File:Early medieval silver brooch (FindID 1015114).jpg

Only the footplate lobe and a small portion of the footplate has survived. The lobe is sub-circular with the outer border decorated with two circumferential rows of stamped triangles, with the points facing each other. This decoration is much worn along one side and the lower aspect. Within this border is a central humanoid en-face Style I head or 'mask', somewhat degenerative. It faces upwards towards the footplate comprising of a semi-circular, rounded brow delineated by two linear grooves, two bulging pellets for eyes, a slightly wavy transverse line (moustache) and a triangular mouth with a groove. The head is defaced by a central circular perforation.  Surrounding the head is a raised circular band. The footplate springs up from the lobe, near the triangular mouth. The patina along the broken edge of the footplate indicates ancient damage. The part of the footplate that survives is decorated with a raised central humanoid face or 'mask' with heavy, curved brows and two pellets for eye, facing away from the head in the lobe, and each side has a trace of the chip-carved style ridges and grooves, as can be seen in the cross-section. At some point in the brooch's biography, it has been repaired. The humanoid head is framed by a pair of rivets with circular heads, which pass through the footplate, securing a square sheet on one side – the other rivet seems to have lost its sheet repair. The footplate outer rib is decorated with two longitudinal grooves. Traces of black inlay of niello are visible on the decorated side.

Measurements: (Surviving) Length 26.32 mm; Width: 22.70 mm; Thickness: 3.07 mm; Weight: 8.15g

Discussion: Silver small square-headed brooches are generally found within the North Sea Littoral in England, Denmark and Norway and on the Continent in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. In England, these types of brooches made from silver are generally found in graves in southern England, particularly Kent and were used as feminine dress accessories (Leigh 1980). In line with Kentish silver brooches, this brooch has traces of black inlay of niello and shares stylistic similarities with the Chessell Down 22 brooch which is thought to be of Kentish workshop (Leigh 1980, 81-3). These similarities include the stamped decoration along the rib and footplate lobe of two rows of stamped triangles (Chessel Down 22 brooch: British Museum Accession no. 1867,0729.5). Chessell Down 22 belongs to Hines Group III (Hines 1997, pl. 13b, 41-8) and sits in Hines phase 1 (c.AD 500-525). This brooch from Corringham also parallels examples from Scandinavia and the Continent including the end lobe of the square-headed brooches from Donzdorf Grab 78, Germany (Suzuki 2008, pl. 216), Vedstrup, Denmark (Olsen 2006, fig. 3), Pompey, France (Hines pl. 103b), Tveitane, Norway (C11237; Suzuki 2008 pl. 214) and  Nordheim, Germany (Suzuki 2008, pl. 210).

Similar small square-headed brooches have been reported under the Treasure Act and recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database, for example, those from the Aunsby and Dembleby in Lincolnshire (LIN-723345, 2011T144), Calbourne in Isle of Wight (IOW-B26F91, 2017 T1153), Northbourne in Kent (KENT-B2E0C6, 2017T1007) and Ham in Wiltshire (BERK-46D21A, 2015T915). This will be the second silver square-headed brooch from Lincolnshire recorded on the PAS database.

References

Hines, J., 1997. A new corpus of Anglo-Saxon great square-headed brooches. Woodbridge: Boydell Press.

Leigh, D., 1980. The square-headed brooches of sixth century Kent (Doctoral dissertation, University College, Cardiff,).

Olsen, V.S., 2006. The development of (proto)-disc-on-bow brooches in England, Frisia and Scandinavia. Palaeohistoria, 47(48), pp.479-528.

Suzuki, S., 2008. Anglo-Saxon button brooches: typology, genealogy, chronology (Vol. 10). Boydell & Brewer Ltd.