File:Early medieval square headed brooch fragment (FindID 211145).jpg

English: A silver gilt fragment of a footplate of a square headed brooch. The fragment is incomplete at its top and bottom edges, where the rest of the footplate would have continued originally, due to old breaks, which are now worn. The fragment is roughly lozenge shaped and the front face decorated with an intricate chip carved design consisting of a central lozenge, two opposing terminals of which are complete and rounded in shape. There is a quatrefoil with spiral terminals within the lozenge shape and surrounding the lozenge there are rope-like or plaited motifs. The back face appears undecorated, however it does show numerous scratches. While some of these will be accidental, this is not entirely clear for others. It appears possible that some represent engraved designs, but this is by no means certain.

Discussion: John Hines has confirmed that this fragment is a footplate of square-headed brooch (Hines Pers Comm 2/2008). He has suggested that close parallel would be Chessell Down (Hines, 1997, pl. 90a), which is of unclassified type with other parallels too in a pair of brooches from Barrington, Cambs. Hines states that this fragment is from a relatively early form of square headed brooch and he would be inclined to suggest the first quarter or third of the 6th century in date.

Dimensions: 25.60mm in width by 22.07mm in surviving length, 1.70mm in thickness and 5.05g in weight.

The precious metal content of this brooch fragment fulfils the requirements of the Treasure Act in that it is greater than 10 %.

John Hines, Faye Minter and Sonja Marzinzik