Description

Summary: 1 conical v-perforated shale button, found with a primary inhumation in bowl barrow Winterbourne Stoke G54, excavated by William Cunnington.

Research results

A bronze age shale button, found with a primary inhumation in Bowl Barrow Winterbourne Stoke G54 when it was excavated by William Cunnington in the 19th century. Large single buttons like this originate in the beaker period and appear to have initially developed in the area around Yorkshire, often being made of Whitby jet. This example is made of shale, probably sourced locally from Dorset, suggesting that it is a local imitation of the style. Both this button and the belt ring it was found with were probably highly prized objects and had long use lives.

This object was examined as part of the research published in Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods; a six-year research project carried out by Professor John Hunter and Dr Anne Woodward and funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Aided by a large number of other specialists the pair undertood an exhuastive study examining over 1000 objects held in 13 museums across the country in order to provide an extensive overview of burial practices in the period and identify regional practices.