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Description: | Polyphant stone ingot mould, probably for tin ingots as there is likely to be alluvial tin in the form of cassiterite (tin ore) in the area just to the west of the findspot, around the springs that form the source of the River Camel.
During the medieval period Bodmin Moor was an important source of alluvial tin and streamworks such as those around St. Breward parish, to the south, and Lesnewth parish, to the north, are likely to have been worked and reworked in to the Post-medieval period. Austin, Gerrard & Greeves (1989) refer to one of the earliest documentary records of tinworking in 1283 at Brongelly in St. Neot parish on Bodmin Moor on page 35.
Polyphant stone is a soft metamorphic rock type, similar to talc, that is predominantly blue grey with green patches, and white and brown veins. Polyphant is still worked near Lewannick on a small scale for sculptural, monumental, decorative and dimensional purposes, and has been used for ornamental carvings since the 11th century.
Gerrard (1985) illustrates a similar ingot mould stone, which would have produced an ingot with parallel sides, that was found at Retallack in Constantine, on page 178, Fig.2, and dated to the late Medieval period.
Beagrie (1983) illustrates a sub-rectangular ingot with sloping sides from the Upper Yealm Steps Blowing House on Dartmoor on page 109, Fig.1, which is dated to the Medieval period.
This example is more crudely made, with asymmetrical sides that are at an angle, so that the ingot produced would not have been rectangular. It is likely therefore to be earlier than the examples above.
Medieval c.1100-1400 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Tyacke, Anna - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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