File:2008 T677 (FindID 238178).jpg

Silver bodkin typical of those used as hair adornment in the early 17th century. Broken across the circular eye in the upper section, otherwise complete.

Description

The head of the bodkin is rectangular in section. The main shaft of the bodkin has bevelled edges, making it lozenge shaped and six sided in section. This tapers down to a blunt point. The rectangular head is 8.6mm long, from the break to the start of the bevelled section. The bodkin shaft is 110mm long, making the total length 118.6mm. The bodkin is 4.6mm wide at its widest and 2.2mm thick. The eye is 2.2mm wide and the break occurs horizontally at 1mm deep. It weighs 6.4grams.

Several etched lines create a chevron on each side of the bodkin and extend 14mm from each side of the eye at the head to the upper part of the bevelled part of the bodkin. This decoration is common on bodkins of early 17th century date.

This form of bodkin often had extra etched decoration and a scoop at the head. This has often been interpreted as an ear scoop, but is likely to have had a more practical use when used as a sewing implement. Bodkins were initially interpreted as hairpins worn commonly by Dutch female migrants into the country, but are now accepted primarily as sewing implements.