A medieval gold and diamond wedding ring found in Dorset by a metal detective that may have been lost by a 14th-century noblewoman while playing croquet has sold for £38,000.
The ring is thought to have been a gift from the aristocrat Sir Thomas Brook to his wife Lady Joan when they married in 1388.
Inside is an inscription in medieval French, “ieo vos tien foi tenes le moy” which, when translated, reads: “As I hold your faith, hold mine.”
It was found on land in Dorset that Sir Thomas owned and is now owned by a dairy farmer who allowed one of his former tanker drivers to search the field with his metal detector.
David Board, 69, had only been detecting for three months when he came across the Golden Ring near Thorncombe in February 2020.
He said he was disappointed when he got his first taste because he thought it was a sweet wrapper.
Andrew Phillips with the 14th Century Ring (Image: SWNS)
He added: “I was scouting on a field, it was called Bowling Green, I thought it was quite weird because it was flat, there must have been a lot of activity there.
“I was looking there and found a few old coins, a lot of paper money, candy wrapper type.
“And I was coming back to the car when I got a signal, dug the hole about five inches in, saw some gold and thought oh, not another piece of paper. packaging, then I found the ring.
“It was a really wet day so I washed the mud off and put it in my top pocket. I had only been detecting for three months.”
When asked if he’s ever found anything like this since he said, “No, it’s a once in a lifetime find. You’ll never find anything like this again.”
Patrick Tolley, 64, the dairy farmer who owns the land where David found the ring, said: “He came over excited. I couldn’t believe how brilliant it was.
“The fields have been plowed and cultivated dozens of times over the years, it’s a surprise they haven’t been damaged at all.”
David and Patrick watched the auction while in their local pub as the ring sold for the hammer price of £38,000.
Speaking after the sale, David said: “I’m so happy the ring sold as I was worried it might not.
“Despite the media interest around the world, we hope he stays in this country.”
David plans to use his share of the money to help his partner’s daughter get a mortgage.
Noonans auctioneers consultant Nigel Mills said: “This ring is in near perfect condition and has an inverted diamond set in the raised bezel so it comes to a point.
“The hoop is made up of two carefully intertwined bands symbolizing the union of the couple.”
Following the sale, he said, “It was a great result for this beautiful ring, which gave off a wonderful aura, which made you want to not return it when you were holding it.”
The ring was found on an old bowling green and Nigel said Lady Brook could have lost it while playing croquet there.
He added: “It is very likely that she was playing an ancestral game of croquet, game of mail, which was imported by the French. That may be how she lost it.”
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