SPUR

A complete copper-alloy prick spur in good condition, dating to the Early Medieval period (probably 9th century AD), missing only its iron goad. The sides of this prick spur are curved but they do not extend into the very straight arms of a U shape like most spurs. They are roughly D-shaped in cross-section and have zoomorphic terminals.

Each of these terminals takes the form of open-mouthed animal heads, with narrow faces with swept-back elongated ears embellished with a niello-inlaid curve. Below the ears is a triangular brow, then bulging eyes which may once have been surrounded by niello. A narrow slit forms the open mouths as well as providing the housing for two circular-sectioned in-situ copper-alloy rivets (one in each terminal) located through the nose of each head, which would have originally secured the spur in place. The outer surface of one terminal demonstrates significantly more wear than the other, probably indicating intensity of use.

The D-shaped arms are flat and undecorated on their inner face and each have central longitudinal ridges on their outer face, with a pair of recessed rectangular panels or cells on either side. Each cell is decorated with inlaid niello and scrolls of silver wire formed into S shapes.

The centre of the outer face of the spur, where the four decorative cells meet, is partly obscured by surface iron corrosion, presumably the remains of the corroded goad. At the centre of the outer face, a small circular aperture is visible which would originally have provided the housing for the iron 'goad' element of the spur. Projecting from the centre, perpendicular to the longer arms, are two opposing shorter arms, giving the spur a cruciform appearance when viewed from behind. These may possibly have been a means of stabilising the spur on the ankle. They are D-shaped in cross-section with a rounded outer and flat inner surface. They each have four transverse grooves dividing them into beaded segments, and have highly stylised zoomorphic terminals with circular indentations representing eyes and a small horizontal slit across the rounded end, representing the mouth.

The spur measures 79.80mm long from terminal to terminal, while each of the longer arms measures c. 8.85mm wide by 6.15mm thick at their mid-points. Each of the shorter arms measures c. 16.95mm long and 6.50mm wide by 5.79mm thick at their mid-points. The object weighs 43.28g.

The decoration of silver wire scrolls is the same as that found on strap ends of Thomas's Class A Type 5, and hooked tags of the same date (c late 8^th-9^th century). This type of decoration appears to be concentrated in East Anglia (Thomas, 2003, 4) but this is the first example of it on any other type of object. Although no published spur with this type of decoration could be found, spurs of similar form are known, with animal head terminals and sometimes also have an animal head at the base of the goad. See examples from Pakenham and Icklingham in Suffolk (Hinton 1974, 55-6 for both), from Lyng and Bawsey in Norfolk (Geake 2001, 239, fig. 6f), Brome and Oakley, Suffolk (SF-E877A6), Surlingham, Norfolk (NMS-4C4E28), and Gooderstone, Norfolk (SF4685). These copper-alloy spurs are unlike earlier spurs (in graves) and later (Viking) spurs, both in their shape and their material (the earlier and later spurs are made of iron and the sides are a deep U shape). At the moment they appear to be a rare East Anglian type and are most likely to be mid Anglo-Saxon, c. 750-900 in date.