A ring that is said to be 600 years old was found by a lucky fellow using a metal detector. The ring has a dragon with St. George engraved into it and, according to an expert, this may provide new and valuable insight into the saint's followers in medieval Norwich.
The ring, which is said to date back to the 14th century or from 1350 to 1430, was found in South Creake, Norfolk in February, together with one-half penny, 10 pennies and three farthings from the period of Edward I, all of which have captured the interest of the British Museum in London and Norwich Castle Museum.
An object that dates back to more than 300 years and is composed of at least 10 percent gold and silver, according to the Treasure Act of 1996, should be reported to the coroner, who will assess and declare if the said find can be classified as a treasure.
In cases where the object is forwarded to a museum, the individual who found the object is usually given an amount equal to the market value of the treasure, experts of the British Museum say.
The dragon ring with the St. George motif was declared a treasure at a hearing held in Norwich, and is said to be procured by the Norwich Castle Museum.
The ring was a wonderful discovery in Norwich, says Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, an expert in medieval rings and an associate professor at Penn State-Brandywine University. She further explains that the ring was initially enameled just like most of the medieval structures left in the world today. Therefore, it is possible that the ring may have originally had varied colors, as opposed to the one-color appearance it has today.
"The ring has on it St George spearing a dragon," said Dr. Adrian Marsden, a coin expert from the Norwich Castle Museum. This, according to him, is unexpected and interesting as St. George is a famous saint from Norwich.
The ring attests to the popularity of St. George, says Dr. Jonathan Good, author of The Cult of St. George and associate history professor at Reinhardt University. This may also be associated with a group of people who were devoted to the saint; the ring could have been owned by a guild member to show his or her faithfulness to St. George.
Guilds established during the medieval times were composed of individuals, who gather and bequeath a weekly pledge to honor a specific saint. The activities of the guild members include providing sickness assistance and praying for their members, who had already passed away.
Photo: Alan Davey | Flickr
