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HARNESS MOUNT
Unique ID: SF9194
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
Copper-alloy shield-shaped harness mount, now slightly bent and quite worn. The shield is 30 mm long and 24 mm wide with a straight top and sides curving to a point. Three relief lions passant guardant can just be seen on the shield (the arms of England before 1340). Although these were probably reserved and gilded against a red enamel background, none of the gilding or enamel survives. On the reverse is a large tapering integral blunt-ended spike, set at a slight upwards angle; this increases the total thickness to 22 mm. These mounts are very similar to horse-harness pendants and were almost certainly used on thick leather harness. One bearing the arms of England could have been used on the harness of a servant of the king of England, but they were also available for anyone else to buy as a patriotic symbol. After 1340, when the French arms were added to the English arms to symbolise the English claim to the French throne, the three lions could continue to be used alternating with a mount or pendant showing the arms of France.
Notes:
Arms: England
Class:
heraldic
Sub class: stud
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1250
Date to: Circa AD 1400
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 30 mm
Width: 24 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight: 12.41 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 1st July 2002
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Spatial metadata
Region: Eastern (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Suffolk (County)
District: Mid Suffolk (District)
To be known as: AKENHAM
Spatial coordinates
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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