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20.08.2021

Gilded copper-alloy pin

This ornate pin, believed to be from the early 17th century during the post-medieval period, was discovered during excavations conducted by the archaeology department of the Winchester Museum Service at St. Bartholomew's School on Saxon Road in Winchester, Hampshire, in 1983.

The pin is quite fanciful, with its gilded head fashioned in the form of a draped and knotted scarf adorned with a floral ornament. It appears to have been of some value due to its decorative and intricate design. Its dating to the early 17th century suggests that it may have belonged to an individual who lived in the fine townhouse constructed on the site of Hyde Abbey after the dissolution of the monasteries in the late 1530s.

The pin itself is made of copper alloy, with a gilded copper alloy head that was cast separately. The head is affixed to the rod using lead-tin solder, although this attachment is relatively weak. To reinforce it, a small loop of copper alloy runs from the back of the bottom of the head around the rod, preventing the head from being pushed upward. The upper part of the head features an exquisite engraved floral ornament. It was found in a soil layer dating from the 19th and 20th centuries.

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