Two 9th century silver mounts.

Description of find

Two engraved silver mounts with remains of niello inlay. One of the mounts is a flat, oval plaque, the other one consists of a silver band forming an oval and cracked at one of the narrow ends of the oval. The band is lacking a portion at this end and further, fine cracks in the metal are visible here and in other places, running perpendicular to the edge. Four rivet holes are visible close to one edge of the band. The cross-section of the band here is slightly wider than that on the other edge. This thinner edge is abraded in a number of places, due to the shiny nature of the abrasions presumably recently. The inside of the band is plain, with accretions in some places near the thinner edge, perhaps traces of solder.
The oval plaque fits rather well over the opening of the band, but as the band is broken, it is not now possible to say whether the plaque would have fitted better over one side of the band or the other. The back of the plaque is plain. The middle of the mount is shiny and shows blunt grooves, perhaps tool marks. Around the edge, there are accretions, including apparent traces of solder. Both mount and plaque are decorated with elaborate ornament.
Roundels at the four compass points of the mount contain equal-armed crosses and are flanked by backward-looking quadrupeds and intricate knotwork. The ornament is abraded in places and some of the niello has fallen out, while where it is still preserved, it has sometimes turned to a silvery appearance.
The plaque features an equal-armed cross inscribed into a square with concave sides, which is surrounded by geometric ornament filling a circular field. Antithetically set scrolls frame the circular field at the narrow ends of the oval plaque. Again, some of the niello is missing and the ornament is partly obscured by adhering soil and, in places, possibly by corrosion. One section of the plaque's edge appears to be freshly abraded.

Discussion

The band and plaque are likely to have formed part of one object, perhaps decorating a handle of some sort. These mounts compare closely with objects from the Trewhiddle Hoard from Cornwall, dated to ca. AD 868. A very similar mount with a separate ?lid was found there and it also relates well to the Willington mounts in size (cf. Webster and Backhouse 1991, cat. no. 246d). The ornament on the present mounts is comparable to the animals on the arcaded mounts as well as a flat silver strip from the hoard (Wilson 1964, cat. no. 96). Like the latter, the Willington mounts do not feature the beaded ornament or stippled backgrounds often associated with Trewhiddle Style, as featured on other pieces from the eponymous hoard and much of the mid-Saxon metalwork recently discovered. Traditionally, a 9th-century date has been ascribed to Trewhiddle-Style metalwork. Given the similarity of the present fittings to the mount from Trewhiddle, there is no reason to assume that this date would not fit for Willington, even if the date range for the Style has recently been extended (Thomas 2006, 156f).

Dimensions

Band: Diam. 26mm max; W of band 17 mm max; Weight 3.38 grams
Plaque: Diam. 22 mm max; W 17 mm max. Weight 2.40 grams

Scientific analysis

Non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis of the surface of both mounts indicated they had a silver content of approximately 95%, the rest being copper with some lead and gold. In areas of the grooved decoration some traces of niello remain, also with some friable material, likely to be soil from burial. Traces of soft solder (an alloy high in lead and tin) are present on both mounts, with what appear to be tool marks on the back of the plaque.