Technical Details Type lll

Technical Details Type III

TECHNICAL DETAILS TYPE III

This section contains details of five boxes, they have a narrow tube like appearance and are all smaller in diameter than Type l and Type ll and with the exception of the Prittlewell longer in length. The Cuxton Grave 306 boxes have slightly tapered inverted cone body and like the Harford Farm Grave 18 example has an internal fitting plug top. That recorded from Little Wilbraham has a similar inverted cone appearance, as the lid top and body base are separate from the body it is difficult to assess how these were fitted. Those from Kingston Down Grave 222 and Prittlewell are constructed in a similar straight sided manner to Type l boxes to suggest an Anglo-Saxon origin.

Figure 20

Cuxton (Kent) Grave 306, TYPE lll after Blackmore. L. et al 2006, with incised secondary Gospel scenes.

There are five boxes in this classification. Uniquely the Prittlewell (Blackmore et al 2019, 156-159, 374-375) box is from a male burial. Cuxton Grave 306 (Blackmore et al 2006, 17-18, fig. 25), Harford Farm Grave 18 (Penn 2000, 18-19, fig. 87) Kingston Down Grave 222 (Faussett 1856, pl. Xlll fig. 7) and Little Wilbraham (Neville 1852, pl.15) although sharing some common features all are different in appearance from one another. They are produced from copper-alloy sheet metal and employ the same manufacturing techniques as Types l and ll, all have a tubular appearance. The construction of the Cuxton example demonstrate superior design and technical details to suggest it originated from the Eastern Mediterranean (Blackmore et al 2006, 35). The inverted cone like shape of the body and the use of a lathe to turn the four grooves demonstrates the proficiently of its maker. Harford Farm Grave 18 box with an all over ring and dot artistic display has three vertical support wire rods soldered onto the body, their purpose not only strengthen the box but act as attachments loops to locate and fit suspension chains. Both the Cuxton and Harford Farm boxes have the added refinement of a plug lid top. This type of internal fitting makes for a very secure method of sealing and closing the boxes, and could indicate that they may have been used to hold a liquid? By comparison the Kingston Down and Prittlewell boxes are uncomplicated, and similar in construction to Type l boxes, so alike, to suggest an Anglo -Saxon origin. The secondary incised biblical scene on the Cuxton box leaves no room for doubt, that it had been utalised as a Christian accessory, an artefact of devotion. At this time, it is not possible to determine an original secular purpose for Type lll boxes. However, the inverted cone shape design of the boxes from Cuxton and Little Wilbraham does suggest that they could possibly have been used to contain a liquid?

CUXTON - KENT

Grave 306 Figure 20

Site description see Section 2.

This is a Type lll box recovered with a Type ll in the same grave. Box has an inverted conical appearance 25mm diameter at base, 18mm diameter at top x 67mm in height. Body but jointed and soldered with a single rivet located at the bottom of the joint. Three chains each comprising four figures of eight shaped links are attached to the body by eyelets terminating on a wire ring a further chain of three links is secured by a loop to the circular plug lid top. Body decoration consists of four zones delineated by horizontal grooved lines. The precise layout of these lines indicate they were applied after the cone structure was formed and machined on a lathe. This is evidenced by a machined cut to the single rivet head located on the joint in the lower groove. Inside zone two are two hatched oblique triangular shapes each with a cross at their apex, and a mound with a Latin cross positioned centrally, either side are two smaller crosses. This scene is repeated on the inside of the mound. On the outside mound edge, a fish with a cross protruding from its open mouth can be observed. Together, the cross and fish could be interpretated as sacred rebus imagery. These indisputable Christians symbols can like the Type ll box from this grave only refer to the crosses erected at Calvary. Like the other box in this grave, it should be considered a Christian reliquary. Gibson (2015: 10) argues that the box should be seen as a re-use of a secular artefact. These crude faintly scratched scenes were applied by or for the owner after the box was manufactured, they lack the precision and skill levels associated with other areas of the box. It should be noted that the Type lll box from Harford Farm and Kingston Down Grave 222 have a three-point suspension.

MacKinder. T. 2006. Iron Age Settlement and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Cuxton, Kent Vol. 1: The site report. J McKinley(ed.): CTRL. integrated Site Report Series. Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture.

Blackmore. L. MacKinder. T. and Powers. N. 2006. Iron Age Settlement and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Cuxton, Kent Vol. 2; The grave catalogue. J McKinley (ed.): CTRL Integrated Site Report Series. Oxford Wessex Archaeology Joint Venture

Gibson. A. 2015. Anglo-Saxon 'workboxes' and the Burwell Grave 42 Box, Christian or Pagan? Cambridge Antiquarian Society. ClV : 149-160 Cambridge

HARFORD FARM - NORFOLK

Grave 18 Figure 21

Type lll box was found with a Type l in the same grave. Made from copper alloy 0.45/0.55 sheet metal the box has a narrow tubular appearance c16mm in diameter x c85mm in height, butt jointed. Attached to the exterior of box and originally fitted along the full length (some parts now detached) are three equal- spaced 3mm wire rods, each rod has a projecting shaped suspension loop formed 7mm from the tube top, presumably to act as chain locations. A plug top with an attachment loop and figure of eight shaped chain links identified as a suspension complex were found close by. The box is unusually decorated with ring and dot motifs. It should be noted that the Type lll box from Cuxton Grave 306 and Kingston Down Grave 222 have three-point chain suspension arrangements possibly associated with its function? Site details Section 1.

Penn. K. 2000. Excavations on the Norwich Southern Bypass. Part 2. The AngloSaxon Cemetery at Harford Farm, Caister St. Edmunds Norfolk, Anglian Archaeology 92, Norfolk Museum Service, Gressenhall.

Figure 21

Harford Farm (Norfolk) Grave 18 Type lll after Penn, K 2000

Not to Scale

KINGSTON DOWN - KENT

LITTLE WILBRAHAM - CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Grave 222 coffin burial

Primary burial under a mound opened on 12th August 1771.

Type lll box has a slightly inverted conical appearance and in shape, similar to the Cuxton Grave 306 box. The box 20mm diameter at base, 18mm diameter at top x 70mm in height. Undecorated, damage to body. Body base missing butt jointed with U loop fitted to body. Flat lid top has a single U loop placed centrally through which a single figure of 8 shaped chain link and one half of a link are attached to a circular wire ring, this has three figure 8 chain links and two half links. Possibly indicating a three-point suspension. A Type 1 box was recovered from Grave 96 at this site and is detailed in Section 1.

B. Faussett 1856. Inventorium Sepulchrale. An Account of Some Antiquities dug up at Gilton, Kingston, Sibertswold, Barfriston, Beaksborough, Chartam and Crundale in the County of Kent, from AD1757 to AD 1773, C.R. Roach Smith (ed.) London.

Context uncertain, said to have been found in a cemetery in 1851.

Made from copper-alloy, like Type III box from Cuxton Grave 306 it has inverted cone appearance 34mm in diameter at the base, 22mm diameter at the top and 70mm in height, but jointed and possibly soldered. The body is simply decorated with bands of incised lines at each end. Attached to the box is an undecorated base and lid top with a centrally placed suspension eyelet and a figure of eight chain links.

Neville. R. C 1852 Saxon obsequies and ornaments and weapons discovered by the H R C Neville near Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire, during the autumn of 1851. London

PRITTLEWELL - ESSEX

The Princely burial

The only box of any Type recovered from a male grave; the excavation report is an exemplary example of archaeological investigation, post excavation conservation and recording. Described as a cylindrical container (Blackmore et al 2019, 156159), this and other artefacts were located inside what remained of a maple-wood box. Due to the collapse of the grave chamber roof, it was largely destroyed. This Type lll example was recovered in a fragment condition beneath what remained of the box lid then re-assembled as an illustration (ibid. fig.286) Made from copperalloy c0.05mm in thickness and recorded as 25mm in diameter x 45mm in length straight sided and tubular in appearance, probably but jointed with a soldered seam. A circular lid top with a central pierced hole used to locate a suspension eyelet together with a lid top ring were also recovered. The construction and shape of the container is similar to that from Kingston Down Grave 222 but shorter in length and decorated. Blackmore describes the iconography below.

"The decoration on the body extends right up to the seam, suggesting that it was incised while the sheet was still flat. It is clearest at the upper end, part of which survives to a depth of 25mm, and comprises a band of chevrons set below a plain band. Less survives of the lower body and the decoration is less easy to interpret, it appears to comprise a band of chevrons over a basal band of oblique lines. A further patch of oblique lines in the central zone suggests that there may originally have been three rows of chevrons. The top of the lid is decorated with incised radial lines..."

The use of a chevron pattern is an example of the continuation of earlier pagan signs or symbols evidenced on pottery dateable to the 5th and 6th century (Fig.23, b3). Blackmore, considered this example to be a copy from a Byzantine original.

Blackmore. L. Blair. I. Hirst. S. and Scull. C. 2019. The Prittlewell princely burial. Excavations at Priory Crescent, Southend-on-Sea Essex 2003. Museum of London Archaeology Monogram 73. London.