File:Early Post Medieval, Shield hawking vervel (FindID 618167-469458).jpg

The vervel is of a D- ring form, comprising a flat silver ring inscribed with E. EYTON OF and with a shield soldered to the front with a fret (knot, saltire within lozenge).

Internal diameter of band 7.0 mm. External diameter of band 10.4 mm. Width of band 3.3 mm. Thickness of band: 1.5 mm. Height of shield 10.1 mm. Width of shield 8.1 mm. Thickness of shield: 1.0 mm. Weight 1.8 g.

XRF analysis of this vervel was carried out in the Birmingham Museums Trust Conservation Laboratory. Two spots were tested on the front on the left, to either side of the fret design. To the right, it was found to be 93.24% Silver (Ag), 2.9% Copper (Cu), 3.7% Iron (Fe) and 0.15% Lead (Pb). To the left, it was found to be 93.88% Silver (Ag), 2.48% Copper (Cu), 3.44% Iron (Fe) and 0.2% Lead (Pb). It was also tested on the ring at the back of the vervel. This spot had the following composition: 86.55% Silver (Ag), 0.93% Copper (Cu), 10.57% Iron (Fe), 0.29% Tin (Sn), 0.13% Lead (Pb), 0.76% Bromine (Br).

Vervels were used to attach a hawk or falcon's leather jesses to a leash, which, held in the hand, enabled the bird to be trained in short distance flight. The leash could also be used to fix the bird to its block or perch. Vervels were usually inscribed or otherwise decorated to allow for the bird to be identified with its owner. Compare for dating three vervels reported through the Treasure Act, 2006T231, 2005T257, 2005T302. In each case the owner can be identified. Several similar vervels have been recorded on the PAS database including: YORYM-7576F7 (2012T579); HESH-3A6AE5 (2009T508) and NMS-82AD63 (2012T88).

Clive Cheesman (Richmond Herald, College of Arms) comments: This coat of arms (Or a Fret Azure - i.e. a gold/yellow shield with a blue fret) is, as you doubtless realised, the arms of the Eyton family of Eyton-on-the-Wealdmoors in Shropshire (as opposed to Eyton on Severn in the same county, and several other places called Eyton in the Welsh borders). "E. Eyton" is hard to identify: there was a seventh son of the family in the sixteenth century called either Edmund or Edward but I don't suppose it was him. An alternative might be a different family at Gaddesby in Leicestershire, who used the same arms and were headed by an Edward Eyton in the later 16th century. However I agree with your dating of the vervel as probably 17th century. Therefore I suspect it is an as yet unidentified member of the Shropshire family. The only other point worth noting is that they usually quartered their shield with another coat of arms (standing for a family they were descended in the male line). This does not appear here; we just have the male-line arms. This may well be because the vervel is very small and the engraver decided simply to show the unquartered arms, as is always perfectly correct.