248 (50)

219

Mounts

copper-alloy rove. Each leaf is tin-coated, and has been pierced near the middle from the front by a pin hole; all but five mounts are substantially complete. TL74 acc. nos. 1088A-C from the same deposit are three similar loops (rivets and attachments), presumably from pen-dants similar to or included among acc. no. 1096.

When found, the mounts were in contact with wool-len cloth of dress weight in tabby weave (Pritchard 1982, 205 fig 1), though the association may be entirely fortuitous (cf Rhodes 1982B, 90). This remarkable group illustrates the different degree of detail reg-istered on stamped objects according to the amount of pressure used in the stamping process.

The leaves somewhat resemble the rusty-back fem (<ceterach officinarum - D Vaughan, pers. comm.), though probably no specific plant was intended.

A slightly smaller leaf mount of different form is known in copper-alloy sheeting (MoL acc. no. 80.82/ 33).

Leaf pendants are shown hanging in large numbers from the sleeves of the armour of St George in a late 15th-century painting (fig 137), though metal leaves were apparently out of generał fashion by that time (Scott 1980, 36), and they also figurę in horse trappings; cf the 15th-century painting The Conversion of St Hubert -reproduced in Chenevix-Trench (1970, 63).

BAR-MOUNTS WITH PENDENT LOOPS

The width (second dimension) given for these mounts omits the hook on the lower side - ie the stated dimension reflects the width of the strap. All the pendent loops except that on no. 1191 have a constriction at the point of suspension. All are cast.

Copper alloy

1189    BWB83 acc. no. 5937 (context 298) ceramic phase 11 fig 138

4x8.5mm, d of ąuadrilobate pendant llmm; D-section bar has single rivet.

1190    BWB83 4991 (399) 11 fig 138 6xllmm, d of circular pendant 13.5mm; brass (AML); bar recessed at edges, with punched triangles here; two rivets.

1191    BWB83    2738    (329)    11    fig 138

4.5xl4mm, d of circular pendant, 12mm; D-section bar has two rivets.

1192    BWB83    3668    (359)    11    fig 138

Pendent loop only; circular with collared knop; 118mm.

1193    SWA81    3382    (2139)    9    fig 138

Pendent loop only; approximately D-shaped, having offset for suspension and knops with radiating grooves at angles; 1 13mm; tin coating.

Two copper-alloy bar-mounts with circular pendent loops survive as a pair flanking a strap loop, on a leather strap with other mounts, found in spoił removed by contractors from the TEX88 site; see fig 138 (MoL acc. no. 88.461/2). A purse or knife could have been suspended between the pair of loops which would thus be analogous in use to arched pendent mounts (see below).

Two further copper-alloy bar-mounts with ąuadrilobate pendent loops are known from London (MoL acc. nos. 80.69/13 and 80.549/1). Other mounts with loops include one from Oxford (AR Goodall 1977, 152 no. 80 fig 31) and another from Goltho, Lincolnshire (AR Goodall in Beres-ford 1975, 93 fig 44 no. 28). A silk tablet-woven girdle in the National Museum of Denmark is gamished with silver mounts, including a bar-mount with a trapezoidal pendant, pattemed with dotted knops (Fingerlin 1971, 362-63 no. 126, fig 409), and a suitę of girdle fittings from a grave in Yugoslavia dating to the late 14th century in-cludes a matching mount and loop with elaborate foliate decoration (ibid, 445-46 no. 465). On the Danish girdle, the mount and loop are positioned on the left of the buckie as wom.

ARCHED PENDENT MOUNTS

(Purse hangers)

These consist of a freely swinging, singly or multiply arched element, held at each end, usually by a bar mount, to a girdle. Some if not all of these items were used to attach purses or knives to the belt.

The following items were identified by analogy with examples represented in mid 13th-century French sculpture. The parallels include mounts similar to no. 1198, carved on a mid 13th-century statuę of King Clovis from Moutiers-Saint-Jean