63/99/178

A very large and very heavy, well-preserved horseshoe dating from circa 1725, with nine nail holes (five on one side and four on the other). The shoe has prominent toe and heel caulkins (protrusions at the toe or heel of a shoe to provide additional traction) and fullering (the groove running along the surface into which the nail holes are placed). It was found by Harold Mair at Littlebrook in the Dartford and Stone Marshes in Kent. It is part of a large collection of horseshoes found by Mr Mair 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: 4.7.80 // Description: Very large, heavy, well-preserved shoe with 5 x 4 nail-holes, and prominent toe and heel calkins. Fullered. // Dimensions: 5 5/8” x 5 1/2” // Associated information: Found at Littlebrook; date c.1725. // See also 63/99/165. // References: H. Mair, “Thames-side Horseshoes”, p34.’, Harold Mair, 'Thames-side Horseshoes from the Dartford and Stone Marshes, Kent', p.34., Harold Mair Label – ‘178 // Littlebrook // C.1725 // 5 5/8” x 5 1/2” // 22ozs'

1725 - 1725

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