Gold signet ring linked to Sheriff of Nottingham worth estimated 拢8,000 set for auction
The high-carat ring bears the coat of arms of the Jenison family, one of whom was High Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1680s - too late for him to have known the legendary Robin Hood.
Wednesday 23 March 2022 17:03, UK
A "near perfect condition" 350-year-old gold signet ring linked to the Sheriff of Nottingham and found on farmland is going under the hammer.
Auctioneers at Hansons are offering the item for sale on Thursday with an estimate topping £8,000 after it was found by a metal detectorist in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, in July 2020.
The high-carat ring bears the coat of arms of the Jenison family, one of whom was High Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1680s - too late for him to have known the legendary Robin Hood.
Hansons' consultant valuer Adam Staples said: "The ring has survived in near perfect condition and the front face bears a detailed engraving of the Jenison family arms, two swans separated by a diagonal bend.
"This would have been pressed into melted wax in order to seal the family crest on important letters and documents."
'Quite the character'
Originally from County Durham, the Nottinghamshire branch of the Jenison family first appeared as aldermen of Newark in 1580.
The auctioneers said Sir Matthew Jenison, born in 1654 after the end of the English Civil War, was "quite the character".
He was knighted in 1683 during Charles II's reign and then served as High Sheriff of Nottingham until 1684.
One of his roles was to inspect decaying trees in Sherwood Forest.
Sir Matthew's advance through the corridors of power continued when he was elected MP for Newark in 1701, but he became saddled with costly debts, linked to his estates.
He fell foul of the law after he was unable to clear his debts and died in Fleet Prison in 1734.
The Jenisons "gleaned great wealth from valuables left in their safekeeping during the Civil War which were never reclaimed".
Hoard of Civil War-era coins
Mr Staples said a buried hoard of Civil War-era silver coins, known as siege money, had been found in the same field as the ring.
Turning to the auction lot, he added: "The ring we are selling is related to a later sheriff as tales of Robin Hood emerged in English folklore as early as the 13th and 14th centuries.
"Nevertheless, this find still evokes those memories and gives us a glimpse back into Nottinghamshire life during the turbulent times of the 17th century."
The signet ring goes under the hammer at Hansons sale rooms in Etwall, Derbyshire.