A 13th–century brooch

In medieval costume a man would wear a tunic, held at the neck by a brooch, under a cloak, held at the shoulder by a second brooch. A cast copper alloy brooch such as this could have served either purpose. In this example there are six raised settings, each with traces of decayed green infilling of either paste or glass. In publishing this piece, Dr Alison Goodall, a specialist in medieval small finds, drew attention to its similarity to other 13th century brooches: at Durrance Moat, Upton Warren, Worcestershire, and Little Avebury, Wilts. The Exeter example is the best-dated of the three, since it was found in a rubbish pit of the mid 13th century.

Acknowledgments: RAM Museum Exeter Archaeology