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Description: | A copper alloy star rowel from a rowel spur dating from the medieval period or later, with incomplete gilding. Diameter: 31.0mm; thickness: 5.4mm; mass: 8.5g. The star rowel consists of eight points. Each point is sub-lozenge shaped, with one end, broadly rectangular/square in section, being joined to the centre of the rowel and the other end, circular in section, tapering to a point. In the centre of the rowel is a (now obscured) hole through which a rivet would have passed, securing the rowel to the rowel box (e.g. see "Spurs and Spur Fittings", Ellis and Egan, pp. 124-156 in "The Medieval Horse and its equipment c.1150-c.1450", Clark (ed.), 1995). The star rowel has traces of gilding between the points. There are also light green corrosion products visible between the points and within the now obscured central hole of the rowel. The rowel otherwise has a dark brown pitted surface. Ellis comments that gilded spurs were buckled on to a man's heels as part of the formal ceremony of making him a knight, and gilt spurs were considered to be the prerogative of knights. (ibid. p.124). She also reports that by the late 14th century there were complaints that many mercenary soldiers, some of whom called themselves "knights", wore golden spurs without ever being knighted (ibid.) Ellis (ibid. p.147) comments that simple star rowels with a varying number of points have been used on spurs since the introduction of rowels in the 13th century until modern times, so that typological dating of detatched rowels is seldom possible. As such, the star rowel recorded here dates from the 13th century or later.
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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