Ampulla ('Pilgrim flask')

A complete but damaged small metal flask which was recently found at Hungate is a medieval ampulla. Ampullae were made to carry holy water and other miracle-working liquids and were primarily sold to pilgrims; in the Holy Land, these were being made as early as the 6th century A.D. It was the pilgrimage boom beginning with the martyrdom of Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in the second half of the 12th century which sparked the mass production of ampullae for pilgrims in the West. It was believed that water tinged with Thomas Becket’s blood could bring about miraculous cures: many went on pilgrimage and obtained this water from Canterbury, but Canterbury water was also deposited in practically every church so that it was available closer to home. As well as acting as a vessel to hold the precious fluid, an ampulla was also a memento of a pilgrim’s journey; with a loop to each side, it could be worn on a cord or chain around the neck.

One method of identifying metals known as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy has shown that many ampullae were made of almost pure tin. They were made by a process called  slush-casting, which involved pouring molten tin into a mould and then quickly inverting it so as to pour out the molten core and leave behind a comparatively thin walled vessel. In order to work successfully, this technique needed pure tin. An ampulla mould made of stone was found in building work at 34 Shambles in 1974.

The form of the Hungate ampulla suggests it dates from the mid 14th to 16th centuries. Earlier ampullae tended to include a framework around the flask, and two examples of these were found at Coppergate, possibly depicting York’s own saint, St. William. The Hungate ampulla appears to be the only one of its type that has been found in any of our excavations in York, and further research is needed to determine a more precise date, and to see if there is any significance to the decorative motifs used on it.