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Description: | Iron rotary key with a narrowed pin, bit consisting of symmetrical clefts and a kidney-shaped bow. The circular-sectioned shank narrows through two shoulders 40-45mm from the bow. The narrowed pin is broken c.9mm from the bit. Overall length (minimum) 169mm, height of bow 56mm, width of bow c.40mm, depth of bit 27mm, width of bit 25mm, thickness of bit 6-7mm, weight 149 grams. An example of Ward Perkin's Type VIIB (1940, 141-143, fig.42). Egan has catalogued a number of fourteenth to fifteenth century parallels for this Type (1998, 115-118, nos.322-329), while Goodall has published an example dating to the second half of the seventeenth century (Goodall 1993, 162, no.1296, fig.119) and notes that most rotary keys with kidney-shaped bows are post-medieval in date (Goodall 1993, 159). Medieval or post-medieval in date, but no earlier than the thirteenth century. Keys of this type were probably used for locking and unlocking doors (Ward Perkins 1940, 141; Egan 1998, 111). | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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