Description (Physical description)
Catalogue card: 'Seven Nine bronze keys'
Event Date
Author: David Kay

Description (Physical description)
Typed catalogue card: 'Nine bronze keys'
Event Date 1923
Author: David Kay

Context (Analysis)
Catalogue card in Cyril Fox's hand notes: 'Roman but probably the majority of Continental origin'.
Event Date 1923
Author: David Kay

Context (References)
cf: Museum of London (1940) 'Medieval Catalogue' London: London Museum Catalogues
Event Date 1940
Author: David Kay

Context (Amendments / updates)
This object was marked with the IDNO 1923.213, despite not matching the descriptions on the catalogue card or accession register. It is iron, not bronze and Medieval/Post Medieval, not Roman. Moreover, the nine keys described for the IDNO are already accounted for (1923.213.1-9). This may be a case of object mislabelling, however given the lack of any further information, the decision was taken to simply accession this object as a tenth suffix after the rest of the 1923.213 series.
Event Date 6/12/2018
Author: David Kay

Description (Physical description)
Possible night latch or slide key, with a rough angular trefoil design forming the central aperture in the rectangular bit. The shank is long and oblong in shape, ending in a flattened bow twisted ninety degrees to the shank and with a central sub-circular piercing. One side of the shank is marked with nine small circular/sub-circular depressions.
Event Date 6/12/2018
Author: David Kay

Context (Analysis)
Although differing somewhat in form (a rectangular rather than 'D'-shaped bit, long shank, very small bow) the general form of the bit, especially the aperture pattern, suggests this object may be a night latch or slide key. See the Portable Antiquities Scheme database for examples of this object type (e.g. CORN-201C8B, LANCUM-F9FE85 or DUR-104936) dated as Post Medieval. However, the London Museum Medieval Catalogue lists similar Type IX 'casket-keys' (see Plate XXIX, no. 6) as dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. As such, the Period field has been filled as '?Medieval; ?Post Medieval'.
Event Date 6/12/2018
Author: David Kay

Context (Found together / assemblage)
Found in bag of twenty objects (nineteen keys and one staff head) (1921.266.1, 1921.266.4, 1921.266.8, 1921.1081-1082, 1921.1085, 1921.1606, 1922.780 A-B, 1923.213.10, 1923.276.20, 1923.1137, 1923.1169 A.1-D, 1923.1203, 1924.654 A and 1948.1705-1706) with handwritten card reading: "NO PROV.", and on the reverse in a different hand: "Spur, Anglo-Saxon, 24"
Event Date 22/1/2019
Author: David Kay