On the Prick Spur 3^ 



into universal use. From such evidence as one has to go 

 upon I am inclined to think that the ball-and-spike was the 

 second form of what may be called protected goads, and 

 succeeded the inserted point. But probably soon after the 

 adoption of the ball-and-spike form the cone-shaped, or more 

 properly the pyramidal-shaped point, since the point was seldom 

 round in section, was introduced. Certainly the two forms 

 went on together, though there is evidence to show that the 

 pyramidal-shaped point lasted the longer. 



The earliest form of the pyramidal-shaped prick spur that 

 I have seen is preserved in the City of London Museum, and 

 is illustrated on Plate ii, Fig. i. It is an iron spur with 

 straight sides, terminating in a rather large rectangular plate, 

 to which the straps were attached by two rivets. The neck 

 is about an inch in length, and has much the same rude 

 form of ornament as have the ninth and tenth century spurs, 

 with inserted points. The four-sided pyramidal-shaped point is 

 also about an inch in length. Another early specimen of this 

 form of spur, but probably a little later than the one just 

 described, is shown on the same plate. The illustration is 

 taken from a spur in the British Museum, and which was 

 found in the City of London, having been dug up in Lothbury 

 at the time the Bank of England was built. 



This is one of the spurs which had been thought to have 

 been Roman, since it was discovered reposing in the Roman 

 stratum of London. It is of bronze, and has straight sides 

 about four inches long, rather slender, and rounded on the outside 

 and flat on the inside, with the ends slightly widened out and 



