Viking Objects
Reproduction Viking Age Sword
A reproduction of the sword found in Grave 511 at Repton. The hilt is made of wood laths wrapped in tabby weave textile strips. The scabbard is made of two wooden laths, lined with trimmed sheep fleece, and covered in an oak-stained, stitched, calf-leather cover. The strap slide is copper alloy and inserted under the leather. The sword belt shown with the scabbard is based on the sword belt from Grave 511 at Repton.
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Viking Objects
Clench Nail (NLM-2FC690)
Clench nails were used in clinker-style ship-building from the 7th century to the 15th and also for domestic purposes, in which clench nails might appear where ship timber has been reused. Clinker ship-building involved building the ship’s hull first out of layered planks attached to the keel and held together using clench nails. Clinker-built boats and ships are particularly associated with the Vikings.
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Viking Objects
Reproduction Iron Key
An iron key based on an original found in Grave 511 at Repton, Derbyshire. Iron keys were not only practical items but also symbols of status. Women were often given keys to the families chests of valuables. They also are often buried with keys, representing their authority in the household.
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Viking Objects
Shield Boss (1989-59/9013)
This is a probable Viking shield boss from Repton, Derbyshire. This shield boss is possible evidence for the Viking Great Army’s overwintering at Repton in 873. The typical construction of a ‘Viking’ shield at the time involved several wooden planks glued together and cut into a circle. The face of the shield was then covered in linen or rawhide with rawhide edging that was either tacked or sewn on. Finally, a metal boss would be attached along with the handle over a hole in the centre. The purpose of the metal boss was to protect the user’s hand in combat.
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Viking Objects
Reproduction Spade
Spades would have had metal shoes to aid with cutting the ground when digging.
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Viking Objects
Socketed Axe (LCNCC:1906.9661.2)
This large socketed iron axe head was found in the River Witham, east of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. Axes were not only a common implement used for a variety of wood-based activities, such as constructing ships, but also were often used as weapons. Axes came in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on their function. Considering the size and shape, this axe was most likely used for warfare rather than as a tool.
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Viking Objects
Stirrup (LCNCC : 1906.9663)
A large iron stirrup of Viking type with a long slender looped form, rectangular terminal, and a flat footrest. It was found in the River Witham near Lincoln. Stirrups like this were an innovation that Scandinavian settlers introduced to Anglo-Saxon England in the eleventh century.
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Viking Objects
Iron Buckle (1985/225-8)
An iron buckle found in Mound 6 at Heath Wood, Ingleby, Derbyshire. It is one of two iron buckles found in this burial mound together with a small number of bronze fragments and iron nails. This buckle has parallels in Scandinavia.
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Viking Objects
Iron Buckle (1988/225-9)
An iron buckle found in Mound 6 at Heath Wood, Ingleby, Derbyshire. It is one of two iron buckles found in this burial mound together with a small number of bronze fragments and iron nails. This buckle features a strap slide secured between the backplate and two terminal rivets.
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Viking Objects
Scythe (NLM-739C96)
Scythes such as this one would have been common agricultural implements. Dr Kevin Leahy comments that while the scythe has a similar shape to other early medieval examples, the lack of a typical bent tang leaves its dating in question.
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Viking Objects
Sword Fitting (1985/225-13)
This is the lower guard of a sword that may have been a Petersen Type H sword with triangular pommel. This style of sword is the most common type found in Norway and accounts for approximately 25% of those found in Ireland. It was found about 760mm from an iron sword blade in Mound 7, along with iron nails and a fragment of a possible iron spur.