A rare gem-set Medieval Bishop’s ring dating from the late 12th/early 13th century will be offered at Noonans Mayfair in a sale of Jewellery, Silver and Objects of Vertu on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 12 noon. It was discovered by metal detectorist, Mark Sell on King Row, Shipdham in Norfolk, on a cold but sunny afternoon on November 22, 2019, and is estimated to fetch £15,000-18,000.
As Mark, who is 63 years old and lives at Swaffham said: “I had been on the field a couple of times before but had not found anything of importance and had been detecting for a couple of hours with a friend, using my XP Deus metal detector, when just before it started to go dark I got a faint signal and dug down about 9 inches to find what has to be the best item I have found so far!”
He continued: “I was amazed to see a thin line of gold in the clod of mud that I had dug up, and as I wiped away the mud, I could see the bezel of a medieval gold jewelled ring. I could also see that the ring was complete with all of the original jewels still in place and was in pristine condition.”
Mark then reported the find to the landowner and took it to show him and his family and it was then deposited with his local Finds Liaison Officer. Norwich Castle Museum and the British Museum were also involved in the treasure process and the British Museum put the ring on temporary display while in their care, Norwich Castle Museum had also shown interest in acquiring the ring for their permanent display. He took images of the ring to a Noonans valuation day and experts dated the ring and informed him of the extreme rarity and historical importance of it.
The proceeds from the sale of the King Row Ring will be shared with the landowner. Mark, who has retired from the Fire Service, has no plans how to spend his portion of the money.
Dated
As Laura Smith, Jewellery Expert at Noonans explained: “The village of Shipdham, central Norfolk, was well established by the time of the Norman Conquest, extensively detailed in the Domesday Book of 1086, and at that time recorded as being within the largest 20% of settlements in England. During the reign of Henry III (1207-1272) the Bishop of Ely built a manor house at Shipdham, the moat in evidence on 19th century maps. Also, of importance during the medieval period, this area contained a Royal deer park, owned by the See of Ely. The park, composed of Little Haw and West Haw, was in existence by 1277 but passed into the hands of the Wodehouse family between 1561 and 1584. All Saints church, Shipdham, dates from the 12th century.”
She adds: “This form of medieval ring, with a principal cabochon stone, usually a sapphire, surrounded by smaller collet set satellite stones (garnets or rubies, and emeralds), can be securely dated to the late 12th or early 13th century, and is associated with the bishopric. Other similar rings include one belonging to Walter de Gray, the wealthy and powerful Archbishop of York – Archbishop from 1215 – until his death in 1255 – which is on display at York Minster; as well as the Bishop of Chichester’s Ring and the Whithorn Cathedral ring.”
See also: Announcing the 2025 Women In Art Prize
