Digital copy of view of iron clasp handle and hinges of a wooden framed bag which contained a bone comb, shears and cowrie. Impressions of woven fabric are visible in the rust of the hinges.

Description Digital copy of view of iron clasp handle and hinges of a wooden framed bag which contained a bone comb, shears and cowrie. Impressions of woven fabric are visible in the rust of the hinges.

Date 1948 to 1949

Collection Papers of Brian Hope-Taylor, archaeologist, Cambridge, England

Catalogue Number SC 770087

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of E 33653 CN

Scope and Content Grave goods, Farthing Down, Surrey These objects were discovered in the remains of a Saxon bag within a barrow (earthen mound) burial. The iron object in the top left hand corner is a 'strike-a-light' which would have been used for firelighting. The object would have been struck against another surface, producing sparks which would have then been directed towards tinder. The metal objects above and below are the remains of a wooden box with impressions of the fabric from the bag visible on the surface. The object on the bottom left was the purse hinge. The bag also contained a decorated bone comb, a bone gaming piece, shears and a shell. These items were discovered in the largest barrow on the site. This grave had already been 'excavated' in the 18th century and the only skeletal material that remained was the skull of a 12-year-old child. Farthing Down is an Anglo-Saxon cemetery dating to the late 6th/early 7th century. In 1945 Brian Hope-Taylor discovered Romano-British field systems in the same area. This research led to the 1948-9 excavations at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Accession Number 2001/164

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/770087

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap