English: An incomplete Medieval horse harness pendant dating to c. AD 1200-1300. The pendant is shield-shaped and square in cross-section. There is a small rectangular broken projection mid-way on the upper side of the pendant where the suspension loop would have been attached. One side of the pendant is decorated in two halves.

The left half is decorated with two complete gold fleur-de-lis with an additional three incomplete or cut half fleur-de-lis all within a blue enamel field. There are traces of gilt on the motifs but parts are very worn. The right half is decorated with five gold square castles, within a red enamel relief. The paint of two of the castles are worn revealing a brown surface. Traces of gilding is evident on the castles and the right edge of the pendant. The upper side of this half is damaged and the decoration is missing. The reverse is plain and has a dark green patina.

The pendant is 25.4mm in length, 20mm maximum width, 2mm in thickness, and weighs 3.42g.

'The object shows the arms used by Alphonse, Count of Poitiers and Toulouse (died 1271), younger son of Louis VIII and brother of (St) Louis IX: he was a crusader and for a period Regent of France.

Alphonse's coat of arms was formed of those of France (left) and Castile (right), representing his father and mother respectively: Per pale azure semé-de-lis or dimidiating gules semé of castles or.

For his arms to be on a pendant found in England is interesting but not as unusual as might be thought; for the arms of thirteenth-century Continental princes and potentates on harness pendants found here see J.H. Baker, "The earliest armorial harness pendants", The Coat of Arms 3 ^rd series 11 (2015), pp. 1-24 at 10-11. Examples there include the king of Castile & Leon, the Count of Provence, and Alphonse’s brother the King of Naples.' (Dr Clive Cheesman pers comm).