3^ The History of the Spur 



Simon de Montfort on which he is depicted as hunting and 

 blowing a horn, and wearing prick spurs. The exact date of 

 this seal I do not know, but presumably it is of later date 

 than his arrival in England. This, however, does not con- 

 clusively prove anything. The engraver of the seal, in the 

 absence of special instructions, merely drew in his design the 

 form of spur he had been accustomed to see upon the heels 

 of his patrons, which, at that transitional period, were for the 

 most part prick spurs. He may or he may not have seen 

 rowel spurs. But what is certain is that the engraver of the 

 second seal of Henry HI., in 1240, must have seen rowel 

 spurs worn by someone, and most probably by his royal 

 patron. 



Zschille and Forrer are unable to throw any light upon 

 the actual date of the introduction of the rowel spur or its 

 place of origin. But as they lay no claim that Germany was 

 the land of its birthplace, my supposition that the French 

 were the originators of this form of spur is, in a measure, 

 strengthened. 



The new fashion does not seem to have caught on very 

 readily, for I cannot find another example of a rowel spur 

 until 1285, at which date a brass set up in St. Bride's 

 Church, in Glamorganshire, to the memory of Sir John Boteler, 

 depicts that knight wearing rowel spurs of eight points, with 

 very short necks. Indeed, on the brass the neck is left out 

 altogether, but there must have been the length of the rowel 

 box to have allowed the spur to revolve. 



Probably after this date the rowel spur came into more 



