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Description: | Complete post-medieval copper alloy signet ring. The ring weighs 6.02g, has an external diameter of 25.52mm and an internal diameter of 21.90mm. The hoop is 2.82mm wide and 1.86mm thick. The bezel of the ring is oval in shape, being 17.48mm long and 8.98mm wide and is integral to the ring, not cast separately. It is crudely decorated with a grooved line border, within which is the letter W. The letter W reads correctly both ways, but had this been another letter, it would have been shown in negative, so as to appear the right way round once impressed into wax. Normally we would expect the W to be crowned, but in this instance it is not. Generally the crude nature of the decoration and the poor incising of the initial make this an inferior example of this type of ring.The patina of the ring is dark brown, with significant patches of red bronze disease. Examples of rings with the 'W' initial are recorded by Cherry in Saunders, 1991, Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum Medieval Catalogue, See particularly figure 12, number 24, though this one has the crown. Following that example, this ring probably dates to the late 15th or 16th century. The presence of the crown on signet rings does not denote a royal connection. These rings were marked with the initial letter of the Christian name of the person who used them. There are many examples of rings with the letter W and examples of seals using this letter in public records.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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