This is a medieval or early post-medieval silver pendant, set with jet, which was found last August by a metal-detectorist near Bletchingley in Surrey. It is probably a pilgrim souvenir dating to c.AD 1400-1550.
The pendant comprises a silver, scallop-shaped backing plate with a cable-style border and leaf-shaped projections which hold the stone in place. The suspension loop is missing, but a solder scar remains at the top of the rear of the plate where it would have once been. The stone is also scallop-shaped and carved in a deep relief of a stylised shell with the figure of St James the Great (the Apostle) superimposed over it. St James is represented quite simply with lines representing limbs, a pointed beard, a face, and a bifurcated hat that might be a crown. A small hole is present behind the figure’s head, which might have been used for suspension of the stone before it was mounted.
A good source of jet is found in Asturias on the northern Spanish coast, and it is probable that this pendant came from the nearby shrine of St James at Santiago de Compostela. This would mean that the pendant was a souvenir from a Catholic pilgrimage and so most likely either pre-dates c.1540, when such religious symbols could be worn relatively freely, or otherwise might come from the reign of Mary I (r. 1553-1558), when Catholicism was briefly revived in Britain. Interestingly, this is the second pendant of this style to be found at this site: the first was found in 2012 (search for SUR-5DBDA8 on the Portable Antiquities Scheme website) and is now in the collections of the British Museum. A third example was found less than 10km to the west, near Reigate and Banstead (SUR-A6D001).
For more information about this pendant, see https:// finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1123737 or search for SUR-1FF218 on the PAS database.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is an initiative to encourage the recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales. For more information on the Scheme, and to browse its database of more than 1.5 million finds, visit https://finds.org.uk. Information for this find was provided by Simon Maslin, Finds Liaison Officer – Surrey.
Image: Surrey County Council / Text: Kathryn Krakowka