The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons, and Ornaments, of Great Britain and Ireland.Evans, John
History
The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons, and Ornaments, of Great Britain and Ireland.
Evans, John
Bronze age -- Great Britain; Bronze age -- Ireland; Great Britain -- Antiquities
At the back of each of these shields, about midway between the centre
and the rim, are the usual small movable tongues of bronze, which
have been supposed to serve for the attachment of a leather strap by
which the shield might be slung round the body. Mr. Jeffrey, F.S.A.
Scotland, of Jedburgh, who described this third shield, has pointed
out that there is too little room beneath the tongues for a strap of
any kind.
So far as at present known these are the only instances of bucklers of
this kind having been discovered in Scotland.
In England and Wales several such have been found. One was in the
Meyrick Collection[1340] at Goodrich Court, and is now in the British
Museum. It is about 26½ inches in diameter, with twenty concentric
circles of knobs and ribs between, and is in all respects like those
just described. It was found about 1804 in a turbary near Aberystwith,
Cardiganshire. It has had the usual buttons, one of which remains.
Another example[1341] of the kind (25¼ inches), with twenty-seven
concentric rings, was also in the Meyrick Collection, and is now in
the British Museum. It was found in a peat moss at Moel Sinbod, near
Capel Curig, Carnarvonshire. It has one of the usual loops and the
rivet of the other. Sir Samuel Meyrick had heard of another shield,
dug up near Newcastle-on-Tyne, which the owner, wishing to gratify
all his friends, cut up like a cake, and sent to each a slice. This
may be the shield found at Broomyholme, Chester-le-Street, Durham, of
which a fragment is in the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries of
Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Another now in the possession of Sir Edward Blackett, Bart., was found
near Corbridge, Northumberland.
Fragments[1342] of two other shields of the same character were also
found in Northumberland, at Ingoe, in the parish of Stamfordham,
about two miles north of the Roman wall. They were originally about
20 inches in diameter, and like so many others were discovered during
draining operations.
Another buckler of the same character was found in the Thames[1343]
at London, and passed into the British Museum with the Roach Smith
Collection. This specimen is 21¼ inches in diameter, and has eleven
rings of the small bosses upon it separated by concentric ribs.
A curious feature in this shield is that the places to which the
usual little buttons were attached have been neatly cut out, leaving
triangular holes. There is also a third hole of the same kind. In one
place also there is a hole through the shield, such as might have
been produced by the thrust of a bronze spear. Close by this hole is
a clean cut, such as might have been made by a sword. The plate of
bronze has been turned over on to the face, so as to form the outer
rim.
A circular shield,[1344] with twenty-six concentric rings of studs,
was dredged up, together with a leaf-shaped bronze sword, from the bed
of the Thames off Woolwich in 1830.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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