THIMBLE 510117

Description: A squashed and fractured medieval copper-alloy thimble of sheet construction. The thimble is domed with a rounded top; it has been squashed from both sides, and cracked at two main points causing elements to overlap slightly. The small, circular drilled pits begin at the top, the uppermost part of which is bare, and continue in a continuous spiral to the sides in a regular fashion. On the sides the pits are arranged in vertical rows above an incised border at the base. The thinness of this thimble might suggest that it was used for light duty work. The bare circular patch on top of the thimble, or 'tonsure', indicates a relatively early date; similar early thimbles are often dated to the 14th or 15th centuries (Holmes 1988, 1; fig. 1). This example has corroded to a mid-dark green colour. There is a further small fracture at the base in addition to the main ones already described.

Date: 1350 - 1450

Object type: THIMBLE

Last import: August 15, 2017