Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

The Boxley Abbey Ring: A gold and garnet ring, circa 16th century, the bezel with five abutting petal-shaped collets forming a fleur-de-lis, four set with table-cut almandine garnets, the fifth pear-shaped collet setting vacant, the mount with stippled detail between the collets, and similarly decorated small projections to the sides, the shoulders and hoop decorated with eight graduating discs between engraved linear scrolls, diameter of shank at widest point 15 mm, ring size approximately N. £2,000-£3,000

This ring was discovered by a detectorist on 12 January 2019 near Boxley Abbey, Kent. The ring is recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database, Ref: KENT-08FE44 and has subsequently been disclaimed as Treasure, Case No. 2019T98.

Boxley Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded circa 1146, was famous with pilgrims for a relic known as the ‘Rood of Grace’, a wooden cross, the figure upon which was supposed to miraculously move and speak.
The abbey was dissolved on 29 January 1537, and the site of the abbey and many of its manorial estates were granted to Sir Thomas Wyatt in 1540 who transformed it into a house, demolishing the remainder of the abbey.

The fleur-de-lis is an iconic symbol associated with the Virgin Mary as well as French royalty. No other rings of this style are known set with garnets.