File:Early Medieval mount (FindID 713499).jpg

Copper-alloy mount, perhaps a noseband mount from a bridle, with chip-carved gilded Style I zoomorphic decoration dating it to the early Anglo-Saxon period (6th century AD). The mount has a rectangular central panel and is slightly arched profile with the middle higher than the ends. The mount has flattened fan shaped terminals at each end and two rivets at the reverse. The terminals start slightly narrower than the rectangular panel with sides that splay out to meet the convex curved outer edge in rounded corners. The front of each terminal thins towards the edges. The terminals are 12.3mm wide and 1.7mm thick. The rivets are integral, circular in section and complete with slightly burred over outer ends. They are 5.3mm long in total.

The central rectangular plate has a raised plain line border around the edge within which is a recessed panel which is chip carved into a design of a crouching beast facing right. the beast has a head to the right with a rectangular head frame containing a circular eye and double lines for jaws below. from the double line at the back of the head a pair of curved lines extend to the left forming the body. The body is interupted half way along by the fore leg and ends at the back leg at the left end of the panel. The legs both have a vertical upper section topped by a rounded hip, at the knee the legs bend forward 90 degrees then curve back under themselves for the feet. The feet are slightly thickened and both end in a point with no obvious toes, the foot on the back leg is slightly longer. Above the body, starting from above the foreleg is a head crest with a curled end in the top left corner of the panel. The rectangular plate is 27.2mm long, 11.9mm wide and 3.5mm thick.

The complete pieces is 34.7mm long, 9.7mm thick and weighs 7.15 grams.

This object is very similar in design and form including the arched profile to long rectangular noseband mounts from early Anglo-Saxon bridles although this example is shorter than most. It is particular similar to SOMDOR-305381from Banwell, North Somerset.

Several rectangular mounts with very similar designs but lacking the terminals of this example have been recorded on this database including NARC-241023 from Northamptonshire, DENO-882046 from Oxfordshire and HAMP-929D82 from Hampshire. BUC-215ED8 from Milton Keynes and IOW-B0F5D2 from the Isle of Wight are also similar but with rectangular pierced terminals.