63/99/3

This is a heavily corroded and incomplete horseshoe with three nail holes remaining. It possibly dates from circa 1200. It was found in 1942 by Harold Mair at Littlebrook in the Dartford and Stone Marshes in Kent. It was the first horseshoe Mr Mair found in the tide-wall enclosure at Littlebrook and inspired him to look for others, leading him to collect over 250 horseshoes in the Marshes between 1942 and 1948.

1 horseshoe: metal

MERL Miscellaneous note, Greta Bertram, 13 February 2013 – The Harold Mair Collection consists of 272 horseshoes dating from the 10th century to the 20th century. They were found by Harold Mair between 1942 and 1948 at Littlebrook in the Dartford and Stone Marshes in Kent. Mr Mair built up the collection from finds around some re-discovered Saxon tide-walls adjoining an ancient causeway across the marshes. All of the horseshoes, with the exception of six, came from six acres of the enclosure, which had apparently been used as a grazing ground for horses for many centuries. Before his death in 1962, Mr Mair had substantially completed, in manuscript form, a book about his collection, ‘Thames-side Horseshoes from the Dartford and Stone Marshes, Kent’. The collection was shown as a whole at the Marshfield Show, Gloucestershire, in the summer of 1961. MERL has saved Mr Mair’s original labels, although some are missing., MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Recorder: SK // Date: 3.7.80 // Description: Heavily corroded horseshoe, incomplete, with three nail holes remaining. // Dimensions: … // Associated information: Dated by Mair at around 1200, this shoe was his first find the Littlebrook Tide-Wall enclosure, and one which inspired him to start this extensive collection. See 63/99/1 for further details. // References: H. Mair, “Thames-side Horseshoes”, Intro., p2.', Harold Mair, 'Thames-side Horseshoes from the Dartford and Stone Marshes, Kent', p. 2., Harold Mair Label – ‘3 // Note the round hole. Did rust open the others? // c.1200 // My very first find in the Littlebrook Tide-wall enclosure. I was inspired to look for others and so my collection began.’

1200 - 1200

Mair, Gordon (Agent)
Annable, F. K. (Agent)