FINGER RING

A post-medieval gold posy ring. The ring is circular in plan and D-shaped in section. The exterior is plain and the interior is inscribed in italics 'When God saw fit this knot was knit'. This is followed by a worn maker's mark, which appears to be 'AW' in Roman capitals where the diagonal strokes of the A are ligated with the central diagonals of the W. Beneath the letters is a dot. There is a slight nick on the upper end of the band.

Dimensions:External diameter: 20.0mm, Height: 3.75mm, Weight: 4.3g

Discussion: Posy rings are commonly reported under the Treasure Act, and feature inscriptions of love or devotion. An similar inscription is found on a ring in the collection of the British Museum (AF.1204), which reads 'As God hath knit to hartes in one / So none shall part but death alone' This has been given a broad date of 17^th-18^th century. However, a variation of this message is recorded by Dame Joan Evans (1931: 21) 'As God hath knit our hearts in one // Let nothing part but death alone' and Dame Evans attributes this to a Commonplace Book of 1633, now in the British Library. The style of writing on the Tenterden ring is consistent with 17^th century or early 18^th century examples, especially the lowercase 's' whose upper bowl is much smaller than its lower bowl. (cf. Whalley 1980; 195).

The maker's mark is itself very similar to one found on another ring in the British Museum (1961,1202.358). The mark on the British Museum ring has been linked to either of two goldsmiths working in London in the late 17^th Century, Andrew Walcott or Arthur Wendover, whose dates of death are unrecorded.