Timeless are pleased to offer a professionally preserved Medieval Iron Rowel Spur, dating from the 14th - 15th centuries A.D.
The earliest known spurs were made of bone or wood, however, by Roman times, they were cast in iron with a single point (termed a prick spur), but it wasn't until Anglo-Saxon times that they gained their name (spurnan is Saxon for 'kick' or 'spurn').
By the late Middle Ages, spurs had become a mark of rank. Gold or gilded spurs were only worn by knights or royalty, while their esquires’ spurs were silver and those of a pages were tinned. In fact, it was possible to tell the rank of the wearer by their spurs, even if the armor or clothing gave no clue.
The iron of the spur has been professionally cleaned and preserved, leaving the classic pitted 'gun-metal' appearance common to many preserved iron artefacts.
One of three available in the Timeless Galleries
MEDIEVAL ROWEL SPUR
Acquired by Timeless on the UK Antiquities Market, 2017, previously part of a private European collection formed prior to 1990