Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

The Rokeswelle Pilgrim’s Ring: A late 15th century gold iconographic style ring, the band of D-shaped cross section, the twisting design creating angled shoulders with ridges around the hoop extending to the borders, the rectangular flat bezel engraved with ‘ihc’ in black letter script within a lozenge panel, the four corners decorated with diagonally matching floral motifs and leaves, the shoulders composed of straight lines representing the sun’s rays; the first two twisted panels to each side of the bezel engraved in black lettering ‘en/bo/en/an’ (a good year) between foliage decoration (formerly enamelled), diameter 2.1cm. £4,000-£5,000

This ring was found at Roxwell near Chelmsford, Essex on 27 October 2019 and recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database, Ref: ESS-B1E831.

Iconographic style rings often bear images of saints with inscriptions relating to a new year or a good friend. They appear to have been souvenirs of pilgrimages bought at a shrine.

The Christogram IHC is an abbreviation of the name Jesus, being the first letters (iota-eta-sigma) of the name Jesus in Greek alphabet.

Roxwell was spelt Rokeswelle in Medieval times and the chapel dates from the 13th century. In 1391/2 Richard II sold the chapel to the Bishop of Winchester when it was used for the endowment of his new college in Oxford.