Rights Holder: National Museum Wales
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Unique ID: NMGW-03238B
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published
Gold mourning ring with stylized skull on outside of hoop. The hoop is of flattened D cross-section. The inner face of the hoop is inscribed with the text J. A. ob 25 July 98 aeta 37, in italic script (J. A. died 25th July ..98 aged 37).
Internal hoop diameter 19 mm; band width 2.9mm; band thickness 1 mm; weight 2.7g. The ring has not undergone any cleaning or conservation.
The form of the ring and style of lettering indicates that it dates to the late seventeenth century, a date confirmed by the commemorative inscription. The letter forms with top looped 'b' and 'l' , scrolls on 'A', appear on John Ayres's 'A tutor to penmanship; or, the writing master' (1698). The use of two numbers to denote date is also typical of seventeenth-century practice. The skull/death's head as a motif occurs on the earliest mourning rings, dating to the fifteenth century, and the motif remained popular thought the seventeenth century. As the ring is commemorative, it post-dates the date of death, but is likely to have been engraved within a short period. Another mourning ring with stylized skull head from Hundleton, Pembrokeshire, bears a similar inscription, dated 1703 (Treasure Case 13.24).
This is a find of note and has been designated: National importance
Inscription:
J. A. ob 25 July 98 aeta 37
Current location of find: Carmarthen Museum
Subsequent action after recording: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure
Treasure case tracking number: 2014T13
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1650
Date to: Circa AD 1700
Quantity: 1
Width: 2.9 mm
Thickness: 1 mm
Weight: 2.7 g
Diameter: 19 mm
Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 23rd July 2015
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Treasure case number: 2014T13
Primary material: Gold
Manufacture method: Cast
Decoration style: Figurative
Completeness: Complete
Surface Treatment: Incised or engraved or chased
4 Figure: SN4007
Four figure Latitude: 51.73880345
Four figure longitude: -4.31866228
1:25K map: SN4007
1:10K map: SN40NW
Grid reference source: Centred on parish
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
No references cited so far.