Penannular Brooches Research Articles

The Origins and Development of the Penannular Brooch in Europe

This paper is in a sense a by-product of a detailed study of ‘Dark Age’ metalwork and grew out of the realization that any interpretation of post-Roman history depends on an understanding of the archaeology of Roman and Iron Age Britain. For too long, the post-Roman world has been regarded as separate from the preceding periods, and has been seen mainly through aesthetic spectacles. Recent studies of the pottery of the period have to some extent corrected the perspective hitherto largely based on subjective and even nationalistic examinations of the better known art and metalwork. To make a new and comparable survey of the metalwork seemed worthwhile, and in doing this attention was focused on the ordinary, and common, pieces of metalwork which have been overshadowed by the more magnificent and highly decorated pieces. It became evident that in many ways the Roman occupation was not all important but was merely a minor factor in the development of material culture, and that this was particularly true of the Military Province of Britain. The specialist nature of so much of Romano-British archaeology has tended to obscure the continuity of Iron Age culture. It was felt that the selection of one or more pieces of metalwork might illustrate this as well as providing a background for the achievements in metalwork and design in the ‘Dark Ages’.The penannular brooch was chosen as the ‘type-fossil’ for this study because it was the typical and characteristic dress ornament of the Celtic post-Roman world, was equally common in Romano-British contexts and seemed to be native to these islands. A complete run through from Iron Age to Early Christian times has thus been obtained, and it is hoped that deductions drawn from a study of the penannular brooches may be paralleled and applied to other metalwork of the period and so allow general conclusions to be drawn. A more personal reason for selecting the penannular brooch was a desire to investigate the reasons for such a bewildering variety of contradictory opinions on the origin and development of the type.

Notes: (5) Penannular brooch in bronze from Skye

Notes: (5) Penannular brooch in bronze from Skye

An Account of a Find of Ornaments of the Viking Time for Valtos, Uig, in the Island of Lewis. With a Detailed Description of the Objects and a Note upon the Find

The objects were found along with human bones by school children in a small sand mound. They comprised a pair of single-scaled brass oval brooches, eleven links of a brass chain, probably the connecting chain of the oval brooches, a circular ornament of bronze, a bronze strap, a penannular brooch of bronze of Celtic type, a buckle and belt-mounting of bronze, a fusiform bead of amber, a possible iron knife and portions of an iron socketed spearhead. The find is unusual as it combines Celtic and Scandinavian influences.

Note upon Carn nan Bharraich, or Cairn of the Men of Barra, a Burial Mound of the Viking Time on the Island of Oronsay, Argyllshire, with an outline of the Political History of the Western Isles during the latter half of the Ninth Century

The mound was excavated in 1891 and artefacts included an oblong bronze brooch, a portion of a bronze penannular brooch of Celtic form, a portion of a small oval bronze ring, a bead of serpentine, a bead of amber, an iron knife-blade, six fragments of sheet bronze, a quantity of iron rivets or clinker nails and a stone sinker. Two extended skeletons, an adult male and female, were revealed. Further excavation revealed a pair of iron shears. The burial of persons wearing pagan ornaments, on Oronsay, which had for at least between one and two centuries prior to this time been a sanctuary of the early Celtic Church, is worthy of notice. The mound is situated some distance from the Christian Cemetery, but is within the sanctuary. An account of the historical background provides a context for the burials.

The Evolution of Dress

THERE was certainly room for a scientific account of the evolution of dress. The present book, however, which professes to be “a popular contribution to the natural history of man,” is hardly more than a collection of curious survivals in modern fashions, uniforms, the dress of the Court, the Church, the Bar, and other learned and official personages. The bibliography consists largely of articles in magazines and newspapers, and the author seems to have little acquaintance with the scientific literature of the subject, such as the frescoes of the Minoan Age unearthed by Mr. A. J. Evans; the contributions of Mr, H. Balfour, Mr. Skeat, Dr. Westermarck, and Dr. Haddon on the evolution of ornament; Prof. Ridgeway on the penannular brooch; Dr. J. G. Frazer's classical paper on mourning as a disguise to baffle the ghost. He appears not to have read even such popular works as those of the late Mr. Elworthy on the “Evil Eye” and “Horns of Honour.”

Notice of the Discovery of a full-length Stone Cist containing Human Remains and a Penannular Brooch at Craigie, near Dundee

Notice of the Discovery of a full-length Stone Cist containing Human Remains and a Penannular Brooch at Craigie, near Dundee

Notice of a Penannular Brooch of Silver, with Ends like Thistle-Heads, found at Casterton, Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmoreland

Notice of a Penannular Brooch of Silver, with Ends like Thistle-Heads, found at Casterton, Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmoreland

Notice of the Discovery of Portions of Two Penannular Brooches of Silver, with Beads of Glass and Amber, and a Silver Coin of Coenwulf, King of Mercia (A.D. 795-818), at Mains of Croy, Inverness-shire

Notice of the Discovery of Portions of Two Penannular Brooches of Silver, with Beads of Glass and Amber, and a Silver Coin of Coenwulf, King of Mercia (A.D. 795-818), at Mains of Croy, Inverness-shire

Notice of a Fragment of a Silver Penannular Brooch, ornamented with Gold Filigree Work and Amber Settings, found at Achavrole, Dunbeath, Caithness, in 1860

Notice of a Fragment of a Silver Penannular Brooch, ornamented with Gold Filigree Work and Amber Settings, found at Achavrole, Dunbeath, Caithness, in 1860

Notice of a Bronze Penannular Brooch from the Island of Mull

Notice of a Bronze Penannular Brooch from the Island of Mull