Pilgrims Spoon (UPDATED and ADDITIONAL PHOTOS)

[woody50]

Updated: Forgot to mention the measurements:
45 x 32.3 mm, mass = 10,03 gram

Also I have now found 4 other photos of other spoons, will include them... Maybe it will help to see if others turn up....

At then end of message a better photo of the spoon (front and back).

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This relic, that I found way back in 2004, has finally been determined thanks to some good English friends.

Searching up a gradual slope on a field I found many roman coins, and some roman brooches, along with a few hammered silver coins. Covering the same area again, but this time diagonally to the search pattern I received a quiet smooth signal, from which I knew would be a deep object. I knew it was not a coin, the XP GMP detector did not sing it's coin song to me. The deeper I got the more sure I was that it had to be nonferrous, the signal said to me that the object was also not so large, and that means keep digging.

It would have to be bronze, silver or lead making that sound because the signal still stayed good and there was no cracking at all at the edges of the object. I could hear hear that the object was not round but still had a funny ring to it. Finally after checking the hole again the signal was gone so I knew the object was in the removed earth, and I saw it almost at once poking it's head out of the loose clump of ground.

At first glance it appeared to be an old tin lid, one that closed a small container for jewelry and such. I carefully put it in a plastic sack and continued. That night when the other guys (www.wf4.nl) looked at it no one knew what it was, my idea of a lid could be correct. And so it stayed for 6 years, filed under boxes and lids. During one of my reclassification and ordering of my finds photos, I came across it the other day, and begin to wonder if it was really a lid after all.

So I opened up my OE and send the photo(s) and description to several friends. After a day I received my first answers, it appeared to be the bowl of a 12/13th century Pilgrims spoon. Its not a normal spoon, but a ceremonial object, just like Pilgrim Insigne's are. More answers appeared on the second day, and all the answers were the same. One of the experts Jim Halliday (whom some of you English guys surely know) said he had only ever seen 3 fragments of the spoons.

Gordon Bailey said "The bowl is from a decorated Pilgrims spoon dating to the late 13th century, this appear to be associated with London for some complete examples have been recovered from the Thames. These bowls are normally decorated both sides of the bowl, the handle would have been about 3inches in length. Hope this is help all the best Gordon".

I cannot find any more information on the net about Pilgrim Spoons. Someone ever seen one or know why and what they were used for?

[Silver Searcher]

Never heard of one Woody but it looks like a very interesting find perhaps not a lot are known about them, because I couldn't find anything either :P

SS

[woody50]

Never heard of one Woody but it looks like a very interesting find perhaps not a lot are known about them, because I couldn't find anything either :P
SS

Hi SS, I still can't find any hits. Looked at mudlark site also but its so difficult to see anything there, and did not see anything like it there. Also tried BM, nothing. Since Gordon said that I would think I could find something, but no.

But still looking!

[CRUSADER]

Add my one to the mystery, its a similar design with the eyes at the front like a snake but has wings a little like a fly. Its much more triangular with a simple boarder on the reverse, plus I can't really see where it broken off like your one, but it does seem to have something there like a mould piece maybe spurl missing or it could be the front piece of the spoon & it was cut in half in antiquity

[woody50]

Add my one to the mystery, its a similar design with the eyes at the front like a snake but has wings a little like a fly. Its much more triangular with a simple boarder on the reverse, plus I can't really see where it broken off like your one, but it does seem to have something there like a mould piece maybe spurl missing or it could be the front piece of the spoon & it was cut in half in antiquity

Hi Cru. Yes it sure does look like the spoons I have seen. There could be many different patterns, so that is not important (see the new photos above). It sure could be the same type of spoon, only larger. I am hoping that others will remember something they found earlier and report it....

Thanks...

Earl