Horse Brasses
A Horse brass is a brass
plaque used for the decoration of harness gear, especially for shire and
parade horses. Used since antiquity, they became especially popular in
England in the 1800s, and remain a collectors item today.
There are a great deal of
unfounded myths surrounding these decorations such as their usage as Amulets
to ward off the "Evil Eye". The most popular size is 3 x 3 1/2 inches of
flat brass with a hanger by which the brass threaded onto a horse harness
strap, known as a Martingale. In England many of these items of harness found
their way into country public houses as the era of the heavy horse declined,
and are still associated today as a pub decoration. By the late 19th century
Wagons and carts were decorated with brasses of all kinds and sizes. During
this era, working horse parades were popular throughout the British Isles and
Prize or Merit awards were given, some by the
Royal Society for Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). Horse brasses were often highly prized by the
"carters", who decorated their horse with them. Other horse brass subjects
include advertising, royalty commemoration, and in later years, souvenir
brasses for places and events many of which, are still being made and used
today.
The brass on the
left celebrates Admiral Lord Nelson who commanded the HMS Victory during the
Battle of Trafalgar (21st October 1805).
These are four of thirty brasses in our
collection and were originally collected by my grandmother, Mary Schofield
Hayes. (1853-1974)
