Post-Medieval (c. 1500 - c. 1700) copper alloy book-clasp: The body of the book clasp is a long, slender rectangle with an off-set rectangular protrusion at one narrow edge, whose edge is curled downwards forming the clasp element. The opposite terminal is flared and moulded with two rivet holes with the remains of copper alloy rivets. Beyond the rivet holes there are three circular perforations as decoration. The clasp has been decorated with two concentric low-relief annulets with a central, small, circular perforation. Towards the clasp element there are parallel, transverse grooves of varying lengths. The clasp is flat in profile.

Numerous similar clasps are recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database. Illustrated examples of book clasps have been published in monographs and journals. For example, see: Crummy, 1988; Margeson, 1993; Ottaway, 2002. They are considered to date to the early Post Medieval period (c. 1500 - c. 1700).

Crummy, N. 1988. The post-Roman small finds from excavations in Colchester 1971-85 Colchester Archaeological Report 5. Colchester Archaeological Trust

Margeson, S. 1993. Norwich Households. Medieval and Post-Medieval Finds from Norwich Survey Excavations 1971-78. 74, East Anglian Archaeology 58

Ottaway, P and Rogers, N. 2002. Craft, Industry and Every Day Life: Finds From Medieval York The Archaeology of York Vol. 17