Code: 12952
This is an original Medieval enamelled heraldic pendant, dating to the 13th-14th centuries. The armorial bears 'Vairy or and gules, a bordure azure (or sable) charged with eight horseshoes argent' for William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby or of that ilk!
The earliest recorded seat of the de Ferrers family was the manor of Ferrières-Saint-Hilaire in Normandy, an important centre for ironworking, perhaps the reason the manor took its name. The Norman surname de Ferrières (simplified to de Ferrers) was Latinized as de Ferrariis, literally "from the blacksmiths". The French verb ferrer (from fer (iron) (from Latin ferrum) signifies "to garnish with iron" thus " to shoe a horse", hence the English word "farrier". For this reason many sources say that the early heraldic device of the de Ferrers family was a horse-shoe.
It is in good condition for an excavated piece, with gilding present.
OBJECT: Pendant
CULTURE: Medieval
DATE: c. 13th - 14th century AD
MATERIAL: Bronze, enamel & gilding
SIZE: 25mm x 29mm x 8mm
WEIGHT: 9.60 grams
PROVENANCE: Formerly in a private collection Arthies, France
