Strageath Mains Farm

NN81NE 217 896 182

Medieval hooked tag and finger ring

NN 896 182 Metal detecting by Mr Melville beside Strageath Roman fort produced two medieval objects.

Hooked tag: a type of object also known as a dress tag or garment hook. This example is of debased silver, of plain form with a short, probably broken, hook that extends from a small circular plate. The butt end of the plate or disc has been neatly cut off, leaving a clean straight edge. L 19mm x W 19mm x Th 1.5mm; Wt 1.83g.

Such tags are common in England by the 9th century, possibly petering out of use in the 13th or 14th century, and then with a resurgence of use from the 16th century. They had a variety of fastening uses, primarily clothes, garters, purses and burial shrouds. The plainness and surviving form of the Strageath example perhaps argue for a date in the 11th-12th centuries.

Finger ring: copper alloy. Int Diam 19.6mm; Ext Diam 20mm; Th 0.6mm; Wt 2.09g. It is a simple cast hoop-ring of a size suggesting it was for a male finger. The hoop broadens slightly to form a rectangular bezel, its area defined by four shallow grooves each bearing along their length oblique lines in relief. The shoulders are defined by triangular fields. The base of each is formed by the relevant short side of the bezel, with the apex of each triangle 8.8mm from the bezel. The long sides of these isosceles triangles are defined by shallow grooves decorated with oblique lines, as on the bezel. Plain and minimally decorated finger rings of copper alloy and base metal were a staple component of medieval popular fashion from the 12th century onwards, continuing into the post-medieval period. They are not, however, particularly frequent finds because they were either melted down or curated as heirlooms. The Strageath example is possibly of 15th-century date. Initial research has found no direct design parallel, suggesting the design may be distinctly Scottish.

Neither the tag nor the ring was found within the confines of the Roman fort, and whilst they may represent the losses of individuals living nearby (possibly scattered as manuring waste), it remains possible that they hint at a local populace that visited the earthwork remains of the Roman fort (which would undoubtedly have still been substantial in the medieval period), losing objects in the process.

Both allocated via Treasure Trove to Perth Museum.

M Hall 2004