Rights Holder: Kent County Council
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Unique ID: KENT-21E814
Object type certainty: Certain
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status: Published
A complete gold posie/posey Finger Ring of Post-Medieval date, c.17th century.
Description: The ring has an evenly well-formed band, D-shaped cross section. The interior circumference has an incised inscription typical of the type, in lower case lettering although not cursive, it reads 'Live in love and fear the lord' Followed by the letter 'S' over 'R G'. The exterior surface of the ring is undecorated with only minor abrasions caused by post-depositional processes.
Measurements: 22.94mm in diameter, 6.36mm thick (band 2.42mm thick) and 10.95g in weight.
Discussion: Posie or posey rings were a popular form of finger-ring from the 16th to 18th centuries, more often in gold than silver. Lettering and inscriptions can be used to try and narrow the dating of a ring. Those with block capitals being earlier and the lettering becoming lower case and more cursive and italic during the course of the 17th century and into the 18th. The inscription on this example is fairly common and still in use on similar rings today. The arrangement of the initials however is indicative of the 17th century, with the upper letter being the married surname of the couple and the lower letters being forename initials. An example in the British Museum (1961,1202.305) with a plain exterior, is inscribed 'Live in love & fear the Lord' and followed by a 'marriage trigram' of three initials. Unfortunately the maker's mark on that ring has not been linked to a specific goldsmith so the ring is only dated as broadly 17th/18th centuries.
The lettering on the current example is consistent with a mid-late 17th century date; examples with similar lettering can be seen on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database such as 2017 T640 (KENT-CC971A) which itself was dated by the similarity of the script with a dated mourning ring in the collection of the British Museum.
Conclusion: This object contains a minimum of 10% precious metal and probably dates to over 300 years old. Consequently, it constitutes potential Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996 in terms of both age and precious metal content.
Inscription:
Live in love and fear the lord. S//R G
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Treasure case tracking number: 2017T865
Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1650
Date to: Circa AD 1700
Quantity: 1
Thickness: 6.36 mm
Weight: 10.95 g
Diameter: 22.94 mm
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Treasure case number: 2017T865
Primary material: Gold
Completeness: Complete
Surface Treatment: Incised or engraved or chased
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
No references cited so far.