Rights Holder: Somerset County Council
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HARNESS FITTING
Unique ID: SOM-7B84A4
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
A copper-alloy strap-fitting of medieval or post-medieval date. The artefact consists of two roughly parallel sub-rectangular plates of equal form, separated from each other by a central gap and joined by a basal loop. The now-missing strap would have fitted between the plates, where it would have been held in place by two rivets, both missing. The plates expand gradually and slightly towards the attachment end which is incurved. There are some small losses at this end. One pair of rivet holes is at this end, the other above the loop. The basal loop, which has a convex upper surface, is not central in profile, set over at one side of the strap-fitting. The plates sit together just before the loop; they are more separate, and somewhat distorted, towards the attachment end. The metal has a red/brown colour with some patches of off-white and light-green corrosion product.
Such an object might techincally be described as a 'strap-end' and may well have functioned as part of a strap junction on a harness rather than as a dress accessory.
Class: strap loop
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1300
Date to: Circa AD 1600
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 48.2 mm
Height: 13.4 mm
Width: 9.1 mm
Weight: 7.78 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 1st May 2013 - Wednesday 31st July 2013
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: SCC receipt 22344
Materials and construction
Spatial metadata
Region: South West (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Somerset (County)
District: Sedgemoor (District)
To be known as: Otterhampton CP
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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