Casgliadau Arlein

Polden Hill with Dolphin profile brooch. An example of the large, heavy plain variety. The sole decoration consits of the semi circular mouldings to either side of the bulbous head. The axis bar of the spring was of iron. The catchplate is lost but is line was continued as a ridge up the full length of the back of the bow, a frequent feature of the type. The brooch is a standard variant, within the Polden Hill with Dolphin Profile type, characterized by its heavy, plain appearance and often large size; a lighter, plain variant is also known and represented in south Wales; both are discussed in the forthcoming Newport Museum brooch catalogue. The provenance of the Usk brooch is of no help in determining its date as it was recovered with other residual material from the late third century levels of a pit. But the distribution of the variant in south Wales suggests that a Flavian date would be appropriate.