STIRRUP

A cast copper-alloy stirrup-strap mount from the 11th century (circa 1000-1100). The mount appears to fit into Williams' Class A group although it is not directly paralleled in his corpus and does not fit into any of the specific sub-groups. It may, though, be compared to an example found at Middle Harling, Norfolk (Rogerson 1995, 65-66; fig. 46, no. 98), which was tentatively described as a stirrup-strap mount in the report and therefore excluded by Williams; this find would seem to confirm that the Middle Harling find is indeed an incomplete stirrup-strap mount.

The mount has a straight base and an irregular outline on the sides narrowing to the rounded lobe at the top. The sides follow the outline of the interlaced animal figures moulded on the front. The animal on the right appears clear with knotted legs and body near the base and a long curved neck or body rising up the outer side with what appears to be one projecting leg forming a point half way up the side. The neck then curves inwards and down with the head reaching down apparently to bite the interlaced body. An eye and ear are visible on the head with a plume or leg at the top. The animal on the left to some extent mirrors than on the right, however the head is different and appears not to form a proper head; it is possibly debased.

The animals do not overlap and between them is open space with a raised section at the apex in the form of a section of a circle. There are three attachment holes, one at the apex and two just above the base; one of those at the base is filled with iron corrosion. The back is plain with a incomplete flange extending at right angles from the lower edge. The flange is 4.1mm wide but most is lost to old breaks. The mount is 43.7mm long, 32.2mm wide and 2.2mm thick excluding the flange, 6.0mm including; it weighs 15.91 grams.