Beamish Burn, Ousbrough Wood, pipeclay doll

In February 2010 a member of the public found a tiny (two inches long) pipeclay figurine in the silt at the edge of the Beamish/Urpeth Burn at Ousbrough. Geoff Egan, Portable Antiquities Adviser on medieval and later finds (based at Museum of London) confirmed that such figurines were toys or dolls and were made from the 15th to the early 20th centuries. This particular example is possibly 18th century but more likely to be 19th century in date. It is not very attractive as a plaything. These toys are not well understood and are rare outside London.