One of the most remarkable remains of shields which has been brought to light is the one at Grimsthorpe,[54] where, on the breast of the skeleton, lay a mass of decayed wood, a quantity of ferruginous dust—probably the remains of the handle and inside fittings of the shield—and remains of decomposed leather. On these lay two thin plates of bronze, and the umbone or boss of the same metal, which had formed the outer covering of the “war-board.” These two plates and the umbone are engraved on [fig. 405]. The discs or plates of bronze are little thicker than ordinary writing-paper. They each measure twelve and a half inches from point to point, and are three and three quarter inches in width in the middle. They have a raised border of curious design around their outer edge, and they have been, like the boss, attached to the shield by pins or rivets. The boss is of very unusual form, and has been attached to the shield by rivets or pins; it is ornamented with engraved lines. From this curious discovery it would appear that this warrior of the Yorkshire Wolds bore a shield formed of wood and covered with leather; that it was faced with plates of bronze, and had a bronze umbone; and that the handle, and probably the strengthening bars, on the inner side were of iron.
Fig. 405.
Many handles of iron, belonging to shields, have been found in the Kentish and other barrows. The shield, in interments, was usually placed flat on the centre of the body, as shown on [fig. 325].
Fig. 406.
Fig. 407.
Fig. 408.