A two piece Georgian hat buckle produced from 1720-1790. Two piece buckles refers to a buckle that was made in two parts during the manufacturing process, the buckle frame and the strap bar, which are then combined afterwards to make the complete functional buckle. The buckle is slightly curved to better fit the curved nature of the object it was attached too. This buckle would of been to fasten a hat band which would of ran around the hat itself. Its 3 tongues are to better grip the light fabric which would of been used to make the hat band itself. It would of most likely sat on the top of the rim of the hat and functioned as a decorative piece more than a functional one, which is why hat buckles are often decorated in different styles, this one is decorated in curlicues and scrolls giving it more of a floral/ leaf pattern.
This buckle was unearthed by a metal detectorist around the Winchester area.
This item can also be found on the Portable Antiquities Scheme website as: HAMP-C7417E
