STIRRUP

An incomplete copper-alloy medieval stirrup, of Medieval dating (c. 14th century AD).

Around 25% of the stirrup is present, consisting only of the attachment end with a trapezoidal cover plate. The arms and foot rest are missing, presumed lost in antiquity.

At the attachment end is a trapezoidal cover-plate, expanded at its base. On its front face it is divided in half by a median ridge, on either side of which is a further narrow low ridge. Towards the attachment end, either side of the median ridges, is a trefoil cut-out, neither finished neatly. The field below is decorated by a pair of lines formed of rocker arm incised in saltire. In turn, this is framed with a rectangular border, similarly formed of incised rocker arm. This latter forms part of a border to the whole field either side of the median ridges created using the same technique. The plate is recessed along the length of the median ridge on the reverse.

The stirrup fragment measures 29.5 mm in length, 45.3 mm wide and 15.6 mm thick. It weighs 36.3 g.

The artefact is now an even dark-green colour with patches of lighter corrosion product.

The median ridge on the cover-plate is characteristic of some medieval stirrup cover-plates (cf. Read 1988, 90-91; ref. 547). The trefoilate openwork decoration can be seen on some stirrup fragments recorded on this database, for example, LEIC-892CC1, HAMP-46A675, and the more complete BUC-1A3216 & LVPL-316327. Many fragments of this type of stirrup have been recorded on this database, though, evidently, very few more complete examples are known.