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Description: | A medieval copper alloy rotary key probably dating from AD 1300 - 1500. The bow is lozenge shaped. There is a wide swollen collar next to the bow. The stem is oval in cross section and hollow (a pipe key). It is broken at the bit end. The bit is rectangular. It has two short clefts in the leading edge, and two matching clefts in the rear edge. A long cleft in the outer edge (furthest from the stem) divides the bit in half. The outer edge is also thickened and has a groove in the edge. Ther are also two much shorter clefts in the outer edge, one in each half. The key is 97.2mm long, 30.8mm wide and 9.7mm thick. 45.2g.In the Museum of London's "Medieval Catalogue" (1940, p133-144), Ward Perkins has introduced a classification system for door and chest keys. The key described in this record is most closely related to his Type VI, but the stem differs in that it appears to be hollow for the whole length. Ward Perkins describes the type: "They are characterized by the solid shank, bored at the end to leave a conical hole, by the massive bit, and by the elaborate form of the bow. The latter may be lobed or lozenge-shaped or a combination of both, and occasionally the corners of the lozenge are elaborated" (p140). Ward Perkins dates a number of closely related copper alloy keys of Type VI to the 14th and 15th centuries, and this may be an appropriate date range for this key. Parallels can also be seen in Ottaway and Rogers (2002) Finds from Medieval York. York Archaeological Trust: York.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ | Go to resource |
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