BUCKLE

Post Medieval cast copper alloy double loop buckle frame with seperate iron spindle, copper alloy pin and chape.

The outer frame is rectangular with rounded corners. The outer edges widen towards the centre with with an inward curve and have a raised central section with tapers in width towards the outer ends. The raised sections have an indented central line as a pin rest flanked by multiple punched diagonals giving a leaf patten. It is thickened and slightly widened in the centre of the top and bottom sides with a transverse hole drilled through the thickened area. The silver-grey colour suggests a copper-zinc alloy known as tombac popular in the 18th century, or similar.

There is the rusted remains of the seperate iron spindle running through the transverse holes in the top and bottom edges. On the spindle is the seperate copper alloy pin with a cylindrical base to go over the spindle and long triangular point which is D-shaped in section with a flat back. The copper alloy chape was threaded onto the strap bar by the two cylinders at the base which flank the pin. From this it projects out widening slightly then broadly triangular with both sides curving in to the broken terminal. There is a makers mark with raised letters in a recessed I//BREA[...] on the front of the chape near the spindle. The frame is 45.6mm long, 29.7mm wide, 5.3mm thick and the entire piece weighs 12.09 grams.

Whitehead (2003: 99 and 103) illustrates similar examples, no.625 with similar raised leaf decoration and no.662 which is a similar sub rectamgular form, both of which he dates to c.1660-1720 AD. SOM-89BC16 on this database is also very similar but with a different makers mark suggesting different makers were making this design.