THIMBLE 199838

Description: A later medieval copper-alloy thimble of cast construction. The thimble is domed with flared sides and a flattened top. The drilled pits begin at the top, the uppermost part of which is bare, and continue in a continuous spiral to the base in a fairly regular fashion. The thickness of this cast thimble might suggest that it was used for heavy duty work. Above the base is a bare hoop delineated by an absence of pits which taper off. The base has ?four small, equally spaced indentations which may derive from the lathe turning process or the action of drilling the pits (Egan 1998, 265). The bare circular patch on top of the thimble, or 'tonsure', indicates a relatively early date; similar early thimbles are often dated to the 15th century, cf. Holmes (1988, 1).

Date: 1400 - 1500

Object type: THIMBLE

Last import: August 15, 2017