Pins in Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance

• Carved bone hairpin, Roman London, 1st century
• Iron pin, another iron pin, and a bronze pin from a Roman fort in Roxburghshire, c. 80-180
• Silver hairpin with a figure of Venus, Roman Britain, 1st-2nd century
• Silver hairpin with a hand holding fruit, Roman London, 2nd century
• Silver hairpin with a bird, Roman Britain, 4th-5th century
• Irish or Pictish silver pin, 5th-6th century
• The Domagnac Treasure, early 6th century (also here)
• Silver pin with polyhedral head, Merovingian, first half of the 6th century
• Hairpin with a bird's head from a Frankish tomb, partially-gilt silver with a garnet, 6th century
• Wooden dress pin, found in Ayrshire, dating to c. 585-630

Bone pins Bone pin found at Jarlshof in Shetland, c. 500-850 Bone pin carved with a cross, found at Jarlshof in Shetland, c. 600-1000 Bone pin from a Viking boy's grave in the Outer Hebrides, c. 600-1000 Animal-headed Pictish pin found on the island of Kerrara, c. 700-900 Bone pin found at Jarlshof in Shetland, c. 850-1100 Bone pin (for fastening a cloak?), Viking Britain Bone pin from Orkney, c. 850-1000 Bone pin carved with a cross, found at Jarlshof in Shetland, c. 850-1100




Handpins Bronze handpin, Ireland, 6th-7th century Bronze handpin of an Irish type, found in Argyll, c. 500-700 Silver handpin with red enamel ornament and a Pictish symbol on the back from the Norrie's Law hoard, c. 600-700 Silver handpin with red enamel ornament from the Norrie's Law hoard, c. 600-700

• Gilt bronze dress-pin, Merovingian, c. 550-600 (also here)
• Silver and gold dress-pin with a garnet, Merovingian, c. 570
• Pair of gold veil-pins, Merovingian, c. 570

Viking-era ringed pins Early medieval knobbed ring pin from Caerwent Bronze knobbed ringed pin from the Inner Hebrides, c. 850-900 Bronze pin from a woman's grave in the Inner Hebrides, c. 850-900 Bronze pin from a Viking woman's grave in Orkney, c. 850-950 Bronze pin from the Inner Hebrides, c. 875-925 Bronze pin from a man's grave in the Inner Hebrides, c. 875-950 Bronze pin from Caithness, c. 900-1000 Ringed pin from Orkney, c. 940-1025 Viking Age ringed pins from Denmark (Acta Archaeologica 71(1), 79-85, Nov. 2000) Viking ringed pin from Portskewett



• Early medieval spiral headed pin from Caerwent
• Bronze pin of an Irish type, found on the Outer Hebrides, dating to c. 875-1100
• Silver pin with polyhedral head, from Shetland, c. 900-1100
• Clothing pins from Novgorod, 12th-14th century

And, for to festne his hood under his chyn, He hadde of gold ywroght a curious pyn; A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was. General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales, description of the Monk, ll. 195-197

• Pins found in London; glass heads (1150-1200), red coral heads (1270-1350), and pewter heads (1150-1200)
• Ivory hairpin, northern Italy, 14th century (use V&A Access to Images to find Museum Number 7500-1861)
• Pins and pin-case of Hermann von Goch, c. 1398
• Bronze pin found at Threave Castle, 14th or 15th century

In the occupations of makyng of Cloth, the Laborers therof have been dryven to take grete part of their wages in Pynnes, Girdels, and other unprofitable Merchaundise. The Rolls of Parliament, 5.502b

• Silver pin made in 16th century Augsburg
• Tudor silver-gilt dress pin
• Tudor silver-gilt dress pin
• Tudor dress pin (worn in a lady's hair?)
• The Pin-Maker, Eygentliche Beschreibung aller Stände auf Erden, 1568