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Description: | A cast copper alloy locking key of uncertain date. The key is in fine condition though the shaft has been bent through about 100 degrees. It is understood from the finder that the key was covered in a calcium carbonate deposit; it is now free from such deposits. The key is L-shaped and has a square section; the section becomes rounded where it meets the ward. Nearer the handle the shaft becomes more rectangular in section and scrolls around to form a loop which ends in a scroll. The ward is a simple wedge-shaped projection which has three small square cut-outs on its edges. The shaft is profusely decorated with a series of annular and semi-circular punched marks, some singly and some arranged in rows (especially on one side adjacent to the ward). The corners of the shaft are further decorated with a series of opposed triangular notches.The dating of this key is unclear but seems hardly likely to be of medieval date or later. A date between, say, the tenth and the 12th century seems preferable as the key is hard to parallel.
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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