Medieval posy ring unearthed in Norfolk field
A very fine Medieval gold posy ring, dating from the 13th/14th century, that was discovered by a metal detectorist in Merton, near Thetford in Norfolk will be offered at Noonans Mayfair in a sale of Jewellery, Silver and Objects of Vertu on March 26.
Estimated to fetch £6,000-8,000, it was discovered by Richard Girling, a 63-year-old tree surgeon who lives in nearby Ickburgh, in March 2024. He recalled: “I began metal detecting when I was 16 years old as as a child I was fascinated by gold and silver shops and anything that glistened such as rocks and crystals. Then I had a C-scope, now I have a Deus 2!”
He continued: “On the day I found the ring, the ground was very wet, and I was aching from walking all day around the field that I have visited many times. I got a signal in one patch of the field; the soil was very black, maybe where a pond used to be, so I dug down three inches and found a gold ring – I didn’t do the dance like some people do but wow, I was very pleased with the ring, it was beautiful.
“This is one of my best artefact finds, I have found coins in the past, and it is nice to have something in your hand that hasn’t been touched for hundreds of years and imagine what were the people like, why were they there.”
The ring was subsequently disclaimed as Treasure and Mr Girling will share the proceeds with the landowner.
As Laura Smith, Jewellery Expert at Noonans explained: “Romance and jewellery have always been closely entwined, and during the medieval period it became popular to inscribe a short love message or ‘posy’ on a gold ring to be given to your beloved. The intimacy is enhanced by the fact the message is worn right next to the skin and is really just for the wearer to behold.”
The ring is inscribed to the exterior in a mixture of Roman and Lombardic forms, reading: ‘+IO.VVS.AIM.PAR.FEI’ translating from Medieval French as ‘I love you by faith’ or ‘I love you faithfully’.”
Laura added: “Merton Hall was built in 1613 on the site of a house which had been in possession of the de Grey/de Gray family since the mid 14th century, and prior to that of their ancestors in the female line, the Baynards, to whom the property was granted at the time of William the Conqueror. This ring is very fine condition, described by the British Museum in the Portable Antiquities Scheme report as ‘unworn, with crisp arrises’.”
