Fremington Hagg Hoard
One of the silvered harness mounts from the hoard
MaterialRoman horse harness equipment and fittings
Createdlate 1st century AD
Period/cultureRomano-British
Discoveredbefore 1833
Fremington Hagg, near Reeth, North Yorkshire, England
Present locationBritish Museum, London
Yorkshire Museum, York

The Fremington Hagg Hoard is a hoard of Roman horse harness fittings found in Fremington Hagg, near Reeth, North Yorkshire in the early 19th Century.[1] Parts of it are in the collections of the British Museum and the Yorkshire Museum.[2]

Discovery

The hoard was discovered before 1833, when the first objects were donated to the Yorkshire Museum.[2] Other items were donated to the Museum by Captain Harland in 1852.[3] In 1880 A. W. Franks donated a portion of the hoard to the British Museum.[4]

Contents

There are seven pieces in the British Museum and 68 pieces in the Yorkshire Museum which, together, probably constituted the original hoard.[2] These are all harness fittings (horse gear) - decorative elements used on reigns and other straps. A further 28 objects in the Yorkshire Museum are associated with the hoard, but were considered by Graham Webster as not belonging to it - these include a scabbard mount, a chape, terret rings, studs, and other mounts.

The hoard may represent a stolen or looted collection of Roman military fittings from the invasion period or an itinerant metalworker's stock hoard.[5]

Public display

The hoard was on display in the Yorkshire Museum by 1881.[3]

References

  1. ^ Historic England. "Monument No. 48764". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Webster, G (1971). "A hoard of Roman military equipment from Fremington Hagg". In Butler, R. M. (ed.). Soldier and Civilian in Roman Yorkshire: Essays to Commemorate the Nineteenth Centenary of the Foundation of York. Leicester University Press. pp. 107–125.
  3. ^ a b Charles Wellbeloved (1881). Handbook to the Grounds and Museum of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. John Sampson. p. 115.
  4. ^ P. T. Craddock; Janet Lang; K. S. Painter (1973). "Roman Horse-Trappings from Fremington Hagg, Reeth, Yorkshire, N.R". British Museum Quarterly. 37: 9–17. doi:10.2307/4423122.
  5. ^ M.C. Bishop (2011). "Weaponry and military equipment". In Linsday Allason-Jones (ed.). Artefacts in Roman Britain: Their Purpose and Use. Cambridge University Press. p. 122.
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