255 (41)

226

Dress Accessońes

opposed, obliąue engraved lines, outside which the surface has tin coating (MLC).

These three mounts contrast with virtually all the other non-figurative ones described in this volume, in that they lack symmetry about a linę transversely through the strap. Although the shape of the last two is broadly comparable to that of eyelets nos. 1223 and 1224 (also of early 15th-century datę, fig 142), they cannot be either for buckie pins or for lace holes, as no. 1201 has no hole in the leather. Nonę of them has obvious wear around the aperture or on the back of the ridge. Those having the form of nos. 1201 and 1202 could have been set in pairs, perhaps to flank some central item symmetrically - cf fiat mount no. 1107 of lead/tin, which lacks an aperture, and could be one of an original pair (fig 110). The period of use of these mounts could be quite brief - perhaps little morę than 50 years between the mid 14th and the early 15th century. A larger, morę elaborate example of copper alloy has been found in the River Thames in London (private collection - fig 141).

RECTANGULAR STRAP-PLATES

These items usually consist of two rectangular or subrectangular sheets riveted together. They are listed in order of increasing width (second dimen-sion) within ceramic phases. Some are quite crude. The straps do not often survive, but those that do suggest that there was probably morę than one function - see discussion below.

(all are of copper alloy)

Complete examples

(both sheets surviving)

1202    BWB83 acc. no. 2219 (context 146) ceramic phase 11

15xllmm; one edge at front slightly concave; two rivets; leather from strap survives.

1203 BWB83 1425 (355) 11 Subrectangular; brass (AML); 23xl4.5mm; four rivets.

1204 BWB83 2736 (329) 11

24 x 19mm; holes for four rivets, two of which survive; orientation of strap (from which leather survives) uncertain.

1205    BWB83 1535 (256) 11 fig 141 27x20mm; brass (AML) concave edges; four rivets, and two larger holes at the centre and towards one end; retains leather from two straps with contiguous cut ends in the middle of the rectangle (both tom off at the ends of the plates); the metal is wom around the offcentred hole and the leather is pierced here, while the other hole is partly blocked by the leather.

1206    SWA81 2349 (2102) 12 fig 141 17xl0mm; one of two rivets survives; leather from strap survives at one edge, possibly cut transversely near the centre.

1207    SWA81 917 (2102) 12 fig 141 19xl3mm; brass piąte, copper rivets (AML); crudely filed concave edges (except for one at the back which is straight); large central hole, which is wom, and others for the four rivets.

Composite, decorated piąte

1208    BWB83    3994    (292)    11    fig 141

Crudely cut rectangular sheeting 33xl4mm, and cor-responding back piąte, held together by two circular, slightly dome-headed rivets, d 14mm; degraded leather survives.

Single plates

(perhaps from incomplete strap-plates)

1209    BWB83    6040    (338)    11    fig 141

15x8mm; crudely cut out; holes for two rivets, one of which survives; larger central hole.

1210    BWB83    1242    (110)    11

Slightly corroded; 18xllmm; crudely cut out; holes for two rivets, one of which survives.

Possibly part of a buckie piąte or strap-end, though the present shape appears to be the result of deliberate cutting.

1211    BWB83    4474    (256)    11

14xl3mm; holes for two missing rivets.

1212    BWB83    1577    (108)    11    fig    141

20xl4mm; holes for four rivets, one of which sur-vives.

1213    BWB83    5911    (305)    11    fig    141

Fragment, 17+ xl5mm; broken off about large central hole; two pairs of holes near each edge; in both pairs each hole is pierced from a different side.

Presumably reused.

1214    BWB83    5935    (295)    11

19xl5mm; holes for two rivets, and larger, offcentred