BUCKLE

Incomplete cast copper alloy annular buckle of Medieval, c. 1270 - c. 1400 date.

The frame is circular and plain with an external diameter of 49mm and an overall thickness, including the pin, of 9.5mm. Weight 27.62g. It is circular in cross-section and has a maximum diameter of 6mm. There is no positive pin rest. However, the diameter of the frame narrows for a short length where the pin has been in contact with the frame. This small length of frame is sub-circular in cross-section and measures 4mm x 5mm. There is no constriction for the loop of the cast pin so the piece has been classified as a buckle rather than a brooch, using the criterion established by Egan and Pritchard (Egan, G. and Pritchard, F. 1991. 64-65). The shaft of the pin is square in cross-section and has a maximum dimension of 5mm x 5mm although the corners are rounded.. The shaft tapers gently to a round ended tip which has a cutaway on the underside. The cutaway may have been created by wear due to contact with the frame. Alternatively, it may have been deliberately manufactured as such. At the junction between the shaft and the loop is a raised grip/moulding which is 9.2mm in length and 5mm in width. This is decorated with three transverse grooves. The end of the loop is broken and missing and this break allows the pin to be easily detached from the frame. The internal diameter of the loop is 7mm.
The buckle frame and the pin have the remains of a mid-green coloured patina although each have small deposits of actively forming copper carbonate.