STRAP END

An incomplete cast copper-alloy early medieval strap end. The strap end has an uneven, broken top and a convex sided plate with a zoomorphic terminal at the base. The plate is mostly flat, although the zoomorphic terminal is in relief on the front and the top of the plate flares out. This is the stub of the split end in which the strap would have been secured with pins/rivets. In addition to the zoomorphic terminal, the front of the strap end is decorated with incised lines. There is an unidentified dark brown substance within some of the lines. At the top of the front of the plate there is a pelta design - a curve sided triangle. A curved incised border below the pelta also runs down the edges of the front of the plate to the zoomorphic terminal. Within the border there are two incised cross pattees, one above the other. The zoomorphic terminal consists of a sub triangular moulded feature pointing towards the terminal, above which are two curved, raised features, side by side, with crescentic recesses which may represent ears. There are rounded protrusions at either side of the central triangular design. The sub triangular design has an incised triangle within it. The reverse of the plate is undecorated. The strap end is 36.2mm long and 9.9mm wide. These are maximum dimensions. The strap end has a mass of 3.62g. The plate has a slightly uneven, rather than a smoooth surface, with a brown patina. There is a patch of green corrosion products on the reverse. As well as the broken split end, there is a small amount of material missing from the left hand side and edge of the front of the plate, by the upper cross. This recess has a green pitted surface. In "Late Anglo-Saxon and Viking-Age strap-ends 750-1100: Part 1", Thomas (2003, p.1) states: "Strap ends provided the dual service of preventing straps to which they were attached from fraying or curling, and on items of costume, adding weight to make them hang down attractively. One can deduce from their considerable variation in size and the fact that they were evidently worn in sets, pairs and singly, that the range current during this period encapsulated several functional contexts." In parts 1 and 2 of "Late Anglo-Saxon and Viking-Age strap-ends 750-1100", Thomas has introduced a classification system for strap ends (2003, 2004). Class A strap ends are summarised as having a split end, convex sided or tapering plate, zoomorphic terminal and an average ratio of length to width of 1:3.5. The strap end described here has convex sides, a length to width ratio of 1:3.7, a split end and a zoomorphic terminal. Thomas's Class A, Type 2 encompasses a range of non-representational, curvilinear and geometric patterns, often in combination with highly stylised animal head terminals and trilobite palmettes. The strap end described in this record is most closely related to Class A, Type 2. In terms of dating, Thomas (2003, p.2) states that the chronological limits of the class A strap ends probably lie either side of the 9th century - with some suggestion of 8th century origins and increasing evidence to 10th century usage in the north, by which time the tongue shaped (class E) examples had superseded them in the south. On this basis the strap end is likely to date from the 8th to the 10th century.