HARNESS PENDANT

A copper alloy possible harness pendant probably dating from the 12th or 13th century. The pendant is circular with the suspension loop missing. It is unusual because it has a inscription. It probably reads: AVE MARIA GRACIA. The central motif is a shield charged with a red enamelled cross pattee. The shield may once have been silvered. The background is filled with decayed blue enamel.

The device and iconography employed in this pendant are interesting and it is probable that it has some relationship with the Crusades and potentially represents one of the military orders, either the Knights Templar or the Knights Hospitaller/Knights of St. John. A near identical example is recorded on the PAS database from Norfolk (NMS-F4ABB6) and in three examples from Yorkshire with probable Templar association (IHS-6F1E82, IHS-6FCF57, IHS-7018F5). All of the parallels suggest a date in the 12th to 13th centuries AD, and if a connection to the Templars can be suggested (which remains uncertain), then it should date no later than 1314 AD when the order was dissolved. Compare also SF-3A4CD2, LIN-7A7E90 and DENO-F5F2C5.

AVE MARIA GRACIA means Hail Mary, full of grace in Latin and are the opening words of the prayer known in English as the Hail Mary. The central cross pattee refers, in all likelihood, to the arms of the Knights Templar, who used argent, a cross pattee gules as their arms. The Knights Templar were initially formed to defend the Holy Land; after a somewhat hesitant start the Order grew rapidly, and its Houses are found across Europe. Much of the Knights' success was due to their ability to act as international bankers; their wealth resided largely in the substantial amount of land bequeathed to them by devout individuals seeking to ameliorate the fate of their souls. By no means all Knights Templar resided in the Holy Land; in common with all large organizations, the Knights had 'employees' wherever their property lay. One of the largest Templar preceptories in the area was at Faxfleet, near Hull, but smaller Houses are found throughout Yorkshire, e.g., Snainton near Malton, and a significant number of villages, including Escrick, have Templar tombs in their churches.