Fremington Hagg Hoard

Roman hoard from North Yorkshire, England

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.