Rose Theatre buckler fragment

Fragment of a wooden shield with bands of iron to strengthen the rim, found during the excavations of the Rose theatre on Bankside. The shield has been painted red. It was discovered in the space below the first stage and was probably broken and discarded by the time the theatre was altered in 1592. Shields and bucklers were often used during theatre performances. The iron strengthening bands on this fragment suggest it was constantly used and repaired before it finally broke. Documents from the Rose list shields and targets (small shields) as being part of the theatre’s property and there are also records of an order for new ones. The Rose was first built in 1587 and was one of four purpose-built playhouses on the south bank of the Thames in London (the others were the Globe, the Hope and the Swan). It was demolished in 1606. Archaeologists discovered the remains of the Rose in 1988. Reference: Bowsher, J. & Miller, P. (2009), 'The Rose and the Globe - playhouses of Shakespeare's Bankside, Southwark. Excavations 1988-90’, MOLA Monograph 48.