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Description: | Globular 4lb steelyard weight, made from copper alloy with a lead core and decorated with three shields in relief. The weight is 73 mm in diameter, and 85 mm tall. The top is flattened and the centre occupied by a tall thick triangle of metal with filemarks on either face, which is pierced by a circular perforation to form a suspension loop. The base has a hole through which the lead core can be seen; this hole is partially filled with a mosaic of small pieces of copper alloy which may have broken off the surrounding edges. Immediately below the flattened area is a band of incised chevrons, with the V-shaped spaces alternately empty and filled with two horizontal lines. The band varies in width from 5 mm to 10 mm as the available space above the shields varies. One of the three shields has a rampant lion, another a double-headed eagle displayed, and the third has a relief border around a relief downward-pointing arrow, with a tapering ridge filling the spaces between the three ridges of the arrow. The first two are the arms of Poitou and of the Hansa merchants; the third is unidentified. A common third shield on steelyard weights is the arms of Clare, which are three chevrons; it seems unlikely, but possible, that this 'piled' design of tapering ridges could have been a mistake for three chevrons. It is thought that all steelyard weights with relief-cast arms were officially issued by the Earls of Cornwall (who were also Earls of Poitou) under license from the king. Edward Earl of Cornwall married Margaret de Clare in 1272. This weight weighs 1819g (4 lb 0.15 oz).
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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