Rights Holder: Royal Institution of Cornwall
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Unique ID: CORN-810591
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Cast copper alloy strap end front plate missing the back plate with bent sides in the form of a shield in plan with a lobed knop extension at the terminal end. The face plate is incised with the letters IHS with a line above that follows the form of the knopped end and oblique scrolled lines below that appear to form letters or numbers, but are too corroded to make out. All this is within an incised border which follows the edge of the plate. The letters "IHS" are a 'Christogram' (a monogram of the Holy Name), derived from the Greek word 'IHSOUS' (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ) for Jesus, or referring to Iesus Hominum Salvator, or Jesus Saviour of Mankind. The omega is also a Christian visual symbol, often being paired with an alpha.There are four rivets still extant on the back of this plate which would have attached to another plate ro complete the strap end. See records CORN-263BE3 and CORN-2619B8 for more complete examples with keyhole-shaped openwork on the back plate. The original surface has corroded away to reveal the copper-coloured core on the front of the plate.
Though the function of these objects is not fully understood, it seems likely that is is the female part of a strap connector and that a male element with a projecting disc would have slotted into the recess at the back (in the complete examples). The male part might have looked similar to one recorded in SF-CEBDA3.
Read (1988) illustrates a similar strap end with IHS, from Cockington, Torquay, Devon, on page 66, no.342, which is dated from the 15th to the 16th century.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1400
Date to: Circa AD 1600
Quantity: 1
Length: 33 mm
Height: 6 mm
Width: 24.5 mm
Thickness: 3 mm
Weight: 9.85 g
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 1st August 2018 - Tuesday 7th August 2018
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Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
4 Figure: SW3531
Four figure Latitude: 50.1197849
Four figure longitude: -5.70856683
1:25K map: SW3531
1:10K map: SW31NE
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Read, B. | 1995 | History Beneath our Feet (1995) | Ipswich | Anglia Publishing | p.66, | no.342 |