Just a little update, it turns out the thimble I found was “treasure”, sadly it shattered while I was trying to straighten it a bit
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I sent a pic of the broken thimble to a friend who quickly sent me the link below :-
https://timelineauctions.com/lot/med...it-omnia/1372/
I contacted a local finds liason officer as required by law and this was his reply:-
“ Hi Jason, thanks for your email, it looks like a straightforward silver treasure case.
I believe the item is a post-medieval elongated silver thimble dating from 1500 to 1700AD. The thimble is incomplete now in 3 pieces originally constructed from a sheet of silver soldered along the edges attached to a separate domed top soldered to the almost straight sides. A plain band runs around the top of the body of the thimble separating the dome. Evenly spaced knot motifs are stamped immediately below this upper band. The body and most of the dome is punched with square indentations, giving a 'waffle' effect and decorated with knotted bands possibly representing strap work conjoined with smaller oval bands. On the domed top is possible an owners mark in capitals *D. J*. At the bottom of the body of the thimble is a plain silver band with an inscription. . The length is 30mm, the width is 18mm thickness 18mm and the weight is 4.46g.
Silver thimbles were used increasingly by the European nobility and gentry during the 17th Century but surviving examples are rare given that thimbles were much used and, when worn, were likely to have been melted down for their bullion value. In England, silver thimbles are documented as having been donated by women on the Parliamentary side to be melted down during the Civil War. Even later 17th Century English silver thimbles are rare, with few pieces in the national collections in The British Museum and the Museum of London. They are distinctive for their strapwork designs.” Finds officer