Rights Holder: North Lincolnshire Museum
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HARNESS PENDANT
Unique ID: NLM-DA3439
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
Copper alloy harness pendant. A cast heater shield shaped pendant with an oval or comma-shaped suspension loop angled forward and set at right angles to the display plane. The shield is charged with a quadruped walking left with one clawed forepaw raised and its tail bent sharply above its back. The head appears small and avian rather than leonine, with an uplifted parrot beak, so this may be a gryphon rather than a lion. There may be another feature, possibly a floret or rhomboid, below the beast. Reddish [gules] traces of degraded enamel remain in the field; the beast and a broad border were presumably reserved to appear as yellow [or] metal. A gryphon would be a less usual charge than a lion or leopard, which is usually taken to allude to the Arms of England, and might be used by a family named Griffin or Griffiths - this reporter would welcome better informed comment as to further heraldic associations of the motif. The pendant is more robustly made and slightly massier than most examples. Suggested date: Medieval, 1250-1350.
Height: 47.6mm, Width: 27.3mm, Thickness (plate): 3.5mm, Weight: 16.89gms
Notes:
Arms: England?
Class: heraldic
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1250
Date to: Circa AD 1350
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Height: 47.6 mm
Width: 27.3 mm
Thickness: 3.5 mm
Weight: 16.89 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Tuesday 10th October 2017
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: NLM37935
Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Decoration style: Heraldic
Completeness: Complete
Surface Treatment: Inlaid with enamel
Spatial metadata
Region: East Midlands (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Lincolnshire (County)
District: West Lindsey (District)
To be known as: Wharton
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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