Detective finds gold ring; could belong to Sheriff of Nottingham

Andy Taylor of Lincoln found the 460-year-old ring three years ago during a club event in a field at Rushcliff, about 40 miles from Sherwood Forest. In the 16th century, rings like this were a popular symbol, used to convey secret messages and declarations of love between the giver and the recipient. Given the circumstances of the find, some experts believe it may have been part of the treasure trove of the Sheriff of Nottingham or a member of his family.

The ring is quite large and massive - weighing a full 15 grams. Inside, it bears the still beautifully legible but now difficult to decipher inscription "I Meane Ryght". People at the time believed that words in contact with skin increased their meaning; wearing a ring with a mysterious inscription on the inside enhanced the "conspiratorial" connection between two lovers. Given the ring's size and weight, it must have belonged to a wealthy man.

"I found it on a sunny day in July. I was on a joint search with about a dozen people from our club," said Mr Taylor. "It was so hot I decided to go back to the car to get a drink. I was lucky. Just as I turned around, I picked up a nice strong signal. I dug a sod in the sandy soil and there was the ring, just looking at me. It was exciting. When you hear a signal like that, you never know if it's going to be an ordinary ring or an ancient treasure," he described the first moments of the find.

Andy Taylor, who has been searching with a metal detector for eight years, discovered the ring at virtually the same time as his friend Graham Harrison was digging up a signet ring next to him, which was thought to belong directly to a former Sheriff of Nottingham. Graham's find bore the coat of arms of the Jenison family, who had been High Sheriffs of Nottingham for generations. Last March, it was auctioned for £8,500 (about £240,000). A set of English Civil War silver coins was later discovered in the same field.

"Within five minutes, Graham dug up the Sheriff of Nottingham's ring next to me. On the same day, some coins were also discovered in the field. I'm 95 per cent sure the rings and coins originally belonged to the same person. They were all found within 10 metres of each other. The soil was disturbed at some point by a pipeline. Originally, the rings and coins could have been closer together. My guess is it was a cache of valuables deposited at the same time. Legend has it that the Sheriff of Nottingham's family hid the valuables. I think the ring may have belonged to him or someone close to him," he said, adding that the British Museum said it was the second largest ring of its kind ever discovered.

The Sheriffs of Nottingham had Sherwood Forest in their custody, where folklore has it that the legendary outlaw Robin Hood and his band of "merry men" hid. Legend also has it that the Jenisons over time amassed great wealth and valuables to hide during the Civil War that were never retrieved.

Taylor's gold ring will be offered at auction in the autumn; the expected sale price is around £3,000 (about 85,000 crowns).

Roman Nemec

Sources: dailymail.co.uk, msn.com, protothema.gr

Charles Hanson with the ring

detail

the first part of the inscription

second part of the inscription

Sheriff of Nottingham's signet ring from the Graham Harrison find

Sheriff of Nottingham's seal ring from the Graham Harrison find - second side