Find Spot record MDO4894 - Ninth century strap-end found in a paddock south of Tarrant Crawford church

A ninth century copper alloy strap-end, of a hitherto unknown type, wth good quality moulded relief of three animal heads and is decorated on both sides. It also has a few minute traces of red enamel.

A SAXON STRAP-END FROM TARRANT CRAWFORD

The object described was found by Mr Nelson a few feet from the churchyard fence in a paddock south of Tarrant Crawford church (ST924035).
The strap-end (Figure 9) is of copper alloy with a few minute traces of red enamel. It is 50 mm long and has decoration on both sides. The end is split and the single rivet survives. The decoration is divided into two parts: the top part has an animal's head at the point where a terminal would be. However, a shaft emerges from the animal's mouth to form a second, lower part. The animal head is in relief with long, deeply hollowed ears, pronounced eye ridges, snout and upper jaw, and elongated eyes on the sides. The lower jaw, on the reverse, is rounded. On both front and back there is a panel decorated with shallow grooves arranged to form v-shapes, within a border defined by engraved lines. On the border around the panel on the front there are nicks.
The shaft of the lower part has an animal's head at the terminal, seen from above in relief on the reverse side. The head has ears joined together with shallow hollows; there is a medial groove on the brow. At approximately halfway between the terminal and the animal head from which the shaft comes, there is another head on the front, seen from above in relief and facing towards the terminal. The ears of this head, like those of the terminal head, are joined together and have shallow hollows. The squared snout is divided by a shallow groove and on each side there is a small depression for the nostril, below a very worn eye. Where the head joins the main shaft there are small nicks, perhaps representing teeth.
The form of the strap-end is unusual: no other strap-ends of this type are known. The moulded relief of three animal heads is of good quality, although the simple decoration of the panels is unremarkable. The strap-end is also of interest as both front and back are decorated, when so many strap-ends are decorated on only one side. A single rivet is less common than two, but there are parallels enough for single rivets (Wilson 1964, nos. 97, 98 and 114). While the complete object is exceptional, the top half with an animal-head terminal would not be uncommon. The shape of the top half, the style of decoration and the moulding of the animal heads suggest that the object dates to the 9th century.
The traces of enamel are interesting. There is an enamelled strap-end from Poundbury, Dorchester, and other examples are known from Woodeaton (Oxfordshire), Wharram Percy (N. Yorks), Owmby and Horncastle (Lincolnshire) (Keen 1986). Another example has been found during excavations at Trowbridge (Wiltshire) (ex info. D. Hinton).
Strap-ends are relatively common in Wessex, and the number of known examples increases as the result of treasure hunting. Examples in Dorset, however, are few. This object is an important addition to the seven other strap-ends recorded for the county (Keen 1986): it has been acquired by the Dorset County Museum.

Acknowledgements
The writer is grateful to David Hinton and Leslie Webster for commenting on this note and for searching their notes for a parallel. Roger Peers kindly made the object available for study and arranged for it to be drawn.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1991, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1990, 119 (Serial). SDO90.

Record last edited

Jan 21 2013 4:06PM