BOOK FITTING

An incomplete copper-alloy book clasp of hollow type, 50mm in length and 30mm in width. It consists of a decorated cast front plate with sides which are turned down at right angles to meet a flat backplate, leaving a hollow space where the strap from the book's cover would have fitted. Both the front and back plates are rectangular, measuring 33mm in length and 30mm in width. They have been soldered together and are further secured by two copper-alloy rivets, one in either corner of the attachment end. There is a third similar hole off-centre on the reverse, possibly another rivet hole. The backplate is thinner than the front and sides, which are cast in one piece. The front plate of the book clasp is decorated with the black-letter inscription 'ihc' with a horizontal line, indicating an abbreviation. These letters are an abbreviation for 'Jesus Christ'. The letters are within a rectangular border and in the field behind them there is incised cross-hatching.

Opposite the attachment end is an integrally cast lozenge-shaped projection. It has a raised square panel in its centre with a circle of small radiating grooves in the middle of this. The corners of the lozenge are also moulded, so that they are stepped. Small transverse grooves are present on their corners too. The tip of the terminal is missing due to an old break; here there would have been a pierced terminal. The reverse of the lozenge has a circular hole showing signs of wear around the edges; this would have fitted over a peg on the other cover of the book.

Traces of gilding can be seen on the front, so it was therefore probably further decorated with gilding. There are several similar book clasps known from 14th-century contexts.