Medieval Heraldic Harness Pendant Found!

A Medieval heraldic harness pendant was recently found by a detectorist on the Dedisham estate, Slinfold, West Sussex (TQ11123287 ), and passed to the landowner. It was subsequently submitted to the Worthing Archaeological Society (Northern Section) for identification. It is a shield-shaped pendant, copper alloy, with a heraldic device (which still has some vestiges of yellow enamel surviving), and may be described as "or two bars gemelles in chief a lion passant gardant gules". Overall height 50mm, width 25mm. weight 10.1 grammes. The arms of this pendant were borne by John de Tregoz, brother of Henry de Tregoz, Lord of Goring, Preston, Burpham, Greatham, & Daddesham, Sussex. and can be dated to the late 13th century. He was a knight who held a number of official positions under both Edward I and II; he married Matilda de Denne and had free warren in the manor of Denne in 1270. He was present at the battle of Falkirk, which was fought on 22 July 1298, when the forces of Edward I defeated a Scottish army under William Wallace. He may be found on the St George's Roll, E97; The Falkirk Roll, H78; The Camden Roll, D106; and the Charles Roll F48.

At one point Salzman, in his paper on the Tregoz lineage (SAC Vol XCIII (1955) pp34-56) says that the genealogy of the Tregoz is much muddled, because the names are repeated several times in each generation. The division of the Tregoz holdings after Henry de Tregoz's death in 1243 to his sister's husband is clear. Dedisham and other property was adjudged to Roger Mohaut who later enfeoffed Henry son of John Tregoz.

Citation from soc.genealogy.medieval = Genmed: "Sir Henry Tregoze, heir to Goring etc. who in 1256-7 had a grant of free warren in Goring, Deddisham and Warburton, co. Sussex, but who appears to have died s.p.

John Tregoze (his brother), who married Matilda and acquired apparently by her the manor of Denne, or Warnham in Sussex [In Warnham there was a Knolle family]. John Tregoz and Matilda his wife had a grant of free warren in Denne and Iham in Sussex 1270-1 and were clearly the parents of Sir Henry Tregoze, kt., who succeeded to both Denne and to Goring and the other Sussex estates of his paternal ancestor Henry Tregoze. "

It seems that the division of the fees in 1243 was due to the death of the earl of Arundel, their overlord, but Goring and some other places were given to the above Henry which went then after his death to his brother John's (Denne manor) son Henry. Saltzman then mentions that the fees given to Roger Mahout were then held by the Tregoz again by enfeoffment.

We can only assume that at the time he lost the pendant, John Tregoz was visiting his brother who was staying at Dedisham at the time. Were they out hunting together perhaps? Dedisham was an outlier of Goring Manor, and contained three hunting parks which are well documented.