The New Murrey and Blue blog

In 2011/2012 a hoard of medieval artefacts was discovered down a well at the remains of castle of Caherduggan, near Doneraile, Co Cork.

It included a complete peytrel/peytral/poitrel for a horse, which names derive from pectoral. Peytrels were worn around the horse’s chest, and although I’d never heard the name before, I recognised what it was from the image above.

I found the illustration at the top of this page in the Heraldry Society article here. It deals with horse armour in great detail.

But I wander from the discovery at Caherduggan. In a well? Why would such a costly possession be thrown down there? No one would part willingly with such an item. Unless he wished to be anonymous? To make an escape? Whatever the reason, the peytrel is now in safe modern hands.

It is the only complete peytrel ever found in Ireland or Britain, although numerous individual medieval horse pendants have been discovered before.

Now, as far as I know, it still remains for the owner of the badge to be identified. I suppose it was originally enamelled in heraldic colours, but they have long gone and only the metal is left. The heraldic creature has been identified as a lion, but to my uneducated eye the design looks like a cross between a lion and a deer, but I’m probably hopelessly wrong. Any ideas?