MEDIEVAL STRAP END

1350

A complete copper alloy Medieval composite strap end (1350-1400). It is formed of a forked spacer between a pair of sheets. It has two rivet holes; one at the terminal end and the other at the attachment end. Both rivets remain in situ. It is 34.09 mm in length, 10.73mm in width, 2.4 mm in thickness and weighs 3.47g. It is similar to the composite strap ends illustrated in Egan and Pritchard, 1991, p.142, especially ref. 660, which Egan and Pritchard date as from the late 1300s.The strap end in trapezoidal in shape, with a rectangular attachment end and an angled terminal end which narrows to a small trefoil shaped terminal protrusion. This terminal protrusion is formed from a central lozenge shape extending from both the sheets and an outer trefoil shape that extends from the forked spacer. The strap end is engraved with a single ring and dot design in the centre of one side, however there is no engraving apparent on the reverse.The strap end is mostly pale green in colour due to a copper oxide patina, but some traces of its original light brown colour remain. The finder notes fibres of organic material visible at the sides when viewed under a miscroscope.