Date: Later Early Medieval period - 9th-10th Century AD

Description: Silver hooked tag. The plate is sub-triangular or drop-shaped with convex long sides. There are with rounded projections at the upper corners which are perforated by circular holes of diameter 1.4mm; the holes have bevelled edges to the front, making them appear counter-sunk. The long edges of the plate are curved, expanding downwards from the attachment holes and then tapering as they curve into a complete backwards-bending sharp hook.

The centre of the plate has a single panel of engraved ornament set inside an undecorated border whose shape echoes that of the edge. The design consists of a single neatly proportioned Trewhiddle-style animal in flat relief within a sunken background, and is best viewed with the hook uppermost or pointing towards the left; it will be described with the hook uppermost.

The animal is in profile looking left, with a head in the apex of the triangle. The head is set on a long tapering neck, with rounded brow, square snout with a nick on the underside of the nose, and a dot eye within a circular surround with a little grooved tail extending backwards and downwards. The mouth is open and the lower jaw is also square-ended; the animal is biting at a rounded lobe at the end of one of the interlaced tendrils. The body is sub-triangular, with a curved back and rounded belly; the base of the neck, shoulder, rear hip and the top of the foreleg are emphasised by curving grooves. Both legs end in two-toed feet.

The animal is enmeshed in interlace which originates from a tail which curves out and up behind the back and then divides into two strands. One strand interlaces around and up to end behind the head; the other goes on to branch at least twice more, with tendrils crossing over the neck, foreleg and body. Each strand ends in a rounded lobe, and there are further detached dots which act as space-fillers.

The grooves are all keyed to hold niello, some of which survives. A photograph taken immediately after discovery shows about half the niello surviving, but when deposited only a small area in front of the animal was present. The reverse is flat and undecorated, with oblique polishing marks and a few scratches. A number of light surface scratches can also be seen around the edge of the front, indicating minimal damage through abrasion in the ploughsoil.

Classification: Hooked Tag type: A1.e.iii lobed Trewhiddle-style (after Lewis and Naylor 2013).

Dimensions: Length: 21.5mm. Width: 17.3mm. Thickness: 1.3mm. Weight: 2.70g.

Discussion: Hooked tags were relatively common fasteners in the middle and late Anglo-Saxon periods, and may have been used for a variety of purposes. This example forms the second part of an opposing pair, the first being found in the near vicinity to this example in 2011 and subsequently being declared treasure (LVPL-A65F43; 2011T791). The decoration on that example is an almost-exact mirror to this, being formed with an identical beast which faces right (head towards the top right of the hook) instead of left. There are minor differences in the treatment of the tail and its interlacing tendrils.

The decoration of a single Trewhiddle-style animal can also be found on other silver hooked tags, such as LIN-05B023 (2013T837), BH-EC6878 (2012T8; a winged animal) and BH-340AB6 (2011T874). All of these have the head between the sewing holes, and none are as well made as the Prees pair.

It is unusual for early-medieval hooked tags to be orientated with the hooks anywhere but downwards. Occasional examples include most famously the pair from the Rome (Forum) hoard, deposited in c. 945 AD. These are thought to be a pair of fasteners from the bag or purse which held the 833 coins in the hoard (Graham-Campbell and Okasha 1991, 222-3). Matched pairs are also unusual, with examples including the undecorated pair, also from a coin hoard, from Tetley in Lincolnshire; and pairs in graves from Winchester Old Minster grave 67 and Birka grave 905, where they are thought to have been garter-fastenings (Graham-Campbell and Okasha 1991, 223-4).

Date: Hooked tags have a long currency, but the use of the Trewhiddle style dates this example broadly to the ninth century AD.

References:

Graham-Campbell, J. and Okasha E. 1991: 'A pair of inscribed Anglo-Saxon hooked tags from the Rome (Forum) 1883 hoard'. Anglo-Saxon England, 20, 221-229.

Lewis M and Naylor J. 2013: Anglo-Saxon Hooked-Tags Classification, Portable Antiquities Scheme

Authors:

Peter Reavill, Finds Liaison Officer - Portable Antiquities Scheme

Helen Geake, National Finds Advisor - Portable Antiquities Scheme

April 2014