The St, Georges Spurs 77 



neck, which may be observed here, is only seen in the 

 seventeenth century, the period when these spurs were made. 

 But in the spurs of this epoch that portion of the neck which 

 was bent downwards was split up to form the rowel-box, and 

 so to contain the comparatively large star rowel then used. 

 The depressed sides, curved so as to pass under the ankle- 

 bone, represent a very long period, more than three centuries 

 from the time these spurs were made ; a fashion soon to be 

 replaced, early in the Georgian period, for the straight sides, 

 such as are used at the present time, and which were also in 

 vogue prior to the twelfth century. The terminations of the 

 sides for the attachment of the straps are somewhat unusual 

 for the period at which they were made. That the sides 

 should end in a double arrangement, one for the attachment 

 of the instep strap, and the other for the sole strap, to pass 

 under the sole of the foot, is in accordance with the fashion 

 of the seventeenth century, and for several centuries before that ; 

 but the terminations until this date had been invariably rings, 

 or circular perforations in the widened out ends of the sides. 

 The mushroom-shaped studs — which these spurs have, and which 

 are much the same in form as those of the present day, only 

 now one stud serves for the attachment of both straps — had 

 only just come into use again after an absence of fifteen 

 hundred years, and were by no means in universal use in 

 1685. The double ring was then much more often seen than 

 the stud. The movable bar to which the upper stud is 

 attached in these spurs is also very uncommon. I have seen 

 it in a few spurs of this date, but it is by no means usual. 



