Norfolk Archaeology XLVI (2011), 214–17 A 9TH-CENTURY TREFOIL FITTING FROM WYMONDHAM by Jane Kershaw The purpose of this short note is to draw attention to a 9th-century copper-alloy trefoil-shaped fitting, discovered in Wymondham by Mark Turner in 2004. It is argued that the fitting provides new insights into the evolution of the trefoil brooch from Carolingian baldric mounts. It is further suggested that the fitting has origins in southern Scandinavia and thus contributes to the increasing archaeological evidence for close contacts between this region and Norfolk during the Viking Age. DESCRIPTION The fitting is currently logged on the Norfolk Historic Environment Record (HER 40446) as well as on the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) database (PAS NMS10A1E1) and has been studied firsthand by the author. It is trefoil shaped and consists of three unevenly sized lobes and a central triangular panel (Plate 1; Fig. 1). The surface is worn and damaged by corrosion. The central panel is framed by an incised triangular border with a raised boss at each corner and carries three stamped rings, although only the central dots are clearly visible. The trefoil lobes are set within a prominent, doublecontoured border consisting of a sunken inner rim and raised outer edge. Each is faintly decorated with a stamped ring placed near the central panel. The reverse of the object is flat. Each lobe bears the scars of a centrally positioned rectangular fitting, now completely lost. The exact form of the fittings cannot be determined, but would appear on the basis of the scars to have comprised single lugs, aligned with the rim of the trefoil lobes. lugs positioned centrally on each lobe are also atypical of trefoil brooches: these usually carry a double pinlug, in addition to a catchplate and attachment loop, or, in the case of some examples from England, a single pin-lug positioned at a right-angle to the brooch edge (rather than in-line with it, as on the Wymondham piece) (Kershaw 2010, 137, 214–18). Admittedly, single lugs positioned in line with the brooch rim are also unusual on baldric mounts, a more common arrangement comprising pairs of perforated lugs on the reverse of each lobe (Graham-Campbell 1980, cat. no. 327). However, baldric mount fittings are somewhat variable and single lugs do appear on a mount found in Häljarp, Sweden (Capelle 1972, Abb. 1,2). Finally, at 19.28g the Wymondham mount is considerably heavier than most copper-alloy trefoil brooches of equivalent size, but is comparable with baldric mounts (Maixner 2005, Kat. A. nrs 190–265; see, for instance, PAS SF-93D943). In sum, the flat form, fitting arrangements and weight of the Wymondham object suggest that it functioned not as a brooch, but as a mount or strap-distributor for a three-way belt or harness. FUNCTION DISCUSSION The Wymondham object is identified on the Norfolk HER as a brooch or possible harness fitting of 9thcentury date. Both brooches and belt/harness mounts comprised trefoil shapes during this period: trefoilshaped baldric mounts were worn in Carolingian military kit and served as the inspiration for trefoil brooches produced in Viking-Age Scandinavia (GrahamCampbell 1980, cat. nos 327–8). However, a number of features suggest that the Wymondham piece functioned as a mount, rather than a brooch. Its flat form is at variance with the characteristically raised centres of most trefoil brooches (Paterson 1997, 654). The single Strap-distributors for belts and baldrics are uncommon in Anglo-Saxon contexts (Paterson 1997, 653). However, trefoil-shaped baldric mounts were worn as part of Carolingian military kit, as illustrated in scenes from Carolingian manuscripts (Mütherich and Gaehde 1977, pls 22, 25 and 44). Extant examples have been recovered from within the Carolingian realm, as well as from Viking-Age hoards and graves in southern Scandinavia; in these contexts, the mounts are likely to represent items of loot captured during Viking raids and imported from the Carolingian Empire from the early 9th century (Graham-Campbell 1980, cat. nos 327–8). 214 TREFOIL-SHAPED MOUNT FROM WYMONDHAM Fig. 1 215 Trefoil-shaped mount from Wymondham (HER 40446). Scale 1:1. © Norfolk County Council, drawn by J. Gibbons Plate 1 Trefoil-shaped mount from Wymondham (HER 40446). Scale 1:1. Max. width from lobe to lobe: 45mm, max. lobe width: 17mm. Jane Kershaw In England, two gilt copper-alloy mounts identified as Carolingian baldric mounts have recently been discovered near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk (PAS SF-94DBC2 and SF-93D943). Both items date to the 9th century and may represent Viking loot carried to England, rather than direct imports from the Carolingian Empire (Portable Antiquities Scheme Annual Report 2005/6). In common with other Carolingian trefoil mounts, these two recent discoveries are decorated with florid acanthus motifs characteristic of Carolingian art. However, a small number of plain trefoil mounts and mounts with geometric decoration are also documented and may represent simpler, cheaper alternatives to more elaborately decorated examples (Maixner 2005, 25–6, Taf. 55,2–7). Of particular interest in relation to the Wymondham object is a trefoil mount from Hedeby, Schleswig-Holstein, with a central triangular panel framed by a prominent border and 22 circular bosses contained in each arm (Plate 2). Four integrally cast studs, one at the end of each trefoil arm and one in the centre, are carried on the back of the trefoil, enabling its attachment to a three-way belt. For this reason, and despite its lack of acanthus ornament, the Hedeby mount is considered to be a Carolingian import (Capelle 1970, 10). A strap-end with comparable decoration was found in grave 618 at Birka, Sweden, suggesting that the trefoil mount from Hedeby could have formed part of a set of baldric fittings (Capelle 1970, Abb. 1). The Wymondham object has a number of features in common with the Hedeby mount, including its overall shape and dimensions, the central triangular framed panel and double-contoured border. These similarities may point to a similar, Carolingian origin for the Norfolk find. It is possible that its surface ornament is also Carolingian in origin, for stamped rings appear on some Carolingian brooches and strap-ends. However, such flourishes are much more typical of Viking-Age Scandinavian metalwork. Significantly, they appear on the lobes and central panels of small Scandinavian trefoil brooches dated to the late 9th and early 10th 216 NORFOLK ARCHAEOLOGY Plate 2 Trefoil-shaped baldric mount from Hedeby, Schleswig-Holstein. Maximum width from lobe to lobe: 51mm, maximum lobe width: 19mm. After Maixner 2005, Taf. 55, 4; reproduced with permission centuries, some of which also carry stylised acanthus ornament in various stages of development (Maixner’s Type G 1.3: Maixner 2005, Taf. 7, G 1.3, Taf. 35,6–7, 10–12, 18, 25, 27). The use of three stamped rings in the central panel, as on the Wymondham mount, is a recurring feature of trefoil brooches of this type and may symbolise a triquetra, which features on the central panels of other trefoil brooches of the same type (Maixner 2005, 123, Taf. 35). These small trefoil brooches correspond in size and dimension to the Wymondham and Hedeby mounts, and possess a similar, double-contoured border, suggesting their use of equivalent mounts as direct models (Maixner 2005, 147, 214, n.236). The Wymondham mount, then, appears to combine the form and fitting arrangement of a Carolingian mount with decorative motifs normally encountered on Scandinavian trefoil brooches. It has long been recognised that Carolingian trefoil-shaped mounts served as the inspiration for Scandinavian trefoil brooches, early examples of which adopted the florid acanthus or scroll motifs typically encountered on the Continental mounts (Müller 1880). It seems likely that the Wymondham mount belongs to an early stage in the reception of Carolingian mounts in Scandinavia and their subsequent adaptation as trefoil brooches. A further reflection of its transitional status is to be found in the bosses at the corner junctions of the trefoil lobes. These are a reminder of the rivets used to hold baldric mounts in place and commonly appear as skeuomorphs of rivets on Viking-period trefoil brooches (Paterson 1997, 653). The Wymondham mount can thus be seen to represent a previously undocumented snapshot of the transition of the Carolingian trefoil mount to the Scandinavian trefoil brooch. It seems likely to have been copied from a rare form of plain or geometrically decorated baldric mount, its raised bosses and stamped ring-and-dot decoration suggesting that the adaptation of Carolingian mounts in a Scandinavian setting was already underway at the time of its production. This is significant, since Scandinavian trefoil brooches are thought to have evolved exclusively from trefoil mounts with naturalistic acanthus ornament or scroll, the small trefoils with stamped rings and/or stylised acanthus motifs being interpreted as later, debased or schematic versions of earlier, more elaborate brooches (Leahy and Paterson 2001, 194). The evidence of the Wymondham mount suggests instead that plain or geometric-decorated mounts, though rare, could have provided a direct source of inspiration for small trefoil brooches. Rather than representing devolved, secondgeneration trefoil brooches, the smaller trefoils may, then, have evolved alongside larger brooches with Carolingian-style plant ornament, originating from an alternative, but contemporary, source. A likely origin for the Wymondham mount is southern Scandinavia, perhaps more specifically Hedeby, Schleswig Holstein. Located at the interface of Scandinavia and the Carolingian realm, this site had access to imported Carolingian metalwork as well as Scandinavian metalworking traditions and served as a production centre for small trefoil brooches with geometric and stylised acanthus ornament, as attested by numerous surviving trefoil-brooch moulds (Maixner 2005, Kat. B. XXXVII–XLIX). The mount’s discovery in Norfolk is of particular interest due to the significant number of southern Scandinavian-style artefacts TREFOIL-SHAPED MOUNT FROM WYMONDHAM now recorded from the county (Kershaw 2010). Over 30 small trefoil brooches are known from Norfolk, in addition to a heterogeneous mix of other trefoil, lozenge and domed disc brooches with close parallels in the area of Viking-Age Denmark: recent discoveries include a domed disc brooch with three Borre-style animal heads from Hindringham (HER 24909) and one with paired S-shaped Jellinge-style creatures from Quidenham (HER 24050; Margeson 1996; 1997; Kershaw 2010). In this context, the Wymondham mount adds to the countable set of available Scandinavian styles in Norfolk from the late 9th century, providing further confirmation of the close cultural links which existed between Denmark and Norfolk in the decades following Scandinavian settlement in England. July 2011 BIBLIOGRAPHY Capelle, T. 1970. ‘Metallshmuck und Gußformen aus Haithabu’, Berichte über die Ausgrabungen in Haithabu 4, 9–23. 217 Capelle, T. 1972. ‘Ein Karolingischer Schwergurtbeschlag’, Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 2, 347–9. Graham-Campbell, J. 1980. Viking Artefacts. London. Kershaw, J. 2010. Culture and Gender in the Danelaw: Scandinavian and Anglo-Scandinavian brooches, 850–1050 AD. Unpublished DPhil thesis, University of Oxford. Leahy, K. and Paterson, C. 2001. ‘New light on the Viking presence in Lincolnshire: the artefactual evidence’ in Graham-Campbell, J., Hall, R., Jesch, J. and Parsons, D.N. (eds) Vikings and the Danelaw. Oxford. pp.181–202. Maixner, B. 2005. Die Gegossenen Kleeblattformigen Fibeln der Wikingerzeit aus Skandinavien. Bonn. Margeson, S. 1996, ‘Viking settlement in Norfolk: a study of new evidence’ in Margeson, S., Ayers, B. and Heywood, S. (eds) A Festival of Norfolk Archaeology. Huntstanton. pp.47–57. Margeson, S. 1997. The Vikings in Norfolk. Norwich. Müller, S. 1880. ‘Dyreornamentik i Norden, dens Oprindelse, Udvikling og Forhold til samtidige Stilarter’, Aarbøger ø for Nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie 1880, 185–405. Mütherich, F. and Gaehde, J.E. 1977. Carolingian Painting. London. 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