Casgliadau Arlein

The brooch is one of a small, distincitive group within the head stud series. The pin mechanism is entirely lost, there is no provision of a rear lug and there are no side wings extant; instead at each side of the head is a rounded moulding, now semi circular in profile. It seems likely that there was originally a small spring with internal chord (since there is a cast head loop precluding an external chord), supported on an axial bar passing through pierced disc terminals to now lost side wings as in the examples discussed below. Such damamge to, and/or loss of the side wings and consequently of the spring, was the most likely reason for the brooch being discarded, unless, perhaps, it was undergoing an attempt at repair. The bow has a pronounced curve. Immediately above the stud are the remains of a small, prominent moulding. The stud itself is oval in shape and its setting is lost; below a rib, flanked by grooves, runs centrally down the plain bow to a transverse moulding above a substanial moulded foot. The brooch is very similar to examples from Chepstow, in the British Museum, discussed by Painter and Sax, from Caerwent and from near Cirencester which share the same overall form, decorative features and spring mechanism, unusual for the type and suggested as late in the series, perhaps late second century, by Hattatt. He cites a further example from Hull's Corpus, from Bollitree, Herefordshire, and another possible example form Wall, Staffs. Their differences from the main series and uniformity with each other suggest that they are the product of a single workshop located probably in the Lower Severn area. Unlike other examples the piercing of the head loop of the Usk example is slight and must have been impractical though perhaps still functional.