Jewellery, Objects of Vertu, Silver and Watches

A gold annular love-token brooch, circa 12th century, the flat circular hoop with a constriction of the tapered pin, the hoop inscribed to the front in seriffed Roman capitals ‘IO SVI DRVERIE NE ME DVNE Z MI’ translating as ‘I am a love-token, never give me away’, diameter 14.2mm, weight 0.78gm. £1,000-£1,500

This lot is a detectorist find and is registered with the The Portable Antiquities Scheme. The find number is NMS-B4D179.

View Find on
PAS Website

This brooch was a detectorist find discovered in Merton, Norfolk in April 2024. It is recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database, ref: NMS-B4D179, and disclaimed as Treasure, ref: 2024 T817.

Malcolm Jones in ‘The Beautiful Game: Courtly Love Posies in Anglo-Norman Inscribed on Jewellery and Seals’, explains that the choice of the word ‘druerie’ seems to indicate the donor wished to specify their love to be of the more chivalrous and courtly variety rather than the more commonly understood romantic ‘amour’.


Other recorded uses of this posy are found on two rings at the British Museum ref: BM 1903,1009.2 and 1908,1202.1, another held at the Victoria & Albert Museum ref: M.60-1960, and a further annular brooch at the British Museum, ref: BM AF.2688. Curiously it is also found embroidered on the seal ribbons of a document of 1190, detailing a grant of land by Richard the Lionheart.

For a similar form of brooch see Lightbrown, R., Mediaevel European Jewellery, cat. no. 6, p. 492.
--------------
Merton Hall, near the village of Merton, Norfolk, where this brooch was discovered, was a Saxon manor appropriated by the Norman Ralph Baynard in 1067. In 1337, the heiress of Fulk Baynard married Thomas de Grey, establishing it as the seat of the de Grey family, who have resided there since. In 1780 Sir William de Grey became Baron Walsingham.

Good overall condition, commensurate with age.
Weight 0.78gm.
According to a PMI test on the XRF Analyzer, the ring is testing as 19.3ct gold, with traces of silver, iron, copper, lead and bismuth.