What is it?

No, not one of those guess and I will  tell you the answer tomorrow, I really don't know!

I found it beachcombing and looks to me like a fishing weight but has anyone seen one like it before? It is made from terracotta or similar and is 3 1/2 inches long with a hole all the way through and a groove all along the top.

I asked the Internet and the only thing I could find were these African beads, origin only guessed at. They do look very similar but it seems a bit overly exotic for a beach in Banffshire! Did fishing weights look the same the world over? Any guess as to age?