Rights Holder: Birmingham Museums Trust
CC License:
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Unique ID: WMID-1D41BA
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
An incomplete copper alloy harness pendant of medieval date, (AD 1250 - AD 1350).
The pendant is of the 'heater'-shaped shield type (a flat top, with sides that curve steeply to a point). The upper edge has an integral suspension loop, which is set at right angles to the pendant. It is angled forwards, with an incomplete oval pierced loop (the top of the loop is missing presumed lost in antiquity).
The front of the pendant features heraldic design, made using red enamel. The design is a chevron (inverted V) pattern across the centre of the object on red enamel background. A probable martlet/other birds such as popinjays or parrots is present in the top corners of the shield. In heraldic terms, this is probably described as: gules a chevron or/argent. The reverse is undecorated.
The pendant measures 43 mm long (with suspension loop, 31.9 mm without suspension loop) and is 24.3 mm wide (the suspension loop is 4.9 mm wide). The pendant has a thickness of 3.7 mm (the suspension loop is 4.6 mm thick) and weighs 7.3 g.
The pendant is green in colour apart from the remains of red enamel. Abrasion caused by movement whilst pendant was within the plough soil may have resulted in the loss of some of the original surface detail.
Clive Cheesman (Richmond Herald, College of Arms) comments: It looks like there are three marks, one in each corner of the shield, probably a bird like a martlet. Gules a chevron between three martlets argent would be a good standard medieval coat of arms, and is in fact recorded for a family called Walkington or Walkenton in fifteenth-century sources (see Dictionary of British Arms vol 2, p 158). Walkington is a parish/manor in E. R. Yorks; family of this name held land at Bredicot in Worcestershire in the fourteenth century (VCH Worcs, 3, pp. 277-8). However due to the level of abrasion, this identification of family should be taken as probably not as a certainty.
This harness pendant is published in The Coat of Arms (2015, Third Series, Volume 11(1)/no.229, 78 & 79), fig. 6a.
Notes:
Arms: Walkington, (Walkenton) (possibly).
This is a find of note and has been designated: County / local importance
Class: heraldic
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1250
Date to: Circa AD 1350
Quantity: 1
Length: 43 mm
Width: 24.3 mm
Thickness: 3.7 mm
Weight: 7.3 g
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 9th November 2014 - Sunday 9th November 2014
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Primary material: Copper alloy
Decoration style: Heraldic
Completeness: Incomplete
Surface Treatment: Inlaid with enamel
4 Figure: SK0719
Four figure Latitude: 52.76855187
Four figure longitude: -1.89769102
1:25K map: SK0719
1:10K map: SK01NE
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 2015 | Artefacts reported under the Treasure Act and Portable Antiquities Scheme (2015) | London | The Heraldry Society | 78 & 79 | 6a |