Rogart Brooch

The Rogart Brooch is a large penannular brooch of Pictish origin, dated to the eighth century AD – the term "penannular" refers to the fact that the ring of its head contains a gap or opening.[2] It measures 12cm (head width) x 19.3cm (pin length) and characteristic of contemporary Pictish brooches, contains three-dimensional (ie high-relief) bird-head inserts formed with glass.[3]

Rogart Brooch
MaterialSilver, plated with gold, glass, amber
Sizehead (diameter): 12cm, pin (length) 19.3cm, 1.4g
Period/culture8th century
PlaceRogart, Sutherland, Scotland
Present locationNational Museum of Scotland
IdentificationNMS FC2[1]

The brooch was rediscovered as part of a larger 8th century hoard f brooches during railroad excavations (ie "blasting") in 1868 at Rogart, Sutherland, in Scotland.[4][5][6] It is held in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland (NMS) in Edinburgh, where it is on permeant display.

Description
Side view at angle showing the raised bird-heads

The brooch is made from a flat band of sliver decorated with carved and alternating interlace patterns some of which are in gold,[7] and a head that is a quarter inch thick. The hoop is divided into four quadrants, each of which is decorated with interlace.[8]

Drawing of one of the sipping birds heads, 1881

The bird-heads are rendered in full-relief (ie raised) and all inwards facing, fixed with rivets and lined with gold and given narrow eyes made from green glass.[8] They are placed both on the upper band of the ring and the quadrants of the two lozenge shaped semi-circular terminals.[8][9] These two terminals are c. an inch apart, and separated from both the ring-head and each other by raised borders lined with gold.[10]

The brooch is in relatively good condition; some of the settings for red glass and amber decorative studs in the head and terminals are missing. Its reverse is rather flat and unembellished.[8]

Find
View of the Rogart Brooch

The Rogart hoard of brooches was unearthed 1868 during rock-blasting in Rogart for the Sutherland railway line, when a workman found the collection of brooches in earth uncovered by the removal of a large boulder. Although the number in at the time place is unknown, two were passed on (the workman astutely gathered his findings and immediately took them from his workplace), via a store keeper in Alness, to a Mr. Macleod of Cadbeoll, who in 1870 displayed them to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.[4]

c. 1881 drawing of the three Rogart penanular brooches. Note differences in scale with NMS2 the largest.

Both (NMS FC1 & NMS FC2) are now at the National Museum of Scotland. The smaller brooch –NMS FC1– is of bronze and in poor condition having lost all its glass studs.[8][11] A third brooch from the find went to the collection of the then Duke of Sutherland and later to Dunrobin Castle.[4]

References
  1. Youngs (1989), p. 156
  2. Youngs (1989), p. 215
  3. Youngs (1989), p. 108
  4. Anderson (1881), p. 6
  5. Finlay (1999), p. 15
  6. The hoard also included a smaller brooch (MNS FC1), also on the NMS (width: 7.7 cm x length:13.3 cm).
  7. Anderson (1881), p. 7
  8. Youngs (1989), p. 116
  9. Antiquaries of Scotland (1882), p. 493
  10. Anderson (1881), p. 8
  11. "The Rogart Brooch". Rogart Heritage Society. Retrieved 19 November 2021

Sources
  • Anderson, Joseph. "Scotland In Early Christian Times (Second Series)". The Rhind Lectures in Archaeology for 1880. Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1881
  • Finlay, Ian. "Scottish Gold and Silver Work". Firebird Press, 1999. ISBN 978-1-5655-4559-5
  • Laing, Lloyd Robert. The archaeology of late Celtic Britain and Ireland, c. 400–1200 AD. Taylor & Francis, 1975. ISBN 978-0-416-82360-8
  • "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland". Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1882
  • Youngs, Susan (ed). "The Work of Angels": Masterpieces of Celtic Metalwork, 6th—9th centuries AD. London: British Museum Press, 1989. ISBN 0-7141-0554-6
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