24 The History of the Spur 



some forms of ornament were introduced. The first important 

 change of form that we notice after the increase in the length 

 of the sides is an elongation of the spike. I have not been 

 able to find any specimens in England to illustrate this, but 

 there are numerous examples in Zschille and Forrer's work. 

 This change probably set in during the fifth or sixth century, 

 and when once the fashion became established, the length of 

 the spike went on increasing, fostered, no doubt, by a spirit 

 of emulation among those who wished to be in the van of 

 fashion, until the spike became a formidable weapon four or 

 five inches long, with no guard to prevent it penetrating a 

 horse's side to its full extent should the rider's foot be forced 

 against his horse in the shock of combat. I give an illustra- 

 tion of this form of spur, taken from Zschille and Forrer's 

 work, on Plate 7. It is probably about the fifth century. 



This unduly long spike no doubt occasioned from time to 

 time serious damage to horses, and led to the next change, 

 which was the introduction of some sort of guard which should 

 prevent any such undue penetration. This, at first, took the 

 form of a short spike, seldom more than a quarter of an inch 

 in length, inserted into the middle of the blunt end of the 

 neck, which was in these cases from one to two inches long, 

 round in section, and more or less in the form of a cone with 

 the base directed backwards. The end of the neck was then 

 cut cleanly off, leaving a flat, round surface at its end, and into 

 the middle of this the sharp point was inserted. The spurs, 

 which are of about the ninth and tenth centuries, had straight 

 sides, usually rather slender, rounded on the outside surface 



