On the Rowel Spur 49 



belief, the largest spur now in existence. It is in the most 

 perfect state of preservation, having evidently been spared the 

 corrosive action of water. It is of iron, and the extreme 

 length is eleven and a half inches. The rowels, of eight points, 

 measure seven inches, the points being each three inches long. 

 The length of the sides is four and a half inches, and the spread 

 of the sides is just over three and a half inches. There are 

 two or three strap plates, the upper one being slightly orna- 

 mented, still attached to the sides, which are not shown in 

 the illustration. 



The drawing on Plate 27 is from a pair of spurs now in 

 the Tower of London. The rowels of these are even larger than 

 the one in the British Museum, being eight inches in diameter. 

 But the whole spur is not so large, nor is there any ornament. 

 The sides are strongly depressed, and there is a buckle attached. 

 The whole length of this spur is ten inches, and its weight 

 one pound. Its date, like the other, is probably from 1500 

 to 1530. 



The remaining illustration of a large rowelled spur, on 

 Plate 28, is taken from an elaborately decorated spur now in 

 the South Kensington Museum, and believed to be French. 

 Its total length is just under eleven inches, and the six-pointed 

 rowel is six inches in diameter. 



It is strange that this most inconvenient fashion lasted so 

 long, for there is evidence that it lasted for sixty years, 

 perhaps more. But we may assume that not everyone 

 victimised himself to fashion in this manner. Many must 

 have worn spurs of the type shown on Plate 29, Figs, i, 2, 



D 



