Spur
Category
Archaeological material
Date
c. 1600 - c. 1699
Materials
Iron
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire
NT 579496
Summary
Rowel spur (rowel missing), metal.
Full description
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding. This example would have originally had a star-shaped rotating rowel at the back, though this is now missing. It dates from the 17th century and may be related to the Civil War use of Tattershall. Other horse-related items found at Tattershall include horse shoes and a harness buckle. This artefact was recovered during an excavation of the castle moat between 1912 and 1914 by William Weir at the bequest of Lord Curzon as part of the site’s restoration works. Around 1,300 objects were found during this excavation and largely date to the medieval and post-medieval periods when the castle was occupied. The collection comprises pottery, ceramic building material, plaster, worked stone, vessel and window glass, metal work and clay pipe.
