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An extraordinary piece of gold jewellery – linked to the 16th century English King Henry VIII – has been discovered by a metal detectorist in a field in the English Midlands.
The object – a heart-shaped gold pendant attached to a gold chain – is set to be of great historical significance.
However, for the time being, its story is a tantalising mystery.
It bears the initials and symbols of Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon – but it’s not yet known whether it originally belonged to the king or to Katherine or to one of the king’s friends or courtiers.
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However, one possibility is that it may have been presented by or through Katherine to Henry as a tournament prize, immediately after a major jousting tournament at the royal palace of Westminster in 1511 in which Henry VIII was the star jouster.
The heart symbol (represented by the shape of the gold pendant) was used to adorn Henry’s horse at that specific event as were Henry and Katherine’s initials.
What’s more the heart concept was front and centre of the entire royal Westminster event – because Henry jousted in mock disguise under a romantic French pseudonym – ‘Sir Cuer Loyall’ (Sir Loyal Heart), a reference to his then love for and loyalty to his wife, Katherine, who had just given birth to a son, Prince Henry.
Was the golden pendant (and it’s massive gold chain) presented to Henry VIII(potentially by his wife Katherine of Aragon) at this jousting tournament? The image shows Henry being watched by Katherine as he jousts.
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Indeed, the entire tournament was arranged to celebrate that politically and personally crucial royal birth,
The use of hearts for jewellery in early Tudor times was relatively rare – so it is conceivable that the heart-shaped pendant (with Henry and Katherine’s initials and symbols on it) did indeed originate at that very special tournament.
If that was the case, the artefact, in a sense, represents a very significant political phenomenon in 16th century England – namely the Tudor royal need for political stability and the consequent perceived royal requirement for a male heir.
The tournament – and therefore potentially also the newly discovered gold and silver artefact – were connected with the celebration of the birth of just such an heir. (and the political stability that would hopefully create). For Henry, a male heir (and resultant dynastic stability) was important – because England had, only a generation earlier, emerged from more than 30 years of bitter and bloody dynastic conflict, the Wars of the Roses.
Found by a metal detectorist in a field in Warwickshire: This gold pendant and chain (weighing almost a third of a kilo) bears the initials and symbols of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon.
(The Trustees of the British Museum)
But in an indirect sense, that celebratory tournament (and thus potentially also the gold pendant and silver chain) ultimately links into the even greater political phenomenon that flowed from Henry’s need for a male heir – namely the English Reformation itself.
That’s because, tragically, Henry and Katherine’s new-born son (Prince Henry) died just a few weeks after the celebratory tournament had been held – and, ultimately, it was that infant death (and Katherine’s subsequent failure to produce a male replacement) that, years later, led to Henry’s wish to divorce her (and marry Anne Boleyn) and, in turn, that ultimate wish for a divorce caused the break with Rome and the birth of England’s Reformation (one of the most transformative events in British history).
But the gold pendant (and chain) – found by a metal detectorist in Warwickshire – more immediately symbolised another one of Henry’s obsessions – his love for medieval-style French-influenced concepts of chivalry, romances and courtly love.
Significantly, the heart symbol and the use of French words in both the 1511 tournament and on the gold pendant, are almost certainly inspired by French-influenced chivalric ideas found in literary romances, including those about King Arthur (a legendary ‘royal predecessor’ who Henry was very keen to identify himself with).
Whether or not the gold pendant is connected to the 1511 celebratory tournament (and thus to the birth of the sadly ill-fated infant Prince Henry) is, of course, not known for sure.
Found by a metal detectorist in a field in Warwickshire: This gold pendant and chain (weighing almost a third of a kilo) bears the initials and symbols of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon.
(The Trustees of the British Museum)
But an even greater mystery is how the gold pendant and its gold chain ended up in a field in the Midlands.
In Tudor times, the find site would have been open woodland which formed part of a large estate.
The young King Henry – as he would have looked at around the time that the 317 gram gold pendant and chain was made.
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If indeed Katherine of Aragon had given the artefact to her husband, Henry VIII, to help celebrate the birth of their son, Henry would almost certainly not have wished to wear or display it after that infant son had died.
It’s conceivable therefore that he gave it as a gift to one of his courtiers.
And if the object had originally been manufactured as a gift from Henry or Katherine to a courtier (or perhaps even to a member of Henry’s 1511 jousting team), the recipient might likewise not have wished to wear it at court.
But how did its owner come to lose such a high status valuable item?
This probable image of Katherine of Aragon – is in the National Portrait Galler
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It’s possible that it was lost by a nobleman, while out hunting or riding – but the chain is intact and very heavy and it’s hard to imagine it falling from around a person’s neck without the chain having already broken.
Perhaps a more likely scenario is that it was potentially stolen – and that the thief or robber dropped it or hid it while fleeing his pursuers.
Certainly highway robbery was a major problem in the countryside in Tudor England. Indeed one 16th century clergyman wrote a book in which he claimed that highway robbers employed spies in roadside inns, gathering intelligence as to which travellers were worth robbing.
Over recent months the artefact has been examined by experts at the British Museum. What’s more, archaeologists have already investigated the find site and its immediate environs – but found absolutely no additional clues.
However, additional research into this remarkable historical find (and the area near where it was discovered) is planned over the next several years.
Historians and archaeologists are hoping that future research will begin to solve at least some of the mysteries surrounding this enigmatic treasure.
The artefact was discovered by a metal detectorist, Charlie Clarke, who reported it to the UK’s antiquities reporting service, the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Unique in the world, the scheme is a service to the public (especially metal detectorists) which enables them to officially declare their finds to archaeologists in a mutually beneficial way.
Description of the necklace
The 317 gram mainly gold object is unique. It consists of a 43 centimetre long gold chain (composed of 75 large gold links), an enamel clasp (in the form of a hand) and a heart-shaped gold pendant (in the form of a hinged locket), with two romantic one word inscriptions (in 16th century French), both of which say ‘Tousjors’ ( ‘Always’ – ie., ‘for ever’). The gold is more than 98% pure (ie., 23 or 24 carat). Originally the pendant may well have contained a personal item like a lock of hair or a tiny fragment of clothing. At jousting tournaments, contestants would often receive gifts (and/or clothing fragment’s) from high status female admirers, watching the event. As well as the romantic ‘tousjors’ inscriptions, the pendant is decorated with Henry and Katherine’s initials (portrayed as being tied together by a love knot), Katherine’s symbol (a pomegranate) and Henry’s dynastic symbol (a double-headed white and red rose – representing the coming together of the English royal houses of York and Lancaster).
Michael Lewis, Head of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and Treasure at the British Museum, said that the pendant is helping to "transform our knowledge of Britain’s past.”
"Previously unknown potentially royal artefacts from the 16th century are very rare – and can give us important new insights into life at the top of Tudor society" said a biographer of Henry viii, Dr Lucy Wooding, a Fellow of Lincoln College Oxford and author of the most recent major book on the period, Tudor England: A History.
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Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said that the artefact is "a thrilling discovery giving us a tangible connection to Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon" that "enriches our understanding of the Royal Court at the time."
The PAS records archaeological finds discovered by the public – in order to "advance knowledge, tell the stories of past communities and further public interest in the past". It is a unique partnership project, managed, in England, by the British Museum, and delivered through a nationwide network of locally-based Finds Liaison Officers.
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