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CLASP
Unique ID: HESH-895A40
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
An incomplete copper alloy folding strap clasp or buckle frame, of Medieval dating (c. AD 1350 to AD 1400).
The clasp or buckle has an incomplete rectangular frame with an integrally cast anthropomorphic king's head design in high relief at one end. Although the facial features are worn, grooves visible on either side of the head represent hair, and the crown, now broken would have been perforated with two holes. The reverse of the fitting is hollow and has one surviving fragment of the arms, which would have formed the sides of the frame. The strap bar is missing.
The clasp or buckle frame measures 19.32 mm in length, 18.46 mm wide and 5.48 mm thick. It weighs 2.86 g.
The clasp or buckle frame is mainly a dark green colour, with some small areas of pale green.
A very similar example is illustrated in Egan & Pritchard (2002, pp 119 & 120, fig 78, #568). Egan & Pritchard state that 'further examples of these distinctive, well-made two-part clasps with crowned heads have been found on the site of a medieval village in Lincolnshire believed to have been deserted around the middle of the 14th century, and another found at Dover has raised hands to the sides of the head' (page 120). Several others have been recorded on the PAS database including WMID-7FE398, WMID-D3B183, WMID-4D14A6 and WMID-CD7CE7.
Class:
Two part
Sub class: Large Head (crowned
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1350
Date to: Circa AD 1400
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 19.32 mm
Width: 18.46 mm
Thickness: 5.48 mm
Weight: 2.86 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 6th October 2021
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
Spatial metadata
Region: West Midlands (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Shropshire (Unitary Authority)
District: Shropshire (Unitary Authority)
To be known as: Condover
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egan, G. and Pritchard, F. | 2002 | Dress Accessories, c.1150-c.1450 (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London) (2002) | London | HMSO | 119/120 | Fig:78. ref:568 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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