I Dig Sheffield | Digging Around Sheffield and the Peaks

Site name : Benty Grange
Site type : Burial site

Time period : Anglo-Saxon
Material : Metal; Iron; Bronze; Gold; Silver; Gemstone
Object type : Grave goods; Household item
Museum number : J93.1189; 1995.195

Llewellynn Jewitt's watercolour of the helmet is very important. It is a record of how the object looked in the mid 19th century. It also shows the pieces arranged in a reconstruction of the original appearance. This was based on Thomas Bateman's own records. A comparison with the current reconstruction shows that he was quite accurate in his understanding of the helmet's shape and form. We are fortunate that Jewitt painted what he could see. He showed the helmet complete with corrosion and in its fragmentary state. He did not carried away by his imagination. This is why Jewitt's work is such an important record of the objects in Bateman's collection.

The watercolour also shows other objects from the grave. At the top left is the cross from the noseguard of the helmet. Next to it is a example of the silver topped rivets used to fit the pieces of the helmet together. At the bottom are two buckles and two other objects, which are difficult to identify.

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Bibliography :
Bateman, T. , 1861

Glossary:
Llewellynn Jewitt
Rivet
Thomas Bateman

Related objects
Helmet from Benty Grange
Close up of boar on helmet from Benty Grange
Cross from replica Benty Grange helmet
Sword from Wigber Low

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