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This copper-alloy belt hook (LIN-EE3DF6), cast in the form of a finely dressed male figure, was discovered near Digby in Lincolnshire. Dating to the late 15th to early 16th century AD, the figure’s detailed costume offers a fascinating glimpse into personal tastes and accessory trends of this period.
The man is shown in fashionable 15th-century Italian attire, complete with a short tunic and a hood or chaperon (a type of hat). His hands rest confidently on his hips, with elbows flared outward to create circular openings. Diagonal grooves across the chest and transverse bands with rectan-gular notches at the waist suggest the draping of a belted tunic, while baggy sleeves and a rectangular cut-out between the legs, possibly clad in hose, complete the ensemble. A long, integral clip extends from the back of the neck, designed to attach the hook to a woman’s belt, and a hollow tube at the base, now empty, would once have suspended keys, a purse, or a pouch.
This belt hook is of a distinctive German type, thought to have originated in Nuremberg, Bavaria – a renowned centre of brass production at that time. Only a handful of examples are known from England, and this is just the third recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS, https://finds.org.uk), alongside NLM-6B44E4 (a single figure) and SF-713A5B (dancing figures). Notably, it is the second to be found in Lincolnshire, with the other discovered at Muckton.
What links all similar belt hooks and strap connectors is their strong association with distinctive female fashion, often worn by house mistresses (Burnett and Webley 2021). Their rarity in England may reflect the specific tastes of notable women and their families within now-vanished medieval settlements, individuals who chose to align their dress accessories with Continental styles.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is an initiative to encourage the recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales. This piece was written by Lisa Brundle, Lincolnshire Finds Liaison Officer. The citation in the text refers to L Burnett and R Webley (2021) ‘Report of the Portable Antiquities Scheme 2019’, Post Medieval Archaeology 55(2): 293-304, https://doi.org/10.1080/00794236.2021.1972589.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Image: Lincolnshire County Council
