Rights Holder: Durham County Council
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Unique ID: DUR-0883E3
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published
A complete gold finger ring of 16th-17th century date.
The ring is composed of a strip of D-sectioned gold, bent and seal with a butt joint. The outer surface of the ring has a raised repeating crossed hatch design which creates repeating lines of two diamond cells and two separate half or triangular cells in each row. This would have originally held enamel, which is now missing. The inner surface is smooth and flat with an incised inscription in Roman lettering. There is no visible makers mark.
The object's form has been distorted by post-depositional processes.
Inscription: + A + MERY + HART + IS + LYFE
Date: AD 1550-1650
Dimensions: Length 23.12mm; Width 12.95mm; Thickness 1.10mm; Weight 1.7g.
Discussion: Similar examples with geometric relief decoration can be seen on the Portable Antiquities Database: WMID-A11376 (2012 T160) and KENT-B71606 (2012 T367), and in the British Museum's collection: AF.1337. This inscription does not occur on any of the BM rings, but is recorded by Joan Evans, in 'English Posies and Posy Rings', Oxford 1931, p. 19, as listed in the Harleian MSS of 1596, so it was certainly in use by that date.
Notes:
The age and precious metal content of this item therefore qualify it as treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996.
Inscription:
A+MERY+HART+IS+LYFE
Current location of find: Auckland Castle
Subsequent action after recording: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure
Treasure case tracking number: 2014T294
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1550
Date to: Circa AD 1650
Quantity: 1
Length: 23.08 mm
Width: 3.23 mm
Thickness: 1.09 mm
Weight: 1.6 g
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 13th April 2014
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Treasure case number: 2014T294
4 Figure: NZ3226
Four figure Latitude: 54.62812689
Four figure longitude: -1.50585703
1:25K map: NZ3226
1:10K map: NZ32NW
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.