Museum Objects
A Romanesque buckle plate in Leeds Museums and Galleries Archaeological Collections
© Leeds Museums and Galleries
© Leeds Museums and Galleries
The attached photographs show a Romanesque gilt copper
alloy buckle plate found near Aberford, near Leeds in West
Yorkshire, which was acquired for the archaeology
collections of Leeds Museums and Galleries last year
(LEEDM.D.2002.1). Although in rather poor condition the
decoration on the buckle plate depicts a seated figure (the
folds of drapery between the legs are very clear) with a
standing figure on both sides, each of which holds out
something towards the seated figure's head. The back of the
plate is plain, showing only the remains of the rivets that
attached it to a leather belt. This is another example of a
distinctive and somewhat unusual group of Romanesque buckle
plates published by John Cherry (J.Cherry, 1987, ' Recent
medieval finds from Lincoln: a Romanesque cast copper alloy
buckle plate with figural scenes…', Antiquaries Journal 67,
pp367-8). In this article examples are cited from Lincoln,
Moreton Hall near Bury St Edmunds, the Wirral, Rockbourne
Roman villa in Hampshire and Blyth in Nottinghamshire. The
present writer is also aware of another example in a
private collection from near Beverley in the East Riding of
Yorkshire. Stylistically Cherry attributes the buckles to
the late Romanesque. They probably date to the 12th
century. The decorative scene may derive from the portrayal
of Christ between two angels.
I am grateful to John Cherry at the British Museum for
identifying this piece.
Bryan Sitch,
Curator of Archaeology,
Leeds Museums and Galleries.