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Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales
Late Iron Age iron link from a slave-chain
Half figure-of-eight iron link fragment belonging to the last broken link of the less complete set of Iron Age slave-chains (Acc. No. 44.32/60). The link has been sawn in half and was originally taken for metallurgical analysis by Mr. R.J. Richardson and brother at Messrs. Brown, Lennox & Co. of Pontypridd.
On one side of the link, there are three larger drilled holes and three shallow and narrower keying holes located around the curved end of the link. The three larger drill-holes are attempted metal sampling points however these appear to have slipped laterally during drilling, due to the curvature on the link surface. On the reverse side, there are four drilled holes where samples were successfully taken, located on the right side of the link. In advance of taking these drill samples on this side, the curved surface was ground flat to ease the purchase of the drill holes, exposing areas of core silver coloured iron and removing the curved and patinated original surface.
Dimensions: maximum surviving length 38.7mm; width 34.0mm; width bar at sawn breaks 6.8mm; width bar 8.5-9.4mm; height bar 8.3-9.7mm; diameter drill holes 5.0-5.2mm; diameter keying holes 2.8mm; surviving weight 33.7g.
Site Name: Llyn Cerrig Bach, Cae Ifan Farm
Notes: Discovered in 1942-3 while peat was being dragged from Cors yr Ynys bog, transported and harrowed across sand deposits on the runway at RAF Valley, as it was being extended to accommodate large US airforce bombers. The link fragment came into the possession of the donor's father, who had been a continuing education student of Professor Leslie Alcock and Mary Alcock during the 1960s, when Professor Alcock was an academic at the University of Cardiff. While not verified for certain, it is probable that Professor Alcock gave this metallurgical sample and accompanying archive to the donor's father, as a person interested in metallurgy. This view is strengthened by virtue of the donor's father also having come into posession of two copper alloy brooches of mid-first century date from South Cadbury Hillfort, a site excavated and published by Professor Alcock (1972). How Professor Alcock had come into possession of this artefact fragment from Llyn Cerrig Bach cannot be verified, although it seems likely that it was handed over to him during the 1950s or 1960s by the original analyst Mr. R.J. Richardson of Messrs. Brown, Lennox & Co., Pontypridd, or his descendent.
