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Description: | A cast, copper alloy, medieval heraldic harness pendant with enamel, dating from 1250-1400. It is a "heater shaped" shield similar to "London Museum Medieval Catalogue", page 118, figure 38 (I). It is complete with its suspension loop. Virtually all the enamel remains; but the metal finishes are lost. There is light green patina/verdigris where the metal finish is lost; and some mottled brown patina with the green on the reverse. It measures 47.90mm including the loop x 30.15mm wide x 3.27mm thick. The loop itself is 11.97mm long x 7.91mm thick. It weighs 17.43gm.The heraldry is; Barry (6) argent (silver) and azure (blue) a baston or riband compony or (gold) and gules (red). A riband is the same as a bend but not as wide. These arms belong to Nichol or Nicholas Grey or Gray. He bore these arms in the Nativity Roll of Arms in 1307. And, except with a baston argent and gules, at the battle of Boroughbridge in 1322. Sir Nichol de Grey of Essex (probably the same man) is listed as bearing the arms in the Parliamentary Roll of 1312. For these details see Humphery-Smith "Anglo-Norman Armory" page 132, and Foster "The Heraldic Dictionary" page 100.I cannot find an example of these arms on the PAS Database. The baston is a method of differencing the arms of Nichol from, probably, the main branch of the Grey family which uses the same arms without the baston. An example of these arms is also in the Parliamentary Roll. Ashley gives an example of a mount with the Grey arms, without baston, in " Medieval Armorial Horse Furniture in Norfolk" pages 18 and 34, item 164.Blyth, in Nottinghamshire, is an interesting find spot, as there was a licensed tournament site there in the Medieval period. The pendant may have been lost in a melee, or on the way to a tournament. The loop is not broken, but the pin to attach it to the hanger may have broken.
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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