Tudor silver hunting / hawking whistle pendant

This is a rare excavated Tudor period silver whistle, dating to the mid to late 16th century. Such small silver whistles were used during hunting with hawks to signal the bird of prey; they were also worn as jewellery pendants, serving as status symbols in the Tudor Court. DNW recently sold a gilt example from Smallbridge Manor in Bures St Mary, Suffolk. Similar examples have been recorded from Shillingstone in Dorset DOR-6E2574, Fawley in the New Forest HAMP-D7F787 and Tinwell in Rutland LEIC-C4CAA2.

OBJECT: Whistle

CULTURE: Tudor

DATE: c. 1550 - 1650AD

MATERIAL: Silver

SIZE:  38mm x 15mm x 10mm

WEIGHT:  5.84 grams

PROVENANCE: Formerly in a private collection, Cambridge.