When conservation was complete the complexity of the object could once again be appreciated. This particular example is elaborately decorated with applied strips, which serve also to strengthen it.
They were attached to the iron case by copper alloy brazing metal (copper and tin with a little lead) which originally covered the whole object.
This type of padlock had a U-shaped bolt which was held in the lock by a leaf spring attached to one arm. At one end of the case is a key hole. The bolt was released in the manner shown in the reconstruction below, allowing the lock to open. Keys which would have opened this form of padlock have also been found.
We can learn a lot from an object such as this. Not only does it tell us something of a society in the past where security was a concern, but the object itself is testimony to the skill of the Viking Age blacksmith. Using simple tools, a hearth, charcoal for fuel, and iron sheet and strips he was able to fashion an object which was not only functional but also intricately decorated with a range of other metals.
Back to IntroductionFind number 1976.7,
11758; catalogue number 3610. Length 86mm, width 84mm.
For more information see: The Archaeology
of York 17/6, Anglo-Scandinavian Ironwork from 16–22 Coppergate
by Patrick Ottaway.
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