File:11th C. Cross-staff finial (FindID 72362-33273).jpg

English: A cast copper-alloy finial which, it has been suggested (see ref 1), would originally have been attached to the base of a cross-staff of 11th-century date. The body of the object is a latticed sphere measuring 36.5mm in diameter and comprising a series of roughly lozenge-shaped holes which increase slightly in size from top to bottom. At each of the four points of each lozenge is a sub-circular raised knob. These also increase in size from top to bottom. The bottom of the body is slightly flattened and has four sub-triangular holes around one slightly damaged triangular hole. The object would have been fitted to a slender wooden shaft by a now-damaged collar. This is located at the top of the sphere and is sub-rectangular in shape, measuring 18.1mm long by 8.3mm wide at the bottom, tapering to 6.5mm wide at the top. It is 10.4mm high and just 0.5mm thick and has a raised rim at both the top and bottom. There are two opposing circular holes (2.9mm diameter), one on each of the long sides. A rivet would have originally passed through these holes in order to hold the finial to the wooden shaft. The total height of the object is 45mm and the weight is 48.33g. Two similar pieces have been found in Warwickshire and are discussed in Medieval Archaeology 38 (see ref 1). The example from Wixford was found near to a church, which would support the theory that these objects are ecclesiastical in origin. The wear pattern on the example found at Walton suggests that it was attached to the bottom of a staff, rather than the top. Other probable cross-staffs can be seen in the London Museum Medieval Catalogue, where they have been identified (erroneously) as sword pommels (see ref 2).