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Description: | A cast, copper alloy, medieval, harness mount (stud), dating from about 1250 to about 1400. it is a heater shaped shield, similar to the "London Museum Catalogue", 1940, page118, figure 381. The place where the shank projected from the reverse of the mount can clearly be seen as a small "scar". The mount is 43.42mm. long x 36.59mm. wide x 2.68mm. thick. The top of the shield (the widest point) is very slightly concave. The mount weighs 21.90gm.The heraldry of the shield is; on a fess three escallops. No enamel or metal finish remains. The escallop (a sea shell) is not rare in heraldry. For example the the important Grandison family use it.It is perhaps well known as an image because of its use as a symbol of St. James of Compostella, as a pilgrim badge. I have not found an example of this mount's heraldry on the PAS database or on the UKDFD.The heraldry probably belonged to one of two families. John de Havering (Haveriges, Haverigges) is listed on the St. George Roll of 1285 as bearing the arms; azure (blue) on a fess argent (silver), three escallops gules (red). Humphery-Smith in "Anglo-Norman Armory Two", lists this, but he also lists William Hamelyn as bearing; or (gold), on a fess gules (red) three escallops argent (silver). This is recorded in the Collins Roll of 1295, and the Lord Marshalls Roll of 1310.In either case the red, white and blue would have ensured that the escallops would have been clear, especially as they stand proud on the base of the fess. In fact this standing proud may indicate the Hamelyn arms as a safer bet for this mount, as the base of the fess could be filled with enamel, and the raised area above and below the fess, and the the raised escallops would then take the metallic finish, which would be of a negligible thickness; thus allowing all the completed surface of the mount to be flush (level).The mount is also relatively large thus requiring it to be fixed to a wide part of the leather harness.
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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