A MEDIEVAL gold jewel in the shape of a miniature Bible has been unearthed by a metal-detectorist in a farmer’s field.
‘We are gathered together in the sight of God, which must be very VERY good’
The tiny book is just over half an inch tall, weighs about one-fifth of an ounce, and contains images of various saints, including St Leonard and St Margaret of Antioch. Dating from the 15th century, it would have belonged to a person of high status, and its discovery near a stronghold of Richard III — Sheriff Hutton Castle, in North Yorkshire — has led to speculation that it could have links to his family. In 1985, another treasure, the Middleham Jewel, was discovered near another redoubt of Richard III’s, 40 miles away at Middleham Castle (Arts, 6 July 2012).
The editor of the magazine Treasure Hunting, Julian Evan-Hart, told the Daily Mail: “The artwork is clearly iconographic and bears a close resemblance to the Middleham Jewel — there is every possibility that it was made by the same artist. Whoever had it commissioned must have been incredibly wealthy. There’s nothing else like it in the world. It could be worth £100,000 or more.”
Matt Lewis, who chairs the Richard III Society, said, however: “Whether they date from the same period is yet to be confirmed. If they were from a similar time, and perhaps belonged to the same family, or even the same person, it would seem unlikely they would lose two such valuable items; so there may be other explanations for their burial.”
If the link is proved, the finder, Buffy Bailey, an NHS nurse from Lancaster, could be eligible for a large reward. The Middleham Jewel was bought by the Yorkshire Museum in 1992 for £2.5 million, which was shared between the finder and the landowner.
Mrs Bailey said that when she got a strong signal on her detector, she had expected to find a sheep’s ear-tag, or a ring-pull from a drinks can. “I still didn’t believe it was anything special; but, when I took the clay off, I realised it was something a bit different. It was so heavy and shiny, just absolutely beautiful. When you held it into the light, it threw rainbows at you.”
A spokeswoman for the British Museum said that its experts were preparing a report on its provenance, and its discovery was reported to the coroner as potential Treasure. “If confirmed, it will belong to the Crown,” she said. “Accredited museums, including the York Museums Trust, will then be eligible to acquire it.”
A spokeswoman for the Trust said: “It’s a wonderful find, and we look forward to knowing more about it once it has been processed through the Portable Antiquities Scheme.”