Gl 



one of the effigies in the Temple Church, the figure of 

 Berengaria, Queen of Richard I,* and many others. 



" These remarks might be of little moment, did they not 

 seem to account for the frequent occurrence of what is 

 now called by heraldic writers a buckle, as a heraldic 

 charge. The ring-brooch, it will be observed, was an 

 object much ornamented — often a love-token, inscribed 

 with tahsmanic charms, religious or other devices ; in fact, 

 an object of value, worn in a conspicuous position on the 

 breast or shoulder. A very pleasing example occurs 

 amongst the Hoylake antiquities ;+ it is of silver, and, I 

 think, might be of the fourteenth century. The ingenious 

 expedient for the readier use of such ornaments, by making 

 the ring open on one side and the acus moveable, deserves 

 notice, as occurring in regard to fibulae of almost every 

 period. Pennant gives one, found with Roman remains 

 at Flint. (Tour in Wales, I. p. 70, pi. viii.) 



" Amongst the Hoylake buckles, properly so called, a 

 kind deserves notice which had no acus, but a little flat 

 piece which hinged on the fore part of the buckle, or that 

 upon which usually the point of the acus falls, and this flat 

 piece evidently formed the fastening.^ I know of only one 

 other specimen of this kind. It was found during the 

 recent repairs of the Temple Church, in or near a tomb. 

 It differed, however, in this respect, that the flat piece 

 hinged on the same part of the buckle as the acus 

 would have been attached to. It is repre- 

 sented in Mr. Richardson's work on the Temple 

 Church, in which he has'delineated the ancient 

 coffins, &c. I imagine that this singular mode 

 of attachment was used with either a cord or a 

 thong, having a knot at the extremity suffi- 

 ciently laage to be passed through when this 

 little flat piece was lifted up, and when it 

 closed again the cord would be effectually 

 kept from slipping through. There might be 

 a certain facility in such a mode of attachment, 

 where it was neither requisite to buckle up 

 tightly, nor to vary the length at which the 

 attachment should be made ; for instance, a 



\ 



Represented in Stothard's Monumental Effigies, 

 t No. 44. 

 J No. 27. 



