STIRRUP

An incomplete cast later Early-Medieval Anglo-Scandinavian (11th Century), copper-alloy stirrup-strap mount of Williams Class A type 11a (1997, 58).

Description: The mount is sub-triangular in plan with a straight base edge and two long slightly convex edges converging at the now broken apex, The eye of the lion has been drilled creating a new rivet hole after the pinnacle one snapped away. The front of the mount depicts a right-facing lion, standing on three legs with one foreleg raised and the head bent up and back, facing upwards; executed in high relief. The tail curls between the legs and over the back, curling around just behind the ear which faces downwards. Below the broken apex, and above the new rivet hole is the remains of the lion's mouth. The lion is enclosed by a plain border which joins to the body at the raised fore leg. From the base of the mount the common right-angled flange ( Williams 1997, 25; fig. 18A) projects inwards.

Above, through the plain border of the mount (which is thicker at this edge) are two rivet holes both retaining iron corrosion from the rivets which have corroded into a lump now adhering to both sides of the base. The back is entirely undecorated and appears to have been finished to some degree remaining smooth, part of the reverse corrosion may be recements of the original stirrup. The copper-alloy elements are dark grey with a green hue and the iron elements dark brown with an orange hue.

Measurements: 35.54mm long, 29.95mm wide, 6.16mm thick (including flange and remains of stirrup, plate 2.57mm thick) and 16.34g in weight.

Discussion: David Williams classifies this form of stirrup-strap mount as a Class A, Type 11a illustrating and describing several parallels (Williams 1996: 58 - 67). This form is by far the most common of the varied classes of stirrup-strap mount Williams listing 63 examples and more than a 140 other examples have been reported to the PAS since the publication was produced. The majority of stirrup-strap mounts date from the 11th century (Williams 1996. 2) with a possible 'terminus post quem' around 1140 (Lewis 2007, 184)