English: A Medieval lead Papal bulla of Martin IV (AD1281-1285). The obverse reads MAR/TINVS/PP.IIII. While the reverse has normal depicta of St. Peter and St. Paul in pellet aureoles. The cord holes are quite distinct. The reverse has been sealed at 360 degrees to the obverse.

Dimensions: diameter 35.87mm; thickness 7mm; weight 43.47g

                       REPORT ON ALL THREE BULLAE BY T. PESTELL:

1 Bulla of Martin IV (1281-5) [BERK–47DE41] This bulla is in the best condition of the three. The obverse has the usual MAR/TINVS/·PP·IIII· legend and the surrounding border of pelleting is largely intact, showing the more oval shape characteristic for this pope. The reverse is in a more rubbed condition but still well preserved with enough detail on the ‘SPASPE’ legend to see the die flaws of diagonal strokes stretching up from the S and E of SPE. The curved edge of the reverse bulla die also shows beyond part of the reverse pelleted border. The reverse has been sealed at 356º to the obverse. The bulla has a distinct raised line at its centre where the attachment cord once ran through the centre, and the two ends are also quite pronounced and open. This may have been because the cords were unusually thick, but might it somehow have been a consequence of the cord being pulled through the bulla to extract it?

2. Boniface IX (1389-1404) [BERK-47FAF2] A quite well-preserved bulla with an especially clear obverse, although the piece has been bent slightly. The lettering of :BONI/FATIUS:/PP:VIIII: is clear, and most of the surrounding pelleting is also preserved. A possible die-flaw is present in the gap between the bottom bar of the F, in that a tiny dot or pellet is present. Examining the bulla under a microscope at high magnification suggests this is indeed lead rather than a soil grain, but it is not clear whether this is a bubble of lead corrosion rather than a flaw (or indeed intentional pellet) left by the die. Otherwise, there are few other features. The reverse is in more rubbed condition, and the overall effect is not helped by a tear in the reverse face around the upper hole for the original attachment cord. This has become folded down over the bulla face and the whole upper cord-hole end can be seen to have been opened up, apparently by ripping. Likewise, the cord-hole at the bottom of the bulla is also noticeably open, again suggesting it has been partly forced apart to remove the cord. The surface patina on this reverse side has become slightly worn and cracked and means that no flaws can be seen. The reverse is sealed at 358º to the obverse, although this detail is made more approximate because the bend in the bulla makes accurate measurement difficult.

3. Gregory IX (1227-41) [BERK–480137] The most worn of the three bullae with corrosion on the right hand side of the obverse and a chip missing from the bottom edge, obviously lost in antiquity. The lettering, GRE/GORIVS·/PP·VIIII· is clear enough, but a combination of wear and corrosion makes it difficult to distinguish any die-flaws. The lettering is apparently of Gregory’s 1st or 4th type, that is, of 1228 or 1237 (Williams 1993, 65 and 102). The reverse is in slightly worse condition, being more worn and again suffering some corrosion products. A few scratches and lines on the reverse relate to wear on the seal rather than die-flaws. The reverse is sealed at 9º to the obverse.

Discussion The discovery of three bullae so close together is an usual occurrence and suggests a deliberate deposition rather than a chance occurrence. Such finds are not unknown, although the wide date range of the popes represented in this present find is more curious. For example, a collection of six bullae was found together in the excavation of a medieval drain at the archiepiscopal manor of Otford in Kent in 1969 (Clarke 1972). Five of them were bullae of Urban III (1185-7), while the sixth was of his predecessor Lucius III (1181-5). In this instance an interpretation is easier to make, as the cache is suggestive of material that had all been thrown away as a group, perhaps from clearing out a bundle of papal documents, at much the same time; they might even represent a group of documents hidden together and subsequently not recovered. Similarly, two bullae were found by a detectorist at Bradenstoke Abbey, Wiltshire in 2003. Again, these were of successive popes, Boniface VIII (1294-1303) and Benedict XI (1303-1304) and so a similar explanation may be suggested, either for their being hidden still attached to their original documents or disposed of together when a collection of (related?) documents were being disposed of.

It would be of interest to know more about the circumstances of this find, for instance its proximity to a church, monastery or manorial settlement. All may help provide some explanation for why a collection of bullae representing different popes and spanning up to 123 years, should be found together.

Bibliography Clarke, R.D, 1972, ‘Otford’ Archaeologia Cantiana 87 p. 225

Williams, D. H, 1993, Catalogue of Seals in the National Museum of Wales 1: Seal Dies, Welsh Seals, Papal Bullae (Cardiff).