Rights Holder: Norfolk County Council
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SPUR
Unique ID: NMS-603725
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
Incomplete prick spur, most of one side missing. At the mid-point of the constantly curving, rectangular to D-section sides the remains of the iron goad or prick is set into a perforation through the centre of round boss. Two short vertical arms project above and below the central boss (length of vertical arms 31 mm). One has two narrow transverse ribs at the terminal. The other has transverse ribs and flattened longitudinal arris forming a stylised animal-head terminal. The complete arm, which is decorated with two rectangular panels between three groups of transverse ribs, flattened slightly splayed and split terminal with twin notches in the face of the outer edge. The split being for the retention of the fixing strap that was held in place by a copper alloy rivet. The closed end of the split is filled with a tiny amount of dark material. This may perhaps be leather, at least leather replaced by corrosion products. The complete object would have measured c. 74 mm from end to end. This example is an important addition to the small number of Anglo-Saxon prick spurs recorded in Norfolk. Probably dates to the 9th century.
Class: prick
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Middle
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Late
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 800
Date to: Circa AD 900
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 74 mm
Width: 31 mm
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Tuesday 1st March 2011 - Thursday 28th April 2011
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
SMR reference number: 29226
Materials and construction
Spatial metadata
Region: Eastern (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Norfolk (County)
District: King's Lynn and West Norfolk (District)
To be known as: Shouldham Thorpe
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: Centred on field
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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