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700 years old Silver Medieval Religious Ring Found

31 Mar 2014

My local metal detecting club has a highly organised committee who arranges metal detecting rallies for large groups at numerous historical sites. It was with great excitement that I set off for the latest rally on 170 plus acres of undetected farmland with history abound. The site had a Bronze barrow close by, a moated Medieval site dating back to the 13th Century, English Civil War links, 2 17th/18th Century mills, and was not far from a historical Roman town. 180 detectorists met at the farm site and set off detecting, with 2 Find Liasion Officers waiting to record any great finds made. I set off in the morning and found a buckle and a couple of coins, but nothing spectacular yet. Undeterred after a quick bite of lunch I set off for something better. It was after 4 hours searching that my X-TERRA 705 gave a really good cracking signal about 8 inches down. After digging the target, whilst it was still covered in soil, it looked like I had unearthed a cogwheel from a farm tractor, but on wiping away the dirt I revealed the intricate detail of 3 flower motifs on raised bezels and then an ancient inscription. It took a moment to realise that what I was holding was a large Silver ring, medieval in design. It was too big for my fingers, but fitted my thumb perfectly. Either it was made for someone with large chunky fingers or it was worn over a pair of gloves, so that it was on display at all times. The Find Liason Officers were able to inform me that it was approximately 700 years old, and was a religious ring due to the inscription 'IESUS', latin for Jesus, with an ancient swastika symbol prior to the text. The ring is classed as 'treasure', and will go through the process of being assessed to determine if any museum wishes to purchase the ring. I couldn't believe I had found such a fantastic item, and the buzz last for days.

 

Steve Xterra - England, UK

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