File:Early-medieval (Frankish) scabbard chape (FindID 432355).jpg

English: A complete cast copper-alloy Frankish (early-medieval) zoomorphic and anthropomorphic scabbard chape of c. 5th-/6th-century date. It consists of a sub-trefoilate front plate that curves at its base into a thin back prong riveted to the front plate through a small perforated loop at the apex. At the base is a flat biconical knop with collar above.

The trefoil plate can be divided into a central longitudinal bar which terminates at the attachment end in a human face moulded in low relief, at the top of which the pierced loop already mentioned. Two lateral protrusions emerge from the centre of the bar and curve up and round to abut the cheeks of the human face (such is the appearance of the moulding; the whole is, in fact, integral). The human head has a moulded hair zone, the hairs delineated by numerous fine longitudinally incised lines. The moulded nose is long and trapezoidal. The eyes are directly adjacent to the nose and below the hairline; they are formed of small ring-and-dot motifs. The mouth is formed of a pair of long, moulded transverse bars with a groove between; small longitudinal nicks help give it definition.

The sides protrusions are defined by two neat openwork holes (Dia.: c. 3.0mm) adjacent to, and just below, the person's mouth. They do not represent arms, however, as they are moulded and decorated in the form of bird's heads. The closed beaks abut the person's cheeks and are defined by curved grooves. They terminate in a perforation, on one side empty, but one the other filled with a corroded iron rivet which would have gone directly into the scabbard. An eye is located just beyond, created using the same punched ring-and-dot motif as with the face. The outer edge of the side protrusions forms a moulded crest for the birds, raised compared to the internal zone and decorated with incised lines. The step down to the internal zone is emphasised by incising. The birds end in diagonals which converge towards the attachment end. Within the internal zone just beyond these diagonals are further punched ring-and-dot motifs, three to each side. Above the diagonals are further fine longitudinally incised lines, probably the human's beard below their mouth.

The diagonals marks the start of the lower part of the chape. This has bevelled sides either side of a central flat zone. This latter bears eight further ring-and-dot motifs punched in a longitudinal row. The sides are decorated with lines incised diagonally.

Above the terminal knop a narrow integral back plate curves round at the base of the lower part of the chape. This is narrow, the width of the lower part of the chape initially, 7.9mm, before tapering gradually towards the upper end of the chape. It has a shallow D-shaped cross-section, flat internally. It is perforated at its upper end for connecting through to the apex loop; the rivet has gone. The back plate and been pressed down at its upper end as a result of old damage, and also slightly to one side such that it is not quite aligned to the apex loop.

This piece survives extremely well, both in general terms and by comparison with other chapes that have been uncovered (see 'Notes', below). It has a general dark-green patina with areas of off-white corrosion product and slight pitting, more so on the plain reverse and internal surfaces. It can be classified as Menghin's (1983, 126-128, 351-353) Type 3a (discussed below).

A number of Frankish scabbard chapes have now been recorded on this database, most of Type 3a, his Type Samson: SF2799 (Mildenhall, Suffolk), SUR-72CF23 (Greywell, Hampshire), DENO-061D23 (Newark, Nottinghamshire), NCL-B0C444 (Revesby, Lincolnshire), LVPL-917677 (Skirpenbeck, East Yorkshire) and LEIC-7F2E18 (Sproxton, Leicestershire). Menghin's catalogue contains ten examples of this sub-type, one from England (Abingdon 42), six from France, two from Germany and one from Italy (Menghin 1983, 351).

There is also a group of distinctive English chapes which do not fall into any of Menghin's groups: IOW-C1B525 (Bowcombe, Isle of Wight), NMS-751713 (Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk), SUSS-427FF4 (near Eastbourne, East Sussex) and possibly SUSS-46F1D7 (Beddingham, East Sussex).

In general Menghin's evidence suggests a 5th-century date, but the group of English chapes differs slightly in form and so may also in date (Naylor et al. 2008, 322).

The recorder is indebted to Mr Alan Cracknell for his illustration of this artefact.