BUCKLE

A folded sheet metal copper alloy buckle plate from a single loop buckle, of late Medieval dating (1350 - 1450 AD).

The find consists of a folded sheet of copper alloy metal, with four surviving copper alloy rivets. The buckle plate is sub rectangular in plan, and irregular in cross section. The left hand exhibits a fold in the metal, which would have originally gone round the central spindle (bar) of the buckle. A rectangular slot (4.0mm wide) has been cut for the buckle pin.

The plate has five holes present in the upper surface, one in each corner and a central one. The corner holes still have a copper alloy rivet present in each of them. The central hole is now empty. The two rivets at the left hand side, continue through to the fold on the underside.

The rivets have a circular head (hammered flat), and a circular shank.

The buckle plate has been decorated, probably with gold leaf. Most of the gold leaf decoration has come off, leaving the green patina of the copper alloy visible.

The underside of the buckle plate, which would have been touching the belt leather is plain. A green patina covers the majority of the surface.

The buckle plate measures 46.20mm in length, 21.34mm wide and 5.15mm thick. The folded metal on the underside extends 15.82mm past the fold. The metal is 1.89mm thick. The rivets are 5.6mm in length and the diameter of the head is 4.5mm. It weighs 9.0 grams.

Buckle plates of this style generally date from the Late Medieval Period (c.1350 to c. 1450 AD), and would have been attached to a single looped buckle, with separate pin. The majority of examples exhibit a recess on the edge of the fold for the frame to rotate, unlike our example which is unrecessed. It is possible that this buckle plate may be a book clasp instead, due to the gilding and number of rivet holes.

Similar examples include #173 Whitehead (2003, pp30) and #566 in Egan 2007, pp. 90).

Reference:
Egan, G. 2007 Later Medieval non-ferrous metalwork and evidence for metal working: AD 1050-1100 to 1500-50 in Griffiths, Philpott & Egan 2007. pp77-187.

Griffiths, D., Philpott, R.A. & Egan, G. 2007 Meols: The Archaeology of the North Wirral Coast. Discoveries and observations in the 19th and 20th centuries, with a catalogue of collections. Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford. Oxford University School of Archaeology: Monograph 68.

Whitehead, R. 2003 Buckles 1250-1800. Greenlight Publishing