STIRRUP

A complete Early-Medieval (Anglo-Scandinavian) to Medieval cast copper-alloy stirrup-strap mount (1000-1100).

An almost identical mount (BH-BB4E64) has been recorded from Chrishall parish, Essex, by Julian Watters, Finds Liaison Officer for Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire and has been described thus:

'The mount is sub-triangular and bears a relief-moulded zoomorphic design. This symmetrical design is made up of two interlocking beasts, the back-to-back heads of which largely fill the central area of the mount. Each upward-projecting head is of heavily stylised, somewhat angular appearance with deeply grooved mouth, pointed-oval eyes and clearly defined lip lappets. The two heads are joined at the ears. Beneath the necks the bodies form a knot-work pattern and a foreleg projects outwards at 90 degrees, terminating in a toed foot, the edges of which protrude beyond the width of the rest of the side. The long, bowed sides of the mount are formed by the tails of the animals, which terminate in a knot beneath the apex loop, creating a tri-lobate terminal. A pendent lobe at the base of this knot fills the gap between the top of the beasts snouts, creating an oval space between the three elements. In addition to the apex loop, there are two rivet holes, one located at each of the bottom corners. An angled flange projects downwards from the base of the mount's reverse side'.

This mount is reddish brown with some bright green corrosion products. It is partially abraded. Two corroded iron rivets survive within the holes at the bottom corners.

This is an example of a Class A, Type 2B mount (Williams 1997: 36, fig. 24, refs: 67-69). Mounts of this form comprise a small group. The illustrated section contains seven examples and is divided into Types 2A and the debased 2B. Stirrup-strap mounts are thought to date from the 11th century, the zoomorphic designs in examples such as this being derived from Scandinavian art styles (ibid. 9-10).

Height: 57.9mm; width: 26.7mm; thickness: 8.8mm. Weight: 18.76g.

Similar mounts of Class A, Type 2B have been recorded on The Portable Antiquities Scheme database. See finds: NARC-745254; SF-218F33; SUR-944706 and SUSS-B46BF7.