MANDEVILLE - MEDIEVAL English Horse Harness Pendant. 13th Century

Rare and intriguing English medieval horse harness pendant. 13th Century. 

ENGLISH MEDIEVAL HORSE HARNESS PENDANTS 
FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION. 
Mainly 13th and 14th Century. 
Coats of arms on copper alloy, with gold, silver and enamel depending on the colours of the arms – they depicted the allegiance of the rider. However, a small proportion were used for decorative purposes only to show status. 
Pendants are found in a variety of shapes, usually attached to the harness by means of a separate hinged mount, which might be a horizontal bar with a downward projecting suspension loop, or sometimes a cruciform design. They were often attached to the peytrel – a strap girdling the front of the horse and sometimes also on the horse’s forehead, suspended from the upper bridle strap.
These pendants were at the peak of their use in the 13th and 14th century. The fashion faded away when arms became less simple and quartering was introduced. 
Most families have been traced and many of them came over with William the Conqueror. 

MANDEVILLE 
Arms: (Gu) on a chief indented or dancetty (Argent) 3 martlets (Vert). 
C13th. 
Found Bocking, Essex 2001 
Owned Merstwood in Dorset, c 1200 and the names of villages Kenton Mandeville and Hardington Mandeville in Somerset & Sutton Mandeville in Worcs. & Stoke Mandeville in Bucks (named c1280), suggest extensive land holdings. 
The Mandevilles also Earls of Essex under different arms. 
The pendant has been inspected by The British Museum and has not had any embellishments made to it. 

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This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

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