SWYOR-606019: Medieval scabbard chape

Rights Holder: West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service
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SCABBARD

Unique ID: SWYOR-606019

Object type certainty: Possibly
Workflow status: Awaiting validation Find awaiting validation

A late Medieval possible copper alloy scabbard chape dating from about AD 1300 - 1500. This object is a tube with a rounded tip. It was produced from a sheet of metal rolled and soldered at an overlapping join; the bottom edges were cut into four tabs and folded in to seal the tip. The top has a square edge and there are two circular holes to attach the chape to the scabbard.

Some doubt is cast on the identification by the straight sides of the chape and the narrowness which seem to make it too narrow for most knives or daggers. Alternatievly, it could be a lace chape (though it is unusually large, or the base of a needlecase, though these are usually made in one piece.

The chape is decorated with two transverse bands of double incised lines dividing the chape into three equal lengths. The centre part is plain, but the ends are decorated further with pairs of incised diagonal lines, the space between them filled with cross-hatching. Small stamps or dashed lines fill the remaining areas.

The chape has a green patina. It is 39.2mm long, 10.2mm wide, 9.1mm thick and 4.32g. The sheet is about 0.6mm thick.

Class: chape

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1300
Date to: Circa AD 1500

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Length: 39.2 mm
Width: 10.2 mm
Thickness: 9.1 mm
Weight: 4.32 g

Discovery dates

Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 1st January 2015 - Thursday 8th October 2015

Personal details

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Other reference numbers

Other reference: PAS form number 2713

Materials and construction

Primary material: Copper alloy
Completeness: Complete

Spatial metadata

Region: Yorkshire and the Humber (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: North Yorkshire (County)
District: Selby (District)
Parish or ward: Saxton with Scarthingwell (Civil Parish)

Spatial coordinates

4 Figure: SE4737
Four figure Latitude: 53.8271491
Four figure longitude: -1.28743794
1:25K map: SE4737
1:10K map: SE43NE
Grid reference source: Centred on field
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.

Discovery metadata

Method of discovery: Metal detector
General landuse: Cultivated land

References cited

No references cited so far.

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Timeline of associated dates

Audit data

Recording Institution: SWYOR
Created: 8 years ago
Updated: 8 years ago

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