An entire early Anglian female grave-group from County Durham, fully reported and documented under Portable Antiquities Scheme reference NCL-4ABB77. Published: Hammond, Brett. British Artefacts, volume I - Early Anglo-Saxon. The group comprises: (1) Cruciform brooch, copper-alloy, 83.66 grams, 136.37 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A substantial cruciform brooch with trapezoidal headplate flanked by expanding wings with collared D-section lobes; the top-knob is similar in form but larger, with punched double-contour triangles across the finial bar. The headplate's borders bear similar punched decoration. The shallow bow has facetted ends, a medial carination and a central rectangular panel. The footplate develops from this into a plain panel with lateral lappets bearing involuted scroll decoration forming a profile eagle-head. Below this is a transverse collar which develops into a horse-head finial with pronounced lobed eyes and discoid nostril detail. The catchplate and lugs on the reverse are intact, with ferrous remains of the original pin. (2) Pair of annular brooches, copper-alloy, 12.48 grams / 7.18 grams, 47.65 mm dia./ 41.67 mm dia. 5th-6th century AD. A pair of brooches, but not matched in size or decoration. The larger has four bands of transverse multilinear ornament with the interstitial panels bordered with double rows of punched dot detailing; its pin-slot is filled with a ferrous concretion, the remains of the pin. The smaller has four transverse bands of bilinear decoration, with two central rows of punched dot ornament between; the brooch narrows to accommodate a ferrous pin (lost in antiquity) and is cracked across this point. (3) Two matched pairs of wrist-clasps, copper-alloy, 8.05 grams / 7.48 grams, 34.53 mm / 34.00 mm. 5th-6th century AD. A full set of wrist-clasps of Hines's Form B20 comprising transverse bars, with conjoined lugs behind and lobed back edges. Detailing takes the form of small concentric roundels on the bars and larger ones on the lugs. The grave-group is typical of those associated with good-quality Anglian female graves from the later 5th century and into the later 6th, with such emphatic markers of ethnicity as the cruciform brooch for the outer cloak or shawl, and the wrist-clasps for the shift or underdress. A peplos overdress would have been gathered at the shoulders and secured by the pair of annular brooches. The cruciform brooch resembles that from grave 96 at Morningthorpe, Norfolk, found with wrist-clasps of Form B19. References: Hines, J. Clasps, Hektespenner, Agraffen, Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akadamien, Stockholm, 1993, p.64ff; MacGregor, A. & Bolick, E. A Summary Catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon Collections (Non-Ferrous Metals), Oxford, 1993, p.87 item 10.27 and p.103 item 12.21. An extremely fine group, a rarity to have the complete assemblage outside of a museum.