272 (40)

244

Combinations of diverse strap fittings, and possible ensuite items

Mounts of different forms, and combinations of mounts with buckles, strap-ends etc survive in place on some leather straps from the recent excavations. The various fittings on each strap are usually of one principal metal or alloy, though individual items with different metals in major constituent parts are known, eg buckles in which the frames are iron and lead-tin, and the plates are copper-alloy (nos. 422 & 423). One strap combines a copper-alloy buckie with iron mounts (nos. 457 & 907), but here tin coating on all the metal fittings gave them a similar outward appear-ance.

Surviving combinations are as follows:

Ceramic phase 11 (late 14th century)

BC72 acc. no. 5319:

two types of circular mount on a large piece of leather (nos. 921 & 930 in this volume, fig 115).

BC72 acc. no. 3879:

corrugated rectangular + omate circular mounts on purse no. 1701; iron with tin coating (nos. 1058 & 894 in this volume, fig 232).

A similar corrugated rectangular mount (no. 1057, fig 123) on short strap no. 1170, found in the same dumps as acc. no. 3879, could be from a suitę of accessories decorated with the same motifs, and in-tended to be wom together.

BWB83 acc. no. 8:

a hooked strap-end and bar-mount; both iron; (nos. 730 & 1146 in this volume, fig 102).

TL74 acc. no. 2031:

circular mounts + lozenge-shaped mount; all tin (nos. 802 and 1079 in this volume, fig 108).

TL74 acc. no. 513:

domed circular mounts + petal-like mount; all lead/tin) (nos. 830 and 1107 in this volume, fig 110).

Ceramic phase 12 (early 15th century)

SWA81 acc. no. 3405:

strap-end, with S-shaped mount on strap in its centre; both lead/tin; (no. 708 in this volume, fig 98).

TL74 acc. no. 2398:

strap-end with incomplete composite mounts with missing pendent motifs; all copper alloy (nos. 588 and 1187 in this volume, fig 136).

BC72 acc. no. 1151:

rectangular copper-alloy buckie and two convex circular iron mounts; all with tin coating; possibly a sword belt (nos. 457 and 907 in this volume, fig 63).

Girdle TL74 acc. no. 1291B: uncertain forms - (?)ring mounts + six dome-headed (?)rivets (possibly mounts), (no. 20 in this volume, fig 27 see p 000).

BWB83 acc. no. 99:

sexfoil mounts and strap-end; all tin (nos. 1022 & 714 in this volume fig 99 & colour pl 5C).

Further examples are:

The senes of late-14th/early-15th century short straps (nos. 1168-1186 in this volume) which have various mounts of iron and lead/tin, together with strap-ends of iron (see fig 136 for no. 1182, and fig 126 for no. 1186, which has two kinds of mount).

SWA81 acc. no. 806 (probable association), 15th-century: double-oval buckie + rectangular mount (similar to that accompanied by various other mounts on the strap in colour pl 5E, see below); both copper-alloy, mount partly tin-coated (nos. 343 and 1052 in this volume, fig 51).

An elaborate mid 14th-century spur BC72 acc. no. 3664 (fig 69) includes a buckie (no. 487 in this volume), a strap-end (no. 593), circular mounts and a strap loop, all of iron.

Parallel for unstratified mount no. 796:

pierced circular disc + elaborate ąuatrefoil; both

copper-alloy, fig 107 (?late-medieval).

The archer’s wrist bracer (fig 143) includes sexfoil mounts, a strap-loop, a composite buckie and a strap-end (the last two having forked spacers); all of copper alloy (cf Fingerlin 1971, 114 fig 187 for a similar combination on another London strap).

Further London finds include a locking clasp com-bined on a strap with sexfoil and stemmed trefoil