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University Collections

Encyclopaedia of the North East

T - Toun to trinket

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A large printed capital letter T with a portrait in a gilded frame, trinkets, glass goblets, a stick, an axe, mace and spear head, a wooden panel and a document seal.

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toun=town la14- 
1 n A farmstead or similar collection of houses, an urban community. 
2 n The people of a town, esp. fashionable society, tradesmen, immoral classes, municipal authority.

where the magistrates sit under the soveraignty of the mace, and every merchant in his pew; where every society of mechanicks have their particular seats... suitable to their profession; so that confusion seldom or rarely happens amongst them... and the civillity of the people such, that no man is left destitute of a seat to sit on, but every one entertained answerable to his quality.
Memoirs of Richard Franck (description of a journey to Aberdeen) 1656

Portrait of Paul Menzies. Oil painting of an almost bald middle aged white man with dark eyes, and a long pointed light brown beard and moustache. He is wearing a white ruff and a black gown. The painting is in a gilded frame with the label PAUL MENZIES.

Portrait of Paul Menzies of Kinmundy, a Provost of Aberdeen, by Jamesone (1620).

ABDUA:30111

Beaker. A glass beaker with a squat stem and foot. Small raised discs of glass decorate the lower outside of the body. The beaker is painted with rows of dots and arches in white, red and gold; and diamonds surrounded by scrolls. There is a coat of arms with the shield quartered, in two opposite quarters is a black bird foot on gold and in the other red and white vertical triangles. The shield has a crown on top and ribbons around it.

Venetian glass beaker belonging to Paul Menzies of Kinmundy (1667).

ABDUA:18109

Beaker. A light bluish, fat glass beaker. It is painted with flowers, a gold band with rows of white and blue dots near the rim, the motto VIVENT VIVAS 1631 PM; and a coat of arms with the top half of the shield plain red and the lower half ermine, and a knight's helmet with a yellow bird's head on top and ribbons above the shield.

North German glass beaker belonging to Paul Menzies of Kinmundy (1631).

ABDUA:18108

Replica seal matrix. Two bronze moulds, one with a coat of arms with a tower on it and a lion on either side, the other with a bishop standing in a tower.

Copy of the 1430 Common Seal of Aberdeen (possibly 18th cent.)

ABDUA:13224

Badge. A small silver disc with a coat of arms with three towers on it and a leopard on either side. The motto BON ACCORD is on a banner at the top.

Silver badge with Aberdeen's coat of arms (18th - 19th cent.)

ABDUA:18703

Panel. A small rectangular wooden panel carved with foliage and scrolls. In the centre, inside a ring, are the letters C, L and A entwined and B.

Panel from Inverurie charter box (1640-1660).

ABDUA:18392

Walking stick. A wooden stick almost a metre long with four segments. It has silver caps at both ends, the top one is bulbous. There is a small hole with silver mounts around it going through the stick near the top.

Staff with top made by William Jamieson of Aberdeen, inscribed 'Civil Debtors to Geo. Turreff, Aberdeen, 5th July, 1824'.

ABDUA:18737

Mace head. A rounded rectangular block of black polished stone, with a perfectly circular hole about the size of a ten pence piece drilled through it near the centre.

Stone 'mace-head' from Midmedden Hill, Clatt (2200-1800BC).

ABDUA:14110

Halberd. A wide flat triangular bronze point, about seven inches long, with a raised area along the centre and three small holes near the bottom.

One of a hoard of three halberds from Newpark, Newmachar (2200-1800BC).

ABDUA:19677

Axe head. A block of polished grey stone with a canoe like profile, and a perfectly circular hole about the size of a two pence piece drilled vertically through the centre.

Stone 'battle-axe' from Alford (2500-1800BC).

ABDUA:17647

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trinket n 
An ornament usually worn on the person.

Torc. Fragments of a gold torc, an open ring formed from a twisted ribbon of gold creating a tight spiral. There is a hook at the end of one fragment.

Gold torc, from a hoard of 36 found near a barrow, Law Farm, Urquhart, Moray (1800BC-1000BC).

ABDUA:19691

Shoe buckles. Three metal shoe buckles decorated with flowers and crosses.

Shoe buckles, Aberdeenshire (17th - 18th cent.)

ABDUA:18328, 18339, 18331

Nelson Mandela gong. A black plastic medallion with green, yellow and red cord wrapped around the edge. The surface of the medallion has a background of horizontal green, yellow and red bands and a portrait of Nelson Mandela printed in black on it. A black shoelace is tied to the medallion.

Nelson Mandela 'gong', political statement as fashion accessory, Aberdeen (1990).

ABDUA:63801

Brooches. Two small ring shaped bronze brooches with fastening pins, covered in green rust.

Copper alloy brooches, from a Viking woman's grave, Stenness, Orkney (10th - 11th cent).

ABDUA:15547, 15548

Necklet. A large bronze ring about 9 inches wide. There is an open part of the ring, and the ends have flared out terminals. Around the outer edge are numerous short projections which are the remains of smaller rings; only one of these rings is complete.

Bronze necklet from a hoard, Dingwall (c900-600BC).

ABDUA:14502

Pin head. A bronze disc about two inches wide with a knob in the centre and concentric circular depressions.

Bronze 'sunflower head' pin from the same hoard (c900-600BC).

ABDUA:14501

Brooches. Two large, flat ring shaped brass brooches decorated with foliage and knotwork, with fastening pins.

Brass plaid brooches (17th - 18th cent.)

ABDUA:18111, 18120

Pin. A pin made of bone, about three inches long. A small thistle is carved on one end.

Bone 'thistle head' pin, Sanday (10th cent.)

ABDUA:14014

Torc. A bracelet sized open ring formed from a twisted ribbon of gold creating a tight spiral shape. The ends are hooked together.

Gold torc, found with five others, Belhelvie (1800-1000BC).

ABDUA:19690

Ear Rings Ear Ornament

Gold and human hair earrings, Aberdeen (late 19th cent.)

ABDUA:17959

Brooch. A flat silver ring, about three inches wide, with a pin hinged onto it. The ring is decorated with incised foliage and chequered circles. The edges of the ring and circles and anchor like shapes are marked with thick blackened lines.

Glasgow type silver and niello plaid brooch (18th cent.)

ABDUA:18123

Necklace. A simple gold plated chain necklace.

Cheap gold plated necklace, Aberdeen (1990).

ABDUA:63802

Beads. Six small beads, clockwise from top: a white ring with black veins made of steatite, an orange ring of amber, a blue star shaped bead, a swirled grey and yellow glass ring, a brown glass rounded triangle with yellow spirals, a large blue glass ring with white swirls.

Beads. Clockwise from top:

Steatite bead, Knockenbaird, Insch (200BC-800AD).

ABDUA:15522

Amber bead, Tap o Noth, Rhynie (1000BC-500AD).

ABDUA:15535

Faience bead, from urned cremation burial, Drumdurno, Fyvie (1800-1000BC).

ABDUA:17690

Glass bead, Aberdeenshire (200BC-400AD).

ABDUA:15539

Glass bead, Mill of Gellan, Tarland (200BC-500AD).

ABDUA:15544

Glass bead, Colpy Farm, Culsalmond (200BC-500AD).

ABDUA:15506

Jet trinkets. Small, polished black rings, beads and a pendant made of jet.

Jet trinkets. Left to right:

Bead and ring, Culbin Sands, Moray (200BC-800AD).

ABDUA:17495, 17490

Pendant, Chapelton, Leslie (100BC-800AD).

ABDUA:17494

Bead, from cremation cemetery, Hill of Culsh, New Deer (2000-600BC).

ABDUA:15546

T - Toun to trinket