Sizzling Times In Framlingham

Rio has its carnival, Edinburgh its tattoo, Munich its beerfest and Siena its Palio but in Framlingham we can go one better with our annual and unique Sausage Festival. Yesterday's event drew in huge crowds and the town was packed with residents and visitors following the sausage trail from Market Hill up to the castle and down to John Grose. At each of the twelve venues we tasted a sausage before voting on our favourites back at the market. In addition to sausage tasting there were street dance displays, buskers and other street entertainment. My favourite sausages were from our local butcher Hall Farm but they were pipped to the first prize by Mills and Son of Southwold. It was a great event in glorious autumn sunshine.

After a drink at The Station and completing our sausage trail Marion headed back home and I walked up to Baddingham Road to watch The Castlemen play in a local derby against Wickham Market. I missed the first half hour in which Framlingham took a 1-0 lead but enjoyed the rest of the game as Fram went on to increase their lead with a well taken header by Mayhew from a free kick. The match was played in a good atmosphere in front of over a hundred fans and ended up a 2-0 home win.  

After stuffing ourselves with sausages during the day we decided on a lighter evening meal and I made this paella with lobster, prawns and mussels from Darren on the market.

I mentioned on my last blog that I had done a bit of detecting again this week but was waiting for the new iPhone before taking photos. The phone duly arrived yesterday so I had a go at photographing the finds from the two sessions I had.

I've been searching a field that appears to have either been used as tip or has possibly been the site of a wartime aeroplane crash (I haven't found any record of this) as there are areas of the field that are littered with scrap metal. This is the scrap from today's couple of hours.

This is the scrap lead that turned up. I always keep this and promise myself that one day I will take it to the scrap dealers and cash it in. Having been detecting for almost thirty years now there's an awful lot of lead - maybe I'll donate it to a favourite charity.

Despite the scores of scrap signals there were plenty of decent finds too. As these were often in the "scrappy" areas it meant that I couldn't ignore any signals.

This small medieval buckle is rare in that it is complete with both its pin and the strap fitting.

There was the usual selection of musket and pistol balls.

And some more nice, early buckles.

Although these look like scrap they are a bronze vessel fragment and a medieval strap fitting.

This long shanked button probably dates to the 16th century.

I am not sure of this piece but it is possibly a bronze medieval vessel foot.

This is a lead alnage or bag seal from around the 17th century.

I find a lot of pre-decimal coppers but they are not usually in such good condition as this Victorian penny.

Most detectorists love finding hammered coins as they are tiny and difficult to find. I managed to find seven in these two visits but, as you can see, their condition leaves something to be desired. 

This tiny farthing is from the realm of Edward 1 - Edward III. I am not sure which yet but it dates from the 13th to 14th century. 

Reverse

This Elizabeth groat dates towards the end of the 16th century

Elizabeth Half Groat Reverse

A Cut Half Voided Long Cross Penny c 1247-1279

Reverse

As yet unidentified cut half

Reverse

Rose Farthing Charles I

Rose farthing Charles I

Unidentified Silver Penny

A Groat or Half Groat Minted in York (Civitas Eboraci)

Obverse Possibly Edward III

This looked to be just another lead weight or disc until I turned it over.

It turned out to be a medieval personal seal matrix.

Here's an impression of the seal. My interpretation of its legend is ROGER DE GRAVE. I was delighted to find this as it is the first I've found in years of searching. Now I need to see if I can find out who Roger De Grave was.