Detectorist Finds Tudor Jewellery Inscribed With Initials of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

Heritage Daily ^ | January 2023 | Historic England

[SunkenCiv]

The find was discovered in Warwickshire, England, and was subsequently reported to the local Finds Liaison Officer from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, who in turn notified Historic England.

Experts have dated the jewellery to the early 16th century AD, with a most likely date of 1521 during his marriage to Catherine (married 1509 until their annulment in 1533)...

The jewellery is made from gold, with a heart-shaped pendant attached to a 75-link gold chain. The front of the pendant has been decorated with a motif depicting a red and white Tudor rose, entwined with a pomegranate bush (the symbols of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon). At the base is the inscription + TOVS + IORS, a pun in French for the word "always".

On the back of the pendant are the initials "H" and "K" (representing Henry and Katherine), written in Lombardic script and linked by a ribbon. Again, at the base is the inscription + TOVS + IORS.

It is believed that the jewellery may have been a prize worn by people participating in an event, similar to ones used on horse bards at a joust in Greenwich in 1521.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive at Historic England said: "This beautiful pendant is a thrilling discovery giving us a tangible connection to Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon and enriches our understanding of the Royal Court at the time."

[Bob434]

wow- very cool find! looks to be studded with a bunch or rubies? (hard to see from the photo)

[Towed_Jumper]

A revisionist historian might see this HK pendant in an entirely different light:

[Bob434]

look for what might be old tailing piles- the old timers got a lot of gold- but their methods were really not very good, and they lost a lot of gold out of their cruder sluices- Inside bends in rivers are good places too- as are tree roots near a river=- large boulders are good hiding spots for gold too- usually on the downstream side-

You can join GPAA and get a book of all their gold claims too, and can stay for free once you are a member-

https://www.goldprospectors.org/

They have a ton of proven places to sluice or pan- I believe they have claims on the Yuba too-

[jimtorr]

Actually, they are required to buy at market prices, as determined by a committee composed of surprisingly representative people.

The purpose is to make it so that people WANT to report finds, not just forced to.

[shadowlands1960]

Thanks... good information.

[Bob434]

[[Anyone else out there that gets their exercise by hiking and digging in dirt?]]

I used to- but the North East is a hard place for finding gold (I’ve only found about $2 maybe of flour gold- one small nugget)- but pretty good for artifacts, though some of the states won’t allow prospecting because of the historical aspect of the sites-

Got a friend down in Texas who finds a lot of war memorabilia- (buttons, coins, belt buckles, lapels, sword pieces, lots and lots of ammo, some still intact, etc-)

[Bob434]

wasnt that spot a place that had tides or something and they got caught in a high tide? I think i saw it on Josh Gates show if so-

[shadowlands1960]

Yes... it's a small bay between Lincolnshire and Norfolk... apparently they were going through there at high tide and the wagons tipped over in the mud... they were forced to move on and the jewels were never recovered:

[Bob434]

[[I should have specified.. this is an old channel where the river ran over 200 years ago but is now dry..]]

Check downside of large boulders with the detector- if you keep gettign hits, and finding smaller gold, fill a five gallon bucket or two with the black sand material where the heavier gold settles-

Also- look for any tree roots that are near the banks- they trap gold pretty good- check all the inside bends with the detector- dig down a ways when you scan for better results- If you find a good spot, keep quiet about it and keep going back and gettign 5 gallon pails of dirt to sluice or pan at home-

another thing you can do (If you have a gardenway cart or can use a ATV or have some type of pull along wagon) is bring a large bucket of water and pan the dirt from spots you think are likely to contain gold- Takes a little effort- but it makes for a fun day just being out panning for gold-

There are dry sluices you can use too- they have small backpack units, but they are kinda expensive-

[Mathews]

Metal detectorist...

[Bob434]

yup=- that was the show Josh did- He didn’t find anything significant,. but the history was interesting

[SunkenCiv]

She wasn't the real queen of England, because Henry VIII was scion of an ineligible bastard line and son of a usurper. OTOH, luckily for me it worked out for his dad, because otherwise I'd never have been born. :^)

[SunkenCiv]

https://search.brave.com/search?q=Tudor+rose+henry+vii+propagandist+youtube

[SunkenCiv]

Could be, but the meltdown value would be considerable on those times when the family fortune dwindled.

[SunkenCiv]

That sounds familiar. If I weren’t so preoccupied, I’d bounce out and track it down, there *may* have been a topic about it.

[SunkenCiv]

All humans are mortal, forever is a vanity.

[SunkenCiv]

Selections from the keyword:

• Amateur treasure hunter finds $2.5M gold headpiece from Henry VIII's lost crown [02/03/2021]
• Wooden bird bought for £75 revealed to be Anne Boleyn's -- and is now worth £200,000 [11/16/2021]
• 1536: Anne Boleyn [05/19/2021]
• 1536: Anne Boleyn's supposed lovers [05/17/2020]
• 1499: Edward, Earl of Warwick, the last Plantagenet claimant [12/01/2019]
• 1540: Thomas Cromwell [07/28/2020]
• 1541: Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury [05/27/2020]
• 1547: Not Thomas Howard, because Henry VIII died first [01/29/2023]
• Henry VII's [7th] hatchet men: Empson and Dudley [04/25/2020]
• Discovery of queen's 16th Century manuscript paints Elizabeth I in new light [Tacitus] [12/03/2019]
• Choral music not heard since era of Henry VIII has been played for first time in 500 years [09/29/2014]
• Henry VIII's last wife is heading for debut [Gaude Gloriosa unheard in 450 years] [04/13/2017]
• The House of Tudor Didn't Get the Last Word [03/27/2015]
• Richard III's DNA throws up infidelity surprise [12/02/2014]

[Red Badger]

Ecclesiastes 1
King James Version
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.!..........

[mass55th]

They aired a Detectorists Christmas Special on 12/26/22. It's an hour long. Well worth the viewing. I downloaded it, but if you use a VPN, you can watch it via BBC's iplayer:

Detectorists Christmas special 2022

[mass55th]

"I saw a documentary, think from Tony Robinson that delved into it."

Back in 2017, Josh Gates also did an episode on King John's lost treasure.