Object Description
Post Medieval gold posy ring ‘+ TOVT IOVRS LOIALL’ (‘ever faithful’). A smooth D-shape band engraved to the interior in seriffed capitals ‘+ TOVT IOVRS LOIALL’, translated from early French as ‘ever faithful’, approximately 3.4mm in width. Tested yellow gold, approximately 2.7 grams in weight, circa 1500-1700 AD.
Accompanied by documentation stating that this ring was found in Little Chart, Ashford, Kent, UK in 2012, recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme under reference KENT-B945A6 and disclaimed as Treasure under the Treasure Act, reference 2012T829.
There is no record of this motto, or any similar, in Joan Evans’ extensive catalogue of over 3000 posy inscriptions. See Evans, J., ‘English Posies and Posy rings’, 1931. This is one of our earliest posy rings with the inscription in Old French- a language, which along with Latin, were the most widely spoken languages of the time.