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Finger ring
Unique ID: NMGW-9DEB70
Object type certainty: Certain
Description of object
Decorative gold ring with a D-shaped cross section. Externally plain, the inner face is engraved in Gothic textura (black letter) script, though the reading is not clear. Allowing for the first letter as I and the last two as LT, one possibility is a garbled version of 'I VOELT', 'I wish it', where the V has been written as an F (common in Welsh), and the O and E have been elided. Other possibilities are 'I felt', or a scrambled INRI, though this requires the 't' to be interpreted as an unusual cross. 'Iesi' does not appear to fit.
The hoop has an internal diameter of 17mm; band width 3.2mm. Weight 2.4g.
Metal Content To judge from its colour and weight, and visual comparison with other gold rings and brooches in the collections of the Department of Archaeology & Numismatics, the item is gold (over 10%). This was confirmed by analysis of the metal composition of the ring by Mary Davis using CamScan MaXim 2040 analytical scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX).
Average composition of gold: 10% copper 14% silver 76% gold
Discussion The finger ring from Dinas Powys has a form which is long lived, and were there no inscription, it would probably have been given an 18th - or 19th-century date. For a 15th-century silver ring with comparable D-shaped cross-section, engraved externally, see Dalton 1912, no. 882. The letter forms, three of which are confidently formed, are in a late medieval style. To judge from comparison with lettering on seals, the fine close black letter script dates to the second half of the 14th and 15th centuries (c. 1350-1500; Kingsford 1929). The legend, if correct, may indicate that it is a love or marriage ring, and may be compared with 'me plet' (Dalton 1912, no. 972). However, this is not certain.
Notes:
The ring is of 15th-century date. It is my opinion that as an object which has at least 10 per cent by weight precious metal, and which is at least 300 years old, the ring is treasure under Section 1 (1) (a) of the Treasure Act 1996.
Subsequent actions
Current location of find: National Museum of Wales
Subsequent action after recording: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure
Treasure details
Treasure case tracking number: 2007W8
Chronology
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
Period from: MEDIEVAL [scope notes | view all attributed records]
Date from: Circa AD 1400
Date to: Circa AD 1500
Dimensions and weight
Width: 3.2 mm
Weight: 2.4 g
Diameter: 17 mm
Quantity: 1
Materials and construction
Primary material: Gold [scope notes | view all attributed records]
Spatial data
Region: Wales
County: Vale Of Glamorgan
District: Vale Of Glamorgan
To be known as: Dinas Powys
Method of discovery: Metal detector
[scope notes]
General landuse: Cultivated land [scope notes]
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 1st January 2007
Personal details
Found by: This information is restricted for your login.
Recorded by: M Redknap
- [
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Identified by: Mr Mark Lodwick - [view all attributed records]
Other reference numbers
Treasure case number: 2007W8
References cited
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Audit data
Created:
Friday 23rd January 2009
Updated: Tuesday 19th July 2011
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