Detectorists Unearth 14th-Century Ring Valued at £10,000
Medieval gold seal ring, possibly linked to a royal descendant, discovered in Suffolk field.
Two metal detectorists have discovered a 14th-century gold seal ring, which is expected to fetch around £10,000 at auction. The rare item was found in a ploughed field near Stoke Ash, Suffolk, in April 2024 by friends Aaron Pizzey, 30, and James Race, 39.
The discovery came after a morning of fruitless searching, with Pizzey nearly abandoning the effort due to a faulty headset. He stated that he was about to discard the headset when Race encouraged him to try one more field, which proved fortuitous.
"That morning had proved fruitless on the first two fields we had searched, so we tried one more field," Pizzey recalled. "I had a faulty headset and was about to throw it into the hedge when Jim said: 'It's a good omen, you'll find gold.'"
Just moments later, Pizzey's detector signaled an object beneath the soil. Upon digging, he uncovered the gold ring. "Digging down I saw in a clod of earth the colour of gold," he said. "'Gold!' I shouted to Jim who ignored me thinking it was a joke. Then he saw me waving and holding the seal [ring] with a big grin on my face."
After declaring the find to the local finds liaison officer, Pizzey and Race will share the auction proceeds with the landowner. They plan to use their share to purchase a new metal detector and fund home renovations.
Experts suggest the ring may have belonged to Matilda of Lancaster, a countess of Ulster and a descendant of King Henry III with French royal ancestry. Nigel Mills, a consultant for Noonans Mayfair, noted that the seal ring features a carnelian intaglio engraved with a Griffin and an inscription that may translate to "griffin Matilda the maternal countess." This inscription could link it to Matilda, who became a canoness at Campsey Priory, located approximately 20 miles from the find site. Noonans cautioned, however, that this connection is a possibility rather than a confirmed attribution.
The ring is scheduled to be auctioned as part of Noonans Mayfair's Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Objects of Vertu auction.
