The Portable Antiquities Scheme

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A cast copper-alloy zoomorphic and anthropomorphic Frankish scabbard chape of c. 5th-6th century date.

Only the front plate of the chape remains (see HAMP-4CBF82 for a complete and closely similar example). It consists of a trefoilate plate that can be separated into an anthropomorphic terminal flanked by zoomorphic 'wings' emerging from the base/body of the plate.

The anthropomorphic terminal consists of a simple human head with moulded decoration in low relief, depicting eyes directly below a possible conical helmet with nose-guard. The two wings curve upward from the base/body and connect with the sides of the cheeks of the human face. These wings are further separated from the body of the plate by circular openwork holes of approximately 3mm diameter. The wings are zoomorphic, decorated as bird heads reminiscent of late Roman military motifs and Sahlin's style I. The heads are placed atop long necks and turned inwards, such the the curved beaks frame the human face, with a mouth line indicated by a narrow groove and an annulet indicates each eye. The back of the neck, along the outer edge of the wing is separated into small squares. The base of the wings are separated from the body by a chevron. There are slight traces of incised decoration on the body/base, but this is very worn and uneven.

The reverse is undecorated.

A circular perforation is found behind the eye of each bird's head on the wings, indicating where the chape was fixed to the scabbard.

It can be classified as Menghin's (1983, 126-128, 351-353) Type 3a.

A number of Frankish scabbard chapes have now been recorded on this database, most of Type 3a, his Typ Samson: SF2799 (Mildenhall, Suffolk), SUR-72CF23 (Greywell, Hampshire), DENO-061D23 (Newark, Nottinghamshire), HAMP-4CBF82 (Micheldever, Hampshire) and LEIC-7F2E18 (Sproxton, Leicestershire). Menghin's catalogue contains ten examples of this sub-type, one from England (Abingdon 42), six from France, two from Germany and one from Italy (Menghin 1983, 351).

There is also a group of distinctive English chapes which do not fall into any of Menghin's groups: IOW-C1B525 (Bowcombe, Isle of Wight), NMS-751713 (Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk), SUSS-427FF4 (near Eastbourne, East Sussex) and possibly SUSS-46F1D7 (Beddingham, East Sussex).

In general Menghin's evidence suggests a 5th-century date, but the group of English chapes differs slightly in form and so may also in date (Naylor et al. 2008, 322).

• W. Menghin, 1983. Das Schwert im Frühen Mittelalter Stuttgart : Thiess.
• Naylor, J., Leahy, K. and Egan, G. (eds.), 2008 Medieval Britain and Ireland, 2007 – Portable Antiquities Scheme, 52, pp..

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Created: Wednesday 9th November 2011
Updated: Tuesday 13th December 2011