York Historic Environment Record

During the excavations in 2012, two particularly interesting copper alloy objects were recovered; following investigation by conservators in the Trust’s Conservation Laboratory, both objects have been identified as medieval decorative pendants, and both feature heraldic emblems, indicating that they originally belonged to noble families. On both pendants, the backgrounds are composed of coloured enamels against which the gold-coloured emblems – or ‘charges’ have been set, and both are attached to fittings which indicate that they would originally have been affixed to the leather straps of horse harness.