is possible t hat t he “ RD” in a lozenge mark is an early or perhaps fake form of t he Pat ent Office kit e mark for silverplat e met alware in use bet ween 1842 and 1883 (ht t p:/ / www.silvercollect ion.it / dict ionarylozengemark.ht ml; accessed 16.9.2014). The "F.W" in an oval shield is found in a similar form on art icles made by Francis Webb Lt d, Pencil Case Works, Great Hampt on St reet , Birmingham (ht t p:/ / www.silvercollect ion.it / ENGLISHSILVERMARKSXF3.ht ml#539ING; accessed 16.9.2014). Bot h spoons have shapes commensurat e wit h dat es wit hin t he period bet ween t he lat er 18t h and 19t h cent uries. 5 Court Farm, Wookey, Somerset – Met alwork Report Figure 3. Window or vent ilat or grille f rom cont ext 1502. Buildings and services The only lead obj ect found during t he invest igat ion is part of an openwork window or vent ilat or grille (Figure 3) recovered from a levelling deposit (1502) in t he bakehouse. A similar, but unfort unat ely undat ed, obj ect was found in t he River Avon below Fishert on Bridge in Salisbury (Egan 2001, 107, 118 fig 39, 189). An associat ion wit h high-st at us high-/ lat e-medieval and early post -medieval buildings – bot h ecclesiast ical as well as seigneurial or royal – is indicat ed by comparable lead grilles from sit es like Bardney Abbey, St anley Abbey, Hampt on Court or Clarendon Palace (Proc. Soc. Ant iq. 23, 1911, 367–9 figs 1–5 ;James and Knight 1988, 225, fig. 85, 1, pl. 59a and c). The Got hic st yle of t he decorat ion suggest s a similar dat e for t he Court Farm grille. Tools A fragment of a pair of iron shears was found in culvert fill 1016. The blade has a curved back and t he fragment of t he broad, flat handle is set at 90° t o t he plane of t he blade. It belongs t o Goodall’ s t ype 2A shears on account of it s slant ed blade t op, and t he broad , flat handle suggest s a use for sheep shearing (Goodall 2011, 112, 155 fig. 8.27, G458 & G466). 6 Court Farm, Wookey, Somerset – Met alwork Report Fast eners and Fit t ings Seven iron obj ect s from t hree t renches a grouped under t his cat egory. The only one from a medieval cont ext is a flat circular washer from culvert fill 1016. While lat e medieval comparisons can be cit ed, for inst ance from St aines, Surrey, or Winchest er, Hampshire (Goodall 2011, 337 fig. 11.18, J288-90), t heir plain, ut ilit arian form cont inued t o be hand made int o t he modern period. From t he t opsoil at t he sout h end of t rench 10 came a round sect ioned 32mm-wide ring. A clearly worn, oval chain link wit h now open, opposing bevelled ends and a flat -headed nail were found in t rench 3 (cf. Goodall 2011, 331 fig. 11.15, J202 & J204). Three it ems were found in cont ext s from t rench 15, including a rect angular rove wit h round hole and t wo nails. One of t he nails probably originally had a large, flat head (cf. Schust er et al. 2012, 187 fig. 47, 111), which could have served eit her a decorat ive or st ruct ural purpose. Obj ect s of uncert ain f unct ion The int ended uses of a flat iron st rip or bar from t he medieval culvert fill 1016 and a large nail or harrow t ine, collect ed from t he levelling deposit s in t he bake house, could not be det ermined. 4. Discussion Due t o it s small size, t he assemblage can only provide a non-represent at ive glimpse at some act ivit ies which might have been carried out at t he medieval palace or t he subsequent post -medieval buildings. The most st riking of t he obj ect s is cert ainly t he lead window or vent ilat or grille which, alt hough recovered from a residual cont ext , is likely t o be associat ed wit h t he medieval phase of t he building. Finds of similar obj ect s indicat e t heir associat ion wit h high st at us occupat ion, bot h from ecclesiast ical as well as seigneurial or even royal cont ext s. The fragment ed pair of shears is int erest ing as it suggest s t hat sheep shearing might have been carried out on sit e during t he lat er medieval period, when sheep husbandry would have been an import ant aspect of any rural manor in sout h-west England. The remainder of t he assemblage present s not hing unusual for a rural sit e during t he post medieval and early modern periods. 7 Court Farm, Wookey, Somerset – Met alwork Report 5. Catalogue Description Length (mm) Width/ Diam (mm) Context Material Object type Functional Category Weight (g) 501 CuA But t on Personal 4.6 1016 CuA Buckle Personal 3.8 501 CuA Spoon Household 10.9 116 28.1 501 Silverplat ed CuA Spoon Household 19.6 136 29.8 1016 Iron Shears Tool 25.8 97.4 301 Iron Nail Fit t ing 3.7 42.3 31.1 Thickness/ Height (mm) 28.6 7.7 22.8 3 16.8 301 Iron Chain link Fit t ing 60 1016 1021 1500 Iron Iron Iron Washer Ring Rove Fit t ing Fit t ing Fit t ing 19.2 4.5 27.2 78 59.4 7.8-9.0 5.5 3.5 45.9 34 32 38.4 1500 Iron Nail Fit t ing 14.4 1502 Iron Nail Fit t ing 13.4 74.9 1502 Lead Vent ilat or grille Building 43.1 87.2 1016 Iron Bar Uncert ain 73.9 137 31 1500 Iron Nail/ Tine Uncert ain 62.4 110 16 61.4 5.9 13 8 Description But t on wit h large, flat disc and loop soldered t o cent re back. Decorat ed wit h band of st amped crescent s near disc edge, bordered on t he inside by faint line of small dot s. Possible cent ral decorat ion obscured by adhering soil. Oval buckle wit h t hin cent ral bar cast in one wit h wide, slight ly asymmet rical frame; front and half of rear bevelled. Teaspoon wit h broken but essent ially complet e oval bowl, wider at base end and narrowing t o rounded t ip. St em wit h flat -rect angular sect ion near bowl, widening t owards flat handle. X-radiograph shows handle decorat ed wit h lat eral pat t ern of ?lanceolat e leaves int erspersed wit h dash-dot s, separat ed by cent ral ?undecorat ed field. Handle t erminal missing. Not cleaned, but silvered surface visible in small areas of bowl. Teaspoon wit h near parallel-sided oval bowl, balust ered st em base, subrect angularsect ioned st em and wide, flat handle wit h end reclining backwards. Four hallmarks st amped along cent reline of handle (reading from t op t o bot t om, bowl down): 1. ligat ured "FW" ["F" on t op of "W"] in round shield; 2. crown, base left , in oval shield; 3. "F.W" [base left ] in oval shield; 4. "RD" in lozenge-shaped shield. Fragment ed blade of a pair of shears; curved back t urning down t owards missing t ip, slant ed blade t op; beginning only of broad handle remaining. Goodall t ype 2A. Nail wit h flat , rect angular-sect ioned shank t apering cont inuously t o t ip. Chain link wit h oval hoop, ovoid-sect ioned; now open j oin wit h opposing bevelled ends. Clear wear on inside of bot h hoop apexes. Flat circular washer. Round-sect ioned ring; no j oin visible in X-radiograph. Rect angular rove wit h circular hole in cent re. Nail wit h rect angular-sect ioned shank (rem. L. 41.5mm) and fragment s of probably large flat head (20 fragment s). Nail wit h flat , rect angular-sect ioned shank t apering cont inuously t o t ip; upper t hird covered in large corrosion bubble, now broken off but j oins remainder at 40° -angle; now head visible in X-radiograph. Incomplet e, openwork grille. One recognisable ?quart er wit h irregular quat refoil opening set in obliquely-angled corner wit h t refoil at base bet ween j oin of ?quart ers. Tracery of cent ral ?circular opening, now t wist ed, has paired longit udinal grooves. Flat , rect angular-sect ioned st rip or bar. The X-radiograph appears t o show a c. 5cm-long rect angular slot cut out c. 4cm in from t he obliquely broken end, t he break at t he ot her end is more rounded. Large nail or ?harrow t ine? wit h rect angular-sect ioned shank and fragment ed ?rect angular head/ baseplat e. X-ray no. 238 238 238 238 239 238 238 239 238 238 238 238 239 238 Court Farm, Wookey, Somerset – Met alwork Report 6. References Bailey, G., 2004 But t ons & f ast eners 500BC-AD1840, Greenlight Publishing, Wit ham. Crummy, N., 1983 The Roman smal l f inds f rom excavat ions in Col chest er 1971-9, Colchest er Archaeological Report 2. Colchest er Archaeological Trust , Colchest er. Egan, G., 2001 Lead/ t in alloy met alwork, in P. Saunders (ed) Sal isbury Museum medieval cat al ogue part 3, 92-118. Salisbury. Goodall, I.H., 2011 Ironwork in Medieval Brit ain: an archaeol ogical st udy, Societ y for Medieval Archaeology Monograph 31. Societ y for Medieval Archaeology, London. Griffit hs, D., Philpot t , R.A. and Egan, G., 2007 Meol s: t he archaeol ogy of t he Nort h Wirral coast : discoveries and observat ions in t he 19t h and 20t h cent uries, wit h a cat al ogue of col l ect ions, Oxford Universit y School of Archaeology: Monograph 68. School of Archaeology, Oxford. James, T.B. and Knight , B., 1988 Lead and lead-alloy obj ect s, in T.B. James and A.M. Robinson (eds) Cl arendon Pal ace: t he hist ory and archaeol ogy of a medieval pal ace and hunt ing l odge near Sal isbury, Wil t shire, 224-29. Report s of t he Research Commit t ee of t he Societ y of Ant iquaries of London 45, London. Schust er, J., Saunders, P. and Algar, D., 2012 Obj ect s of iron, in P. Saunders (ed) Sal isbury Museum medieval cat al ogue. Part 4, 143-99. Salisbury. Tabor, R., 2013 Court Farm, Wookey, Somerset . An archaeological evaluat ion: int erim report , no. C1/ EVA/ 12/ CWW Cont ext One Archaeological Services, Mapert on. Whit ehead, R., 1996 Buckl es: 1250–1800, Greenlight Publishing, Chelmsford, Essex. The x-radiographs are available in t he archive. 9