Co Tipperary: Archaeological Objects at The British Museum

The British Museum holds 39 items identified as coming from Co Tipperary. The majority of these (16) are assigned to the Bronze Age, followed by the Early Medieval (8) and Medieval (5) periods. The most common object type represented are rings (6), followed by spindle-whorls (4). Only three material types are represented in this assemblage: Metal (30), Stone (8) and Leather (1).


Neolithic/Bronze Age: Stone items
Tombrikane
hammer
18540714.900
Perforated, polished stone hammer, both edges rounded, light brown in colour.

Rock of Cashel
axe
20050501.331
Polished stone axe, possibly greenstone, with pointed butt.


Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age: Metal item
Ballingarry, Found at Glengall
lunula
18351026.100
Gold lunula in three pieces. Flat sheet crescent of beaten gold with oval terminals rotated relative to the crescent. It is decorated with an incised geometric pattern.
2400BC-2000BC (circa)


Bronze Age: Metal items
Tipperary
dagger
18630428.100
Copper alloy dagger fragment.

Rath Keeland
dirk
18770901.100
Copper alloy dirk.

Roscrea
spear-head
OA.119
Copper alloy socketed spearhead, pegged.

Cullen
spear-head
18630122.980
Copper alloy socketed spearhead, side-looped. Damaged.
Spear-head 18630122.98 (L) & armlet OA.129 (R)

Clonmel
spear-head
18910320.100
Copper alloy socketed spearhead, side-looped, small.

Clonmel
sword
OA.125
Copper alloy sword. The tang has low flanges and two rivet-holes which have, on each side, a ridge running parallel to the flanges. There are four rivet-holes in the butt.

Borrisokane
socketed axe
18540714.277
Copper alloy miniature socketed axe; cast.

Roscrea
ring
18540714.130
Copper alloy ring.

Cullen
armlet
OA.129
Copper alloy armlet.

Roscrea
ring
18540714.131
Copper alloy ring.

Roscrea
ring
18540714.132
Copper alloy ring.

Roscrea
ring
18540714.133
Copper alloy ring.

Clonmel (near)
axe
WG.1539
Copper alloy short-flanged axe; cast.

Roscrea
axe
WG.1540
Copper alloy flanged axe; cast.

Fethard
dagger
WG.1599
Copper alloy dagger, two rivets in situ.

Cooleeny
socketed axe
WG.1559
Copper alloy socketed axe; cast. Oval mouth with bevelled rim. Collar is slight and loop is set directly beneath. Cutting edge is expanded, blunt and evenly worn.


Early Bronze Age: Metal items
Tipperary
flat axe
18490301.440
Copper-alloy flat axe; with a thin, narrow, concave butt. Sides are roughly parallel to each other in upper half, then swing out gently in lower half to form a wide, rounded blade.

Roscrea (near)
halberd
18540714.214
Copper alloy halberd, bent. Aysmmetrical blade and three rivet holes (one damaged) with one rivet in situ.


Late Bronze Age: Metal items
New Inn
ring
18490301.150
Gold small penannular plain ring. The circular solid body is circular in cross-section and it is slightly thinner at the ends rather than in the middle. The ring has parallel squared flat endings facing each other.
1150BC-750BC (circa)

Bog of Allen
ring
WG.28
Gold penannular plain ring. The circular solid body is circular in cross-section and it is slightly thinner at the ends rather than in the middle. The ring has parallel squared flat endings facing each other.
1150BC-750BC (circa)


Iron Age: Metal items
Toomy Vara
horse bridle-bit
18680709.150
Iron bridle-bit.

Kedraw
pin
18490301.490
Copper alloy pin; ring headed. Staright pin with sharp, angular shoulder. Oval ring, flattened oval in cross-section. Traces of transverse ribbing on face of ring.
300 BC - AD 100 (circa)


Early Medieval: Metal items
Borrisoleigh (near)/Kilcuilawn
bell
18540714.6.A
Iron bell encased within a copper-alloy shrine (see record 1854,0714.6.B). The bell was brazed and is now much corroded across its surface. It is also incomplete, missing the 'clapper' inside and a handle. The bell is associated with St. Cuileáin of Glankeen, County Tipperary and is sometimes called 'Bearnán Cuileáin' or 'Glankeen Bell'.
7thC-8thC

Roscrea
pin
18540714.146
Brass mushroom-headed pin with six radial grooves; zigzag on shank of which lower part is of square section.
5thC-10thC

Lorrha (?)
bell
18540714.100
Copper alloy bell of St. Ruadhan of Lorrha (?). Cast, rectangular in section with tapering sides, animal terminal and detachable iron clapper.
8thC-9thC

Early Medieval: Stone items
Dromore (?)
spindle-whorl
18540714.370
Stone spindle-whorl.
5thC-11thC

Loughmoe
spindle-whorl
18540714.390
Stone spindle-whorl.
5thC-11thC

Dromore (?)
spindle-whorl
18540714.360
Stone spindle-whorl.
5thC-11thC

Dromore (?)
spindle-whorl
18540714.380
Slate? spindle-whorl.
5thC-11thC

Monaincha, religious house
sculpture
18860510.100
Stone, fragment of slab with part of an inscription : ea aenach lugdac (?).
8thC-11thC


Romano-British: Stone item
Found about 1842 in the Spittlefields, Golden Bridge
oculist's stamp
18640602.100
Stone oculist's stamp of dark grey fine-grained stone. Inscription along one edge. The right-hand edge carries a central guide-line but no trace of letters; whether these were ground off or never cut is uncertain.


Medieval: Leather item
Roscrea, bog
shoe
18540714.345
Shoe; leather; broad foot; originally fastened at front with thong; holes remain; thong survives at back of heel.
15thC


Medieval: Metal items
Borrisoleigh (near)/Kilcuilawn
bell-shrine
18540714.6.B
Copper alloy shrine containing an iron bell associated with St. Cuileáin (see record 1854,0714.6.A). The shrine is incomplete, comprising two side plates and a cast base and crest.
11thC(late)

Tipperary
seal-impression; seal
18930409.120
Circular silver unidentified seal-matrix with a hexagonal conical handle, ending in a pierced quatrefoil.
14thC

Tipperary
laver
19560702.100
Hanging-laver; bronze; handle and loop attached with women's heads at handle terminals; originally four projecting hexagonal spouts terminating in animal heads, only three remain.
14thC-15thC

Roscrea
seal-impression; seal
18540714.303
Circular lead seal-matrix of Geoffrey of Cornwall with a loop at the top. A fleur-de-lis. Legend. With wax impression.
13thC

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