Medieval silver gilt earspoon found in Norfolk – History

In July, a metal detector discovered a rare decorative gilt silver ear spoon from the Middle Ages in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. The entire piece is just 1.7 inches long and consists of a shaft with a square cross-section that has a widened, flattened end that is hollowed out to form a scoop on one side and a flattened square end on the other. . The square end bears some resemblance to a modern cuticle pusher, but if it had a use in the Middle Ages, it was more likely to be used to clean under nails. The handle has a Z-twist (clockwise rotation) and is partially gold-plated. Use a sharp tool inserted at an angle to punch a hole in it, leaving a triangular indentation and a small speck of silver at the base of the triangle. Unlike the Roman earmuffs, these don’t have perforations to hang from, so despite their smaller size, they’re meant to be carried around rather than worn.

County discovery liaison officer Helen Geake said the age of the spoon was “really hard to date” but a row of dots punched along the “barley twist” handle suggested to her it was late medieval and Not something from the early Roman period in Britain.

She added that in the more than 25 years since the Portable Antiquities website was created, only 20 Tremella spoons have been recorded, making it a rare find.

“Compared to other medieval silver objects, there are 1,200 brooches, 1,200 rings and 29 pins in the database,” Dr Geake said.

Some of its features are unusual compared to other medieval ear spoons recorded in the PAS database. Most others have a tapered point on the other end of the spoon, which is believed to be used as a toothpick, although that’s gross. The flat square shape on the other end of this spoon had never been seen before. Partial gilding is extremely rare. The Z-shaped twist is also unusual. Most other recorded ear scoops have an S-shaped twist (counterclockwise rotation). Any decoration on the twisted shank is extremely rare, there is only one other recorded example, and it has carved lines rather than punched holes.

The fact that the few medieval ear spoons that have been found are mostly made of silver proves that they were the preserve of the wealthy. (Silver and gold were even rarer before the colonization of the Americas spurred an influx of new precious metals into Europe in the 16th century.) Most people probably didn’t use ear spoons at all, instead making them from cheaper materials.

Because it is made of precious metal and is over 300 years old, the ear spoon qualifies as a treasure under the Treasure Act 1996. Its official status will be determined by the Coroner’s Court, after which local museums will have the opportunity to acquire it for an amount determined by the Valuation Committee. Norwich Castle Museum hopes to acquire it.