114_289_301.pdf

Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 114 (1984), 289-301

Two Viking-age silver brooch fragments believed to

be from the 1858 Skaill (Orkney) hoard

James Graham-Campbell*

SUMMARY

It is argued that two Viking-age silver objects, a complete, single pin and an elaborately

ornamented pin-head, recently purchased by the National Museum, derive from the 1858 Skaill

(Orkney) hoard. The circumstances of the discovery of the Skaill hoard and the retrieval of its

dispersed components are described: a possibly similar discovery in Oxtro Broch, Birsay is also

discussed.

INTRODUCTION

In 1981 the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland purchased two unprovenanced

silver brooch fragments from the legatees of Miss Jean Robertson of Kirkwall, Orkney. Miss

Robertson was the daughter of the only son of James Robertson who had been Sheriff-substitute

of Orkney from 1846 until his death in 1876. It was thus her grandfather who had had the

responsibility in 1858 for acting on behalf of the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer in

the matter of the treasure trove declaration of the largest hoard of Viking silver to have been

found in Scotland - that deposited c 950 near the shore of the Bay of Skaill, on the west coast of

Orkney Mainland (VA II, 119-33, figs 59-61; VA VI, 237-8, fig 78; Graham-Campbell 1976,

119-21 & refs). It is argued here that it is beyond all reasonable doubt that these two items derive

from this hoard, despite their having no known history.

The two pieces of silver in question both formed part of large 'ball-type' penannular

brooches, an ostentatious type of dress-fastener with globular terminals which was developed in

Ireland during the second half of the 9th century, but which was particularly popular amongst the

Norse during the first half of the 10th century (Graham-Campbell 1983a). The first to be

described is a simple, but complete pin in almost perfect condition with an unworn shaft, whereas

the second item consists of an elaborately ornamented pin-head without its shaft.

THE FRAGMENTS

Silver pin with a globular head (illus 1 & 2) which is plain apart from a lightly incised,

unfinished zoomorphic motif on the front and a ring-knot on the reverse, described below (illus

6). The side-collars, shaft-collar and terminal have respectively one, two and three transversely

* Department of History, University College London

290 [ SOO~.TYOF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1984

hatched mouldings, emphasized with ring-stamping. The terminal is slightly everted and the

pin-top plain. The pin-head is socketed with a shaft of circular cross-section becoming flattened

on both sides, before tapering to a point; it is plain on the front, but the reverse has three lightly

incised pairs of lines forming the beginning of a two-strand twist which is wrongly laid out and

~tl'"t*titltt~*t*ttl~t~Ulu*l*~lll~tlattlltt~tttt~lt~lt*~ ~*~t*tttWttlqttlt*ttt"tl*tt*'l'*llili*'i*tt¢lltt~*lltiti*~i~t¢litj*t

!,lO 20 30 40 |e it Z| lit 141 IN IN t20 T|O t4O me teo tTO ~ao me 2~

ILLUS1 Two silverbrooch fragments believed to be from the Skaillhoard, Orkney

(IL840 & 841)

GRAHAM-CAMPBELL: TWO VIKING-AGESILVER BROOCH FRAGMENTS [ 291

could not therefore have been continued. The pin-shaft shows no signs of wear, but the front of

the pin-head is dented. Length: 320 mm; weight: 104.6g (NMAS cat no: IL840).

PIN'HEAD

Silver, pin-head of globular form (illus 1, 3, 4 & 5) with a brambled front and incised

ornament on the reverse and pin-top. It is holed in two places as a result of casting flaws. The

brambling is made by diagonal criss-cross filing, finished by ring-stamping, and is carried around

the sides of the pin-head to terminate in each corner of the reverse in a stylized animal-head,

triangular in form with ring-and-dot stamped eyes. The incised pattern on the reverse is contained

within four compass-incised concentric circles, comprising a transversely hatched band with plain

borders surrounding a cruciform fret pattern; the ornament on the pin-top consists of a slightly

simplified version of the same cruciform fret pattern, surrounded by a beaded band within a plain

border (illus 3). The terminal is slightly everted and decorated with two bands of incised

ornament bordered and separated by transversely hatched, angular mouldings; the upper band is

filled with interlace, whilst the lower contains a chevron pattern between two lines. The

side-collars consist of a transversely hatched, angular moulding between two plain mouldings. At

lillllllallllllllllllalllllllllllllllltlllllJlll

ILLUS 2 Reverse of pin-head of complete pin (as illus 1)

292 | SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND, 1984

ILLUS 3 Pin-top ornament of separate pin-head (as illus 1)

the base of the pin-head there projects, from a transversely hatched, convex moulding, a conical

tenon for the attachment of the (lost) pin-shaft, with in situ traces of solder. Length: 86mm;

weight: 117-7g (NMAS cat no: IL841).

ANALYSES

These two items were analysed by X-ray fluorescence 1 in the National Museum's Research

Laboratory by Dr Jim Tate who concluded that their composition agreed well with XRF analyses of

'ring-money' from the Skaill hoard, with a high silver and low zinc content which distinguishes them

from the 'ring-money' in a later Viking hoard from Orkney, that deposited c 998 on Burray (VA II,

135-8; Graham-Campbell 1976, 123, 126 & refs; White & Tate 1982).

The pin-head and shaft of the complete pin are different in composition, although both are made

of a silver-copper alloy with traces of lead, gold and bismuth; the difference between the two lies

particularly in the presence of zinc in the pin-head which is absent from the shaft. It must be noted,

however, that the analysis of the shaft is unlikely to be representative of its basic metal in that it is

taken (unlike that of the pin-head) from its surface which, in common with other Viking silver pieces,

is enriched with silver due to preferential removal of copper during corrosion (or possibly intentionally

by surface treatment after manufacture). In Dr Tale's opinion, however, this alone would not explain

the compositional difference from the head. This is, nevertheless, no cause for surprise given that the

pin-head represents a single casting, whereas the shaft has been hammered out from a rod or ingot.

Iron Copper Zinc Gold Lead Bismuth Silver

Pin-head: <0-1 4-8 0-6 0-3 0-6 0-4 93-2 %

Pin-shaft: 0-1 2-7 <0-1 0-3 0-3 0-2 96-3 %

The metal of the separate pin-head is likewise a silver-copper alloy containing traces of lead and

gold; no tin was detected and zinc and bismuth, if present, were at the lowest detection limit. A black

deposit within the incised ornament on the reverse was also analysed and showed a high proportion of

copper and little sulphur, suggesting that it may be (black) copper oxide rather than a niello inlay, in

agreement with its microscopic examination when features characteristic of niello inlay were not

apparent. Analysis of the metal lump on the tenon determined that it is a lead-tin solder.

For comparative purposes the hoop and one terminal of 'ball-type' brooch IL3 from the Skaill

hoard, to which it is suggested below that this pin-head belongs, were also analysed by Dr Tate. The

hoop (which was analysed in two separate places), the terminals and the pin-head will all have been

made separately so that some differences in their composition are to be expected.

GRAHAM-CAMPBELL: TWO VIKING-AGE SILVER BROOCH FRAGMENTS

293

Copper

Zinc

Gold

Lead Bismuth Silver

Pin-head

11.0

<0-1

0-6

0-9

=SO-1 87-4 %

IL3 terminal

7-1

<0-1

0-7

1-4

=SO-1 90-8 %

IL3 hoop 1

5-0

<0-1

0-8

0-7

=£0-1 93-5 %

IL3 hoop 2

5-6

0-2

0-7

0-6

SO-1 92-9 %

These analyses do, however, all display the same low level of zinc and bismuth, but a higher proportion

of copper is present, possibly intentionally, in the elaborate cast elements (the terminal and, even more

notably, the pin-head) than in the simple silver rod which forms the hoop.

PROVENANCE

THE RECOVERY OF THE SKAILL HOARD

The first possibility for consideration concerning these two unprovenanced 'ball-type'

brooch fragments must be whether or not they might constitute, or have formed part of, a

hitherto unrecorded Viking hoard from Orkney. Although this cannot be ruled out altogether,

the chances are reduced when it is appreciated that only one of the 40 Viking-age hoards known

from Scotland contains 'ball-type' brooches and that is the Skaill hoard in which a minimum of 16

examples are represented amongst the 19 brooches and fragments previously published. Only one

other find of a silver 'ball-type' brooch is on record from Scotland, the 'thistle-brooch' from

Gulberwick, Shetland (VA II, fig 63), although it is suggested here in the appendix that a piece of

silver found in the broch of Oxtro, Birsay, Orkney, in the 19th century (but melted down by a

Kirkwall watchmaker), might have formed part of the pin-shaft of such a brooch. Given that

these two brooch fragments belonged to the Robertson family who had had professional dealings

with the Skaill hoard, and that one of the chief characteristics of this hoard is its large number and

variety of 'ball-type' brooches (both complete and fragmentary), it must be more probable that

they have 'escaped' from the Skaill hoard rather than that.they represent a different and

otherwise unknown find. The circumstances surrounding the discovery, dispersal and partial

recovery of the Skaill hoard, which have never been fully described in print, readily allow of this

interpretation. 2

The Viking silver hoard now know as the Skaill hoard was discovered in March 1858 on the

property of Quoyloo in the parish of Sandwick, Mainland, Orkney. Its contents were dispersed

amongst its several finders and were only recovered, although not in their entirety, 'owing to the

prompt and zealous exertions of Mr George Petrie' (Anderson 1874, 575). The full extent of

Petrie's exertions becomes clear from the unpublished report or 'Notice' concerning the recovery

of the hoard which he wrote to accompany his official inventory which is dated 5 April 1858 (Proc

Soc Antiq Scot, 3 (1857-60), 247-9). Further information concerning his actions is contained in his

draft of a letter to John Stuart, Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, dated 18

March, written whilst he was still in the process of collecting up the finds. Petrie's draft 'Notice'

and the draft letter are preserved, together with copies of six receipts issued by him to the five

main finders, three draft inventories and three letters to him concerning the hoard, amongst the

manuscripts belonging to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (SAS 487, 1). They form the

basis for the following summary account of the hoard's discovery, and its subsequent recovery by

Petrie, told largely in his own words: 3

In the early part of March a young man 4 was dowing [sic] near the Parish Church of Sandwick

which stands on the north side of the Bay of Skaill and a short distance from the shore. 5 The

ground is sandy and frequented by rabbits and near a hole scooped out by one of these the lad

observed some pieces apparently of metal. He lifted them and took them home one of them

being the hook No

of the Inventory herewith sent. 6 A day or two afterwards he discovered

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: