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Extraordinary rare 17th century ring found in England (photo)

Maria Tsikhotska

Extraordinary rare 17th century ring found in England (photo)
Gold ring. Source: Daily Mail

Alan Rumsby, a 75-year-old Briton, and a retired carpenter by profession, has been exploring local fields with a metal detector for the past decade. And recently he was lucky enough to find a real treasure – a 17th-century gold ring.

Previously, despite repeated searches in the same areas, Rumsby had not found anything of value. However, last October, when he returned to the site, he received a signal from his XP Deus detector and found the jewelry under a 23-centimeter layer of soil. This was reported by the Daily Mail.

According to scientists, the ring belonged to Dorothy Ashfield, who was born in 1594. Experts emphasize that finding a gold ring of that era with a seal is a great success.

Initially, the British Museum expressed interest in acquiring the jewelry but later refused. Therefore, Rumsby can now put the ring up for sale at a jewelry auction in London. Experts estimate it at $17.5-20 thousand.

The man himself plans to share the proceeds with the owner of the land where the ring was found. He will spend the rest of the money on celebrating with his wife.

According to expert Nigel Mills, this find is of historical significance, as women's rings of that era with a seal are extremely rare. This is evidenced by the diamond-shaped coat of arms on the frame.

The coat of arms is divided into 4 parts – the heirs of the owner: Ashfields, Tendrings, Boteliers, and Mapersalls. In the center is a five-pointed star, symbolizing the third son. That is why scientists assume that the ring belonged to Dorothy Ashfield, the eldest daughter of the third son of Thomas Ashfield and his wife Ellen.

This assumption is confirmed by the location of the discovery - not far from the estate of John Tendring, whose family coat of arms is depicted on the second quadrant of the ring.

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