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Description: | Sheet copper alloy hookplate or hasp from a book clasp with two rivet holes at the opposite end to the hook. The end of the hookplate with the rivet holes to attach the plate to a leather strap is flared, so that it is trapezoidal in plan. The opposite end is bent over to form a single central flat hook, 20 mm wide, beyond a rectangular-shaped (in plan) terminal. The upper face of the hookplate is decorated with punched lines of chevrons that form an hour-glass pattern of two triangles in the centre of the plate, which are bordered by two incised lines in the form of a cross. There are also two parallel incised lines that run along the length of the plate, at either edge, as a border.These clasps were attached to leather straps fixed to the book and helped to hold the book shut by hooking into a corresponding catch-piece on the other side. Chevrons and oblique lines are common on Medieval book clasps, but the shape and size of this example suggest that it is Post-medieval in date.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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