Bangle

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This bangle, possibly made of lignite, was found in a female Viking grave at Castletown in Caithness. A pair of oval brooches was also found in the grave. The woman had been buried above the remains of a broch, and her grave was covered by a mound.

Shale armlet found in a broch at Castletown, Caithness

Jewellery of jet from Whitby in Yorkshire, or of similar-looking materials, was used by Vikings in Britain, Scandinavia and elsewhere in the North Atlantic. True jet was believed to have magical powers.

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• Online ID: 000-100-036-601-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.FN 2
• Date: Between 850 and 950
  
• Material: Shale
  Armlet
  
• Dimensions: 3.00" D
  
• What: Armlet
  
• Subject:
• Who:
• Where: Scotland, Caithness, Castletown
  
• Event:
• Description:
• References:
  • Anderson, J. Notes on the structure, distribution, and contents of the brochs, with special reference to the question of their Celtic or Norwegian origin. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 12 (1877-8), pp 314-55. 
  • Graham-Campbell, James and Batey, Colleen E. Vikings in Scotland. An Archaeological Survey. Edinburgh: University Press, 1998, pp 68, 154. 
  • Grieg, Sigurd. Viking Antiquities in Scotland (=Viking Antiquities in Great Britain and Ireland, Part II, ed. by Haakon Shetelig). Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co., 1940, pp. 23-4. 
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