PAS Finds (w/e 6 January 2023) – Wirral brooch

January 13, 2023January 20, 2023 Paul

PAS Finds (w/e 6 January 2023) – Wirral brooch

My selection of the detecting finds recorded at the PAS during the week ended 6 January 2023

Featured Find

Wirral type Roman brooch

Photo: Birmingham Museums Trust CC By SA2.0

Object type: Aestel

Period: Anglo-Saxon

Primary material: Bronze

Date found: 25/09/2023

Location: Tamworth, Staffordshire

About half of a copper alloy brooch of the Wirral type dating to c. AD 75-200. A variant of the Roman bow brooch, they are mainly found on the Wirral peninsular and are thought to have been manufactured there. Thanks to the large number of Roman brooches found by detectorists it has been possible to categorise the various types in some detail. British brooches differ to Continental ones and within Britain there are regional variations.

Wirral Brooch

Due to its distinctive style and limited distribution, the Wirral brooch can be considered to be a regional brooch type. Its key characteristics include a head loop, a stepper head and a rectangular panel with three strips infilled with enamel of alternate colours; no enamel remains in the cells of this example. Another key characteristic, which this example has, is a stud boss at the waist.

Distribution of finds

They are not normally found with a military setting and it is suggested that they were produced for the local rural population. Most are found as stray finds in the Wirral area and south-east to about Stoke. This find site in Tamworth is therefore unusually far from the Wirral. It has been designated a Find of Note of County Importance.

Selection of other finds

Photo: Bristol City Council CC By SA2.0

Roman phallic mount

The Romans were very found of using a phallic shape as in this 1st Century mount.

Photo: Birmingham Museums Trust CC By SA2.0

“Ewart Park” Axe head

A socketed axe head of the Late Bronze Age (1000 BC to 700 BC). It has three ribs which is a characteristic of Ewart Park axeheads. A Find of Note of County Importance.

Photo: Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum CC By SA2.0

Late Roman buckle plate

A buckle plate that has been dated to c AD 300 – 450. Hawkes and Dunning categorised these brooches in 1961; this is type IIA which appears to be a British variety. A Find of Note of County Importance.