Made of silver

Here is an opportunity to adopt a silver Tau cross pendant found in Surlingham, Norfolk! The face of this beautiful fifteenth century pendant is engraved with pecked foliate decoration; the reverse side is completely plain. The cross is shaped into an elaborate capital letter T known as a Tau cross, because of its Greek letter tau form. At the time the pendant was made, the Tau cross was associated with the order of Hospitallers of St Anthony, and in particular with St Anthony himself. Anthony was thought to help bring relief from a condition known as Ergotism, in which a fungus that often infected rye, commonly used in making bread, could cause poisoning. The pendant would have been worn as a talisman to protect you from St Anthonys Fire which killed thousands in the middle ages. A very useful present indeed!

The minimum donation to become a Gold Adopter of this object is £375. After clicking 'Donate', please enter this amount before continuing. Donations under the suggested amount will still count towards our target but will be considered a donation rather than an adoption.

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