South Shields, bronze key

Bronze key, with "circular-sectioned shank and complex ward for opening tumbler lock". Length 79 mm, width of ward 27 mm. There seems to be some doubt as to where it was found. "A label attached to this piece describes it as...'dug up at South Shields Roman Fort…" while the museum's accession records, which give an accession date of 6th February 1975, note that it was found at South Shields on the beach. Though published as Roman, Lindsay Allason-Jones thinks it is probably later, any date up to the 17th century.