Mary B. wrote:
>I have excavated hem weights (your lead buttons) at my site in Newbury
>and have done a bit of research on them.  By the late 19th/early 20th
>century these were stamped out with holes so they could be sewn into
>hems and hence stay put.  The main use for them was to keep men's coat
>tails from flapping in the breeze, but they also were used on women's
>skirts and in draperies.  Earlier examples were just bits of lead,
>perhaps flattened, perhaps not, and examples have been found in burials
>of men who had their clothes on (unusual circumstances) ca. 1700.  So
>there's a longish history of their use, but before they were made in a
>recognizable form, we'd mistake them for lead shot, lead sprue or waste,
>etc., unless the context was absolutely clear cut.
>
>I discuss hem weights among many other sewing tools and sewing notions
>in my upcoming book on the material culture of needlework and sewing.
>Watch this space!


Might that explain some of the flattened, drilled, and modified musket
balls we have found on military sites?  This was discussed about a year ago
and I do not recall that hem weights, or even tent canvas weights, were
mentioned as a possibility.  It sure wouldn't hurt to add that to the long
list of possible explanations.

         Dan W.